HERA
I was seated at the far end of my room, my back resting on the wall as I stared out of the window. Today was the day the brothel was auctioning off girls. And I was part of the girls to be auctioned off.I wasn’t as ecstatic as the majority of the other girls were. They were excited to leave this place. And I couldn’t exactly blame them for it. I, on the other hand, wasn’t ready to leave here at all.Let me explain.Girls like us – the girls whose parents probably sold them off to Madam Viviane, or the orphan girls who were just unfortunate, or fortunate, to be brought here, were taken care of excellently, and given the best quality of education till we were eighteen and we could pass as university graduates. Then we would be sold to the highest bidder.And the highest bidder, are usually the extremely rich guys. Those filthy rich billionaires,- note that I didn’t mean that as an insult – who were looking for a helpless girl to warm their beds.The auction contract includes the signing of a court marriage paper, which Madame Viviane included, just to guarantee the safety of the girls. I didn’t think it guaranteed our safety in any way. It just meant that we were stuck to some obnoxious rich guy who would probably not look our way again after they’ve gotten what they wanted.Unfortunately, any girl that didn’t get bought would remain at the brothel as a prostitute. And I might just be part of them.Everyone said I had the brains. I knew I had. I was smarter than every other girl here, which turned me into an enemy of the other girls except my two best friends, Arina and Hestia. But at an event like this, the brains were not enough. I had to be beautiful too. Attractive. And that was where the problem lay.Arina, was the prettiest and curviest girl among us all. She wasn’t too tall. She has blond hair, cream-colored skin, and a clear, glowing face that would make anyone do a double take. Arina was the perfect definition of shorties with the attitude. Arina was the sauciest in this brothel. She had never been scared to open her mouth and talk before. Probably because she knew Madame Viviane wouldn’t hurt her.Hestia was taller than both Arina and me. She is slender with a very tiny, curvy waist. She was black-haired, with tan skin. She was an exceptional beauty, next to Arina.And then there is me, Hera.I had cream-colored skin and tiny dots of freckles around my nose and cheeks. The freckles weren’t easy to notice unless you were closer to me. I had red hair which reached my hips. It was full and always got tangled up in its curls. I wasn’t curvy that much. I had medium-sized breasts, for a girl my age, and slightly wide hips, which made me hate wearing tight clothes because of all the perverted looks the men would give me. I was an inch taller than Arina, and…well…I had the brains. I doubted any man will look my way at all.I considered it funny that my friends and I had the names of one Greek goddess or the other.Hestia; the goddess of the hearth, Arina; the goddess of peace, and I, Hera; the Queen of the gods. The goddess of the heavens.I sometimes wonder if our future husbands would have the name of Greek gods too. That would be funny as fuck.The girls were chatting excitedly, and I wasn’t paying any attention to what they were saying until one of them snickered. We called her Dee, shortened for Dorothea. And she wasn’t a fan of mine. “I don’t know why she keeps acting like she isn’t glad to be getting out of here,” she said to the girls surrounding her bed. “Idiotic ‘Goody two shoes’.” “I know, right!” Another one chirped in. “I don’t know why Madame Viviane likes her so much. She isn’t worth it. Annoying redhead. It’s not like she’s pretty, anyway.” Subconsciously, my hand flew to my hair, touching the tangled curls as I felt water gather in my eyes. Unfortunately, I’ve always been like this. Getting emotional every damn time. Even over little insults. Like this.“She isn’t,” Dorothea added. Oh, how I’d love to strangle this girl or give her a piece of my mind. “And-”“And you are?” Hestia interrupted, flipping the pages of a book with deep concentration.I looked just as Dorothea turned her head towards Hestia. “Excuse me?” she asked as if wondering who dared to interrupt her.I was surprised Hestia was even talking at all. “Are you pretty?” Hestia asked, slamming the book shut as she finally looked at Dorothea. “I’m sorry, are you referring to me?” Dorothea asked. She looked taken aback. Probably because Hestia has never uttered a word to her. “Oh, dear gods,” Arian muttered with a dramatic sigh as she lay on her back, covering her face with a hand while the other lay on her stomach. I dreaded