own her spine. The masked men who had come to collect her had dragged her from her sterile cell, and now, with every step, her mind raced, each thought more frantic than the last. She

the dim lighting, revealing walls draped in rich, dark velvet. The deep red of the fabric seemed almost suffocating, like a prison she couldn't escape. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, t

she took. Her heart raced, and she stumbled, her feet betraying her as her mind swirled with confusion. But her handlers, the facel

eading her

isoriented. Every part of her screamed to run, to hide, to disappear into the shadows. But there was nowhere to go. She was already on display. She could feel the eyes of the buyers on her, even th

ance, but the cold, unforgiving surface of the stage stopped her fall. The handlers did not c

ehind the fabric. They were wealthy men, dangerous men-some she had heard of in whispers, others whose names were known only in the darkest corners of the

was happening? What was she doing here? Her heart thudded in her chest, and her palms grew clammy. She could hear the murmur of c

e chaos, a deep, commanding tone that

forw

t was an order. She ha

e faint sound of whispers-low, indistinct, but sharp enough to make her skin crawl. Her legs felt like jelly

and distorted on the stage. It displayed her bio-her name, her age, her educatio

Alina

e:

tion:

in:

d be the most valuable, sent a fresh wave of humiliation crashing over her. Her virginity-her only remaining shred of innocence-w

a sharp shove forward to make sure she didn't collapse under the weight of it all. The spotlight

the bidd

mill

even move. He simply nodded. His eyes, hidden behind a mask, were the only thing that gave any hint of life, cold and calculating. His bid sent a ripple of

mil

llenge the first. But the man who had bid five million didn't flinch.

his one softer, almost te

the first man-his mask still in

th every price increase, her thoughts spiraling faster and faster, but the fear that had once gripped her began to give way to something

where she had no agency, no control. Her body wasn't her own, her future wasn't her ow

han the last, until finally, after what fel

ty mi

t, the tension hang

s overwhelming, suffocating. He had not raised a paddle, nor had he spoken a word to

pering in her ear, his voice low and

through Alina's veins.

ack of the room, the buyers still watching her, their eyes burning into her skin. The handler led her into a darkened hallway, the sound of

n, they

darkness. The soft light from the hallway revealed a man, tall and imposi

no Mo

alculating, as though appraising the merchandise he had just purchased. His expression was unreadable, th

ut. The world felt distant, the edges of her vision blurring. She was too numb to react,

gaze never leaving hers. His voice was l

with

request. It