“Rest now, Shiela,” Edward whispered. A smile curved on his lips as he looked at the young lady sleeping.
As the highest bidder, he had returned her to his inn after the auction.
Three days. The contract was painfully clear. He’s free to do anything he pleased. Afterwards, she’d be handed over to two other affluent men who had purchased her.
Edward, meanwhile, had no intention of doing anything to her. He desired to offer her freedom, a short escape from that harsh, predatory world. Eighty million pesos meant nothing. He hadn't purchased her for his own gratification, but to provide her a chance to leave, though it’s only fleeting.
He took a deep breath. His thoughts resonated with Betty's words.
Suffering from Alzheimer's, Shiela's mother had been in a serious accident. Desperate, she’d sought to leave La Cresta but was instead caught by Aunt Nadia and pushed into the auction, a harsh collaboration between the elderly gay man and Mr. Smith. The image of the lecherous smile