how this would turn out. I wasn’t ready to make more enemies. “Not only is she ugly, but she also lacks the brains too!” She lamented, shaking her head slightly. “Arina, I sincerely hope you’re not referring to me,” Dorothea snapped, a scowl on her face as she stared at her. “She is,” I surprised myself by speaking up. Honestly, I was just frustrated by thinking about how today will turn out. If today was going to be my last day here, I might as well stand up to these girls. “She’s talking to you, Dorothea. And it would be nice if you kept quiet for once. You can’t be so sure you’ll leave here tonight. You might end up working permanently at this brothel.” Dorothea stared at me for a minute and scoffed, a look of disbelief on her face. “Pathetic!” she spat. Arina gagged as she finally sat up on her bed, locking gazes with Dorothea. “Even your voice makes me want to puke.” Dorothea stood up, charging towards her when madame Viviane walked in. Dorothea froze where she was, slowly turning to the door as she saw every one of us stand up. The murderous look on her face turned pleasant.Madame Viviane was dressed in an elegant evening dress, her hair pulled back into a tight, glossy bun on top of her head. Her face was full of makeup. And it made her even more pretty. She had a hand fan in her hand as she looked at each of us. “Ladies, it’s time,” she announced, then landed her gaze on me. “Hera, I’ll dress you myself.”ARES I walked towards the main entrance of my company, one hand holding my phone to my ear. I nodded to the greetings of my workers while I walked. I was currently on a phone call with my mother, Aurelia Grey. And she was being such a huge pain in the ass at the moment. “No, you listen to me, Ares Grey! I don’t care whether you’re interested or not, but you have to help those girls. Even if it’s just one-” “Mother-” “I am NOT done talking, Ares. Put yourself in their shoes. What if you were one of those girls?!” “Well, I am not one of those girls, mother,” I replied calmly as I got into my car. “And I am certainly not in their shoes. I will go there, just because you want me to, but I will not buy anyone.” “Ares-” “Goodnight, mother,” I cut her off and ended the call. I could imagine her shrieking with smoke coming out of her imaginary horns right now. Like I mentioned earlier, Aurelia Grey was a huge pain in the ass. Let’s say my mother was feminist, because she was de
HERAI looked around Madam Vivian’s office, a huge lump in my throat that threatened to turn into a sob if I didn’t swallow it immediately. The auction wasn’t over yet. They hadn’t even gotten to number ten before three men decided they wanted my friends and me. And they paid ten million each for us. I don’t know where Arina and Hestia were at the moment. Huge chances were they had already been then to their new home. And that made me want to cry badly. They are my best friends. And I didn’t even get the chance to say goodbye to them. Chances were, we’ll never meet again. The lump returned, and I forced it down my throat. My eyes swept over the room and landed on Madam Vivian and a lady I didn’t recognize. They were both standing by the door and speaking in hushed tones. The lady had a glass of wine in her hand. Her sleek, brown hair was in a bun. She was dressed in a blue evening gown that hugged her body. She had this no-nonsense look on her face that made me wonder again who
ARESI stared out of the window, watching as Adela’s ride sped into my compound as if it was being chased my the cops. I wasn’t surprised. This was the way both Adela, and her driver preferred to drive. She had texted me a minute ago that she was here. And, my newly wedded wife, Hera, did not know who Ares Grey is. Perfect! Note the sarcasm. The door opened and she got down, her mouth slightly open and a tiny frown on frown on her face which soon morphed into horror as she watched Adela’s ride drive out of my compound in the same speed which it had used in driving in. She watched, her head turning slightly as the gates closed by it self. I wondered if she thought her opportunity to escape had just slipped by. Besides, she’d be doing herself more harm than good if she decided to escape. I am one hundred percent sure the only place she knows in this state is the brothel. And another one hundred percent sure that she doesn’t even know the actual address of the brothel. She turned ar
