Chapter 1

She should have seen it coming.

The late-night calls. The shadowed conversations. The hush that fell over the room when she walked in.

In hindsight, it all felt obvious. Like blood splattered across white silk — impossible to miss once you knew where to look.

But Seraphina Vale had always believed that love, in its purest form, was protection. That no matter how twisted the world became, the people you gave your heart to would never be the ones to sell it.

She was wrong.

And now, she was standing in a gilded hotel suite, draped in a black velvet dress she hadn’t picked, wearing heels she couldn’t run in, staring at the man she had once promised forever to — and watching him hand her over to a stranger.

“I didn’t have a choice,” Julian said, voice hoarse.

“You did,” she replied calmly. “You just made the one that didn’t involve you bleeding.”

The man who was once her fiancé flinched, jaw tightening. He looked as immaculate as always — tailored navy suit, dark blond hair combed back, cufflinks that cost more than her childhood home. But his eyes had changed.

Gone was the warm hazel she used to trust.

Now they were glazed, tired, and tinged with guilt he clearly hoped would pass for remorse.

Across the room, Gabe Vale — her stepbrother in name only — slouched on the arm of a leather chair, nursing a glass of whiskey like he was the victim here.

“Don’t make it so dramatic, Sera,” he said, swirling the amber liquid with a smirk. “It’s not like we’re throwing you to the wolves. You’ll be treated like a queen. Heard this guy even feeds his pets filet mignon.”

She didn’t look at him. Couldn’t.

If she did, she wouldn’t stop herself from reaching for the decanter on the table and smashing it over his head.

Instead, she turned her eyes to Julian — one last time.

“One question,” she said softly.

He nodded, too quickly. Too eagerly. As if answering would absolve him.

She tilted her head.

“Did you ever love me? Even once?”

The silence that followed wasn’t hesitation. It wasn’t sorrow.

It was emptiness.

And it told her everything.

Seraphina smiled — a small, bitter thing.

“I hope whatever they paid you… buys your soul back.”

Before he could reply, the door opened.

And the room tilted.

Lucien Marchesi didn’t need an introduction. His name was myth. His face was legend. But nothing in the dossiers, the rumors, or the grainy photographs could have prepared her for the gravity of his presence.

He stepped in like he already owned the air. Every movement was precise, efficient, lethal. Black-on-black suit, dark gold eyes, and the stillness of a man who didn’t bother with warnings — because he never had to repeat himself.

Gabe let out a low whistle. “Guess the rumors were true.”

Julian went pale.

Seraphina didn’t move.

Lucien’s eyes found her instantly.

They didn’t roam. Didn’t leer. They simply… held.

Like he was measuring her bones. Weighing her in silence.

She raised her chin, refusing to be the first to break.

“She’s ready,” Julian said.

Lucien didn’t look at him.

“She doesn’t look ready.”

“I’m not,” Seraphina said clearly.

That earned her the faintest flicker of interest.

Lucien took a step forward. Then another.

She fought the instinct to retreat.

“You’ll come willingly,” he said. It wasn’t a request.

“No,” she answered.

His gaze sharpened — not with anger, but calculation.

“I can make you.”

“I know,” she said. “But then you’d be just like them.”

That made him pause.

A beat of silence passed.

Then he reached into his coat, pulled out something small and silver, and held it up.

A collar.

Thin. Delicate. Designed for elegance, not restraint.

Her stomach twisted.

Julian spoke again, too fast. “It’s symbolic. Just for tonight. It shows the contract’s closed. She won’t fight you, I swear—”

Lucien held up a hand.

Seraphina stared at the object, then back at him.

“No,” she said again. “I won’t wear it.”

“You already are,” he replied.

And then his eyes dropped to the black velvet around her neck.

Seraphina's hand flew to the scarf Julian had tied there earlier. She hadn’t thought twice about it. Just a simple ribbon of fabric.

But now, her fingers found something hidden beneath.

Cold. Smooth. Seamless.

A hidden clasp.

Her breath caught.

Julian wouldn’t meet her eyes.

Lucien didn’t smirk. Didn’t gloat.

He simply turned and said, “We’re leaving.”

Two guards stepped in from the hallway. Polished. Silent. They moved toward her with mechanical precision.

She didn’t scream.

Didn’t struggle.

She just turned to Julian one last time.

And smiled like a queen walking to her execution.

The car ride was quiet.

Too quiet.

Seraphina sat across from Lucien, spine straight, hands folded in her lap like a dutiful debutante. The weight of the collar at her throat burned, even though it was probably hollow. Probably decorative.

But it was still a collar.

And she was still someone’s property now.

Lucien didn’t speak. He didn’t even look at her.

She could have used that silence to think. To plan.

But all she could hear was Gabe’s voice from earlier:

“At least you’ll be treated like a queen.”

And wasn’t that the most beautiful lie?

They always dressed cages in gold.

The Marchesi estate wasn’t a mansion. It was a fortress dressed in marble and myth.

As the gates swung open, Seraphina caught glimpses of iron sculptures, trimmed hedges, and a circular drive that could’ve belonged to a royal palace.

Everything smelled like jasmine and danger.

The guards escorted her up the steps. She didn’t look back.

Inside, the floors gleamed. The chandeliers sparkled. And the silence was absolute.

Lucien led her down a long hallway without a word.

At the end was a door — tall, carved with roses and thorns.

He opened it.

“This is your room,” he said.

She stepped inside.

It was beautiful.

Soft cream walls. A bed large enough for two people to sleep without touching. Silk sheets. A fireplace. A balcony.

It looked like safety.

It reeked of control.

Lucien didn’t follow her in. He simply stood in the doorway, a shadow painted in gold light.

“You’ll eat. You’ll rest. You’ll follow the rules.”

Seraphina turned to face him.

“And if I don’t?”

He shrugged.

“Then you’ll learn.”

He started to close the door.

But she stopped him.

“Why me?”

His eyes met hers.

“Because you didn’t beg.”

The door closed behind him.

And for the first time since the auction, Seraphina let herself exhale.

Then she walked calmly to the bed, sat down, and didn’t cry.

Not a single tear.

Because she wasn’t broken.

Not yet.

But she would pretend to be.

For as long as it took.

Because this wasn't the end of her story.

It was the beginning.