Matryo-ress (Volume 2)

Chapter 5 - Compulsive Lady

 Because of Rime winning the last round of our game of roulette, which currently isn't going in my favor, she had the ability to control how much we bet. I was a little nervous, she might get confident because of her strange win last round and make us bet high.

After she was done thinking, she looked up at me with the devious smile I had grown accustomed to. But this time, it wasn't just suspiciously friendly.

"I have decided the amount I'd like us to bet."

"How much have you decided upon?"

"48 chips!"

I immediately acknowledged that it was a high bet, but it took me a little longer to realize that she was making me bet the rest of my chips! Even Marshall looked shocked at this outrageous request. What the hell is this woman thinking? Is she that confident in her luck that she can take me out on the third round of roulette using my rules? There's no way this is real, what is going on in her mind?!

"W-wait a minute, you realize that is the rest of my chips, correct?"

"Of course!"

"May I ask why?"

"Klover, I cannot reveal too much to you, but I will let you know...if I can win on a random number, then there's a high chance that I'll also win if I do so again. It doesn't make much sense to you, I know, but there's a deeper reason."

I saw her eyes glow bright red, almost matching her high stacks of red chips with a few of my green chips on top. I felt my heart sink as she stared directly into my eyes with a grin, getting out of her seat.

"I want you to feel the same rush as me when we place our chips onto the table! I get so excited when so much is on the line and want you to experience the same rush as me! It's life or death for the both of us, so please...take this risk with me, Klover Demetrus! Let us place our bets and let the wheel decide our fate!"

I was left speechless. Hearing her scream out her gambling desires to me with her arms reaching for me across the table, it almost made me hypnotized. I was entirely fascinated by her fantasy, I almost had no choice but to accept. I felt my eyes glow the same way hers was, it was almost like our minds linked together in that moment of total madness.

Fully into her plan, I responded with a sly grin, "Let's risk it all, shall we?"

She looked back at me, she seemed like she was on the brink of letting it all loose and couldn't control herself for any longer. With a laugh, she took 48 of her red chips and threw them at the table, scattering them all across the board. My mind was beginning to feel fuzzy, and being under her insane spell, I instinctively did the exact same. I stood up, and smashed my stack of remaining chips, which scattered across the table. What's gotten into me, and why do I like this feeling? I've never been in this scenario before, I didn't understand any of this, but I did understand completely at the same time.

Marshall, terrified of the insanity we were both succumbed to, announced "N-No more bets."

Both overwhelmed with pressure and excitement, Marshall proceeded to spin the wheel and drop the ball in. I looked at Rime in her beaming red eyes, and she was looking back at me. I believe this is the only time I've made eye contact with someone this deeply. I felt like our souls were locked together and she was sharing everything she was feeling to me. She was biting her bottom lip painted in a natural-colored lipstick so hard that it was probably about to bleed. I wanted the ball to stop so badly. I wanted to know what had been decided for me by a simple wheel with numbers on it. We increasingly got more and more excited as the ball slowed down, I couldn't wait to know if I had made a huge profit or threw 1 million dollars in the trash.

"...18 is our winner."

We didn't even turn to look at Marshall as he made the announcement, we just looked back down at the board to figure out who had picked 18 since we weren't paying any attention to where our chips landed when originally betting. Unbelievably, I hadn't landed on anything that could've been a hit for me. I had lost $1,000,000 to an insane woman who roped me into her scheme. She was a compulsive gambler, and I had fallen for it.

Though, I didn't care for this loss. Even though I had lost over a million dollars, it meant nothing to me. This woman, Rime Kakebami, had managed to ruin my title of an undefeated gambling champion after years of being in this industry by roping me into her compulsive insanity and persuading me to bet it all on a game of roulette. She's amazing, I want to gamble with her every night, even if I lose every damn time and go completely broke. She's put me under her spell, and I don't care one bit.

"Our winner of tonight's roulette match under the ruleset 'Greed's Game' is Rime Kakebami."

I can't hold myself back. I want her.