Ares. "Yes, mum," I muttered as I stepped out of my room and turned around to close the door. My hand paused on the door knob as I watched Hera's relaxed face. She was still asleep, and it was no use waking her early this morning. It isn't like she is going anywhere. "Ares! Are you listening to me?!" My mother's high pitched voice bled into my ears. I winced, a sigh leaving my lips as I closed the door. "You were saying, mom?" I asked. "I said I want a perfect dinner organized once I get back to the city with your father," she snapped. She and dad had left the country this morning for something business related. And they wouldn't be back until three days. "Mom, let Teresa plan that," I answered, a frown forming on my lips. I'm a man. Why should I be the one to plan a god-damned family dinner? "Teresa is pissed. Didn't Adela tell you that?" She asked with a chuckle. "Why is she pissed?" I asked, my brow raising as I walked down the stairs. "I don't know. You ask her," mom r
Hera. I waited thirty minutes. I had been rubbing soap over my body and rinsing of with clear water. I had washed my hair and used my finger to detangle the strands. I did all that under thirty minutes. I spent thirty minutes in the bathroom before sprinting out, not bothering to clean my wet feet. I soon felt the repercussion, though. After taking two steps from the bathroom, I slipped on the floor, landing face first, my breasts pressed to the ground. "Ouch ouch ouch." I moaned, turning around on the floor and sitting up. There was a dull ache in my left ankle, but I stood up nonetheless, wrapping my white towel around my body firmly. I couldn't entirely call it mine, though. I was pretty sure it belonged to Ares. Everything here belonged to him. I picked up the phone from where it lay on the bed and turned it on. I half expected it to have a password of some sort, but it didn't. I opened google, wondering for what to search for. But I already knew the answer. Ares Grey. The
HERA. "Mine." I tasted the words on my lips. It sounded foreign. But it also sounded nice. Felt nice. "Yes." He nodded. "Yours. And the clothes the maids just took upstairs." I eyed the phone as Adela brought it out of its box and began working on it, then eyed Ares. "Thanks," I breathed out, staring at my abandoned food. The side of his lips stretched a bit, but not fully. I have never really had anything to call mine. The brothel wasn't my home. The clothes I wore there weren't mine. But ever since I got here, that had changed. The necklace I wore was mine. The ring on my finger was mine. The clothes he got for me was mine. The phone, mine. But I really shouldn't be surprised, or overwhelmed. I guess that was the perks of having a billionaire for a husband. "Adela will open your social media accounts. Do you like TikTok? Instagram? Netflix? Twitter?" He didn't wait for me to reply before he turned to Adela. "Open those for her. I want her to have accounts. The same ones you
Hera. "So which one of them is worse?" I asked, heaving as I stretched my left leg out behind me, and bending my right leg in front of me. Adela was breathing steadily as she turned her head to look at me. "What?" She questioned. "Ares and his siblings. Which one of them is worse?" I asked. Today was day five of living here. Ares left the country for some kind of business two days ago, leaving me behind. Adela had been staying over since then. And She woke me up as early as seven, this morning, just to work out with her. Of course, we weren't in the house, but by the large pool behind the house, that I absolutely hand no idea was there. The guards weren't at this part of the house, probably at Adela's request. She and I hadn't left the house yesterday, but today, she decided we stepped out and I realized that the compound was crawling with guards. Stoic faced, huge, guards. Probably because of the kind of person my husband was. And the kind of popularity I was gaining these
Ares's POVI walked into the house, dragging my tie down with one hand, and my other free hand holding my blazers. It was two am in the morning, and I was surprised to see the television still turned on, and Adela sprawled out on the couch. Adela would never stay up late waiting for me. Unless someone forced her to. But Maria wasn't anywhere. I walked further into the house, and noticed a figure pacing about in the dining room, the television remote in her hands. Maria…No. Not Maria. Hera. She was chewing anxiously on her fingernails as she paced around, and then I finally noticed what she was watching. The news. Specifically the one of the accident that happened a few hours ago. God. Did she think I was a victim of the accident? As if on cue, she turned towards me and gasped lightly. “Ares!“ She looked like she was going to run and jump on me, but then she stopped, took a step back and stared at me. “Ares.“ Adela got up from the couch, way too swift for someone who just woke