Ace sat slumped in the chair, the rough rope biting into his wrists and ankles, his designer jacket now smeared with dust and sweat. The dim room smelled of damp wood and old metal, the single flickering bulb above casting long, ghostly shadows across the walls. His heart pounded in his chest—not from fear exactly, but from disbelief. This wasn’t supposed to happen to him.

The firstborn son of a powerful and wealthy family, Ace had grown up surrounded by polished floors, polished cars, and people paid to smile and bow. Servants blended into the walls like wallpaper—silent, obedient, and forgettable. That was the way it always had been.

Until now.

One of them had snapped. And now he was here—bound, kidnapped, and completely out of control.

A shape moved just beyond the edge of the light.

Ace wet his lips, his voice steady but strained as he forced his chin up.

"Look… whatever you want… I can get," he said, his eyes narrowing. "Money, access, favors—anything. You don’t need to drag my parents into this."

But deep down, he wondered if this wasn’t about money at all.