LOGINCamellia’s body seemed limp as she walked toward the car that would take her to her new home. The girl didn’t even want to look at the man behind the wheel. She kept her head down and tried not to look at anyone around her—even though there was only one man in the car. And during the drive to the city, the car was filled with silence. Now, the girl felt that everything she owned was meaningless when she wasn’t in a familiar environment. With a mix of anxiety and conflicting emotions, Camellia rested her head against the car window while listening to the sound of her own heartbeat. She didn’t even care about the man who had also chosen to remain silent in the front seat. And when the girl closed her eyes, for some reason she caught the scent of a very familiar fragrance, but Camellia quickly dismissed it and chose to keep her eyes shut while letting her mind wander to a field of petunias at a castle atop the hills. “Hhhhh…,” Camellia exhaled heavily, clenching the front of he
“Two million dollars!” Instantly, all eyes turned to a forty-year-old man standing in the corner of the room. Everyone who had been bidding decided to back out one by one. Jaxon, sitting in the back row, simply looked at Camellia with sympathy, because ever since the auction began, Hagen hadn’t made a single move or voiced a bid. In fact, the man mostly remained silent while surveying his surroundings. His largely silent demeanor clearly showed his disapproval. The same was true for Brandon and several other members of Red Cage. At first, they thought Hagen would also participate in bidding, but it turned out he just stayed silent—he even seemed completely indifferent. Camellia, whose focus had been solely on Hagen since the auction began, seemed unable to accept the way he just sat there in silence. In fact, throughout the entire event, he remained mostly silent. The envelope that had been distributed to the guests earlier lay limp on the floor, right near his feet. S
Camellia looked around nervously. She even glanced repeatedly at Brandon, who was driving up ahead. “Is it that far?” Camellia asked, glancing around at the trees and dense forest blocking her view. “It’s been two hours already.” Brandon could see Camellia’s anxiety, but he didn’t know how to calm her down. “There’s still another hour to go,” Brandon said, further confusing Camellia. Why did it have to be that far away? “Why in the middle of the wilderness?” Camellia asked innocently. Brandon just chuckled softly. “It’s a secret event, Camellia. Everyone attending prefers their privacy to be protected, so this is the perfect location,” the man explained, deepening the furrow on the girl’s brow. “In the middle of the wilderness?” Once again, Camellia felt that it didn’t make sense. “No, more precisely, in the middle of private property owned by one of Denver’s most influential figures,” Brandon added, causing Camellia to bite her tongue to keep from firing off a bar
Camellia arrived at the photo shoot with swollen cheeks and a puffy face. She didn’t even seem to care about the stares that were constantly directed at her while she was in the studio. Brandon even gave her a questioning look, raising one eyebrow toward his forehead as he looked at Camellia’s flushed face. “What’s wrong with your cheeks? Have you been crying?” the man asked, watching Camellia closely. The girl simply lowered her head while wiping away a few tears that had fallen down her cheeks. “I’m sorry,” she whispered hoarsely, causing Brandon to sigh as he approached her. “It’s okay, we can cover it up with makeup,” he said, calling over a young woman who was dressed very professionally. “Help Camellia look even more beautiful,” the man said, diverting attention from the girl’s tears. “Ayana,” the woman said, extending her hand and introducing herself with a polite smile. Camellia accepted the handshake, and she followed the woman’s instructions to one of the roo
Love. A word whose meaning and essence Camellia had never known, because she had never experienced or discovered it—neither within her own family nor within herself. If she loved herself, there’s no way she would have to sell her body. But did she love her father so much that she was willing to sacrifice anything for him? Perhaps, or maybe she hoped her father would recover so that she, too, could be loved like a child. All this time, she had lived amid her parents’ constant bickering, as they never stopped blaming each other. Her life has never even felt complete. With a wistful gaze, Camellia knelt before the man whose eyes were slowly beginning to complet“You can be loved by many people. And for you, that’s not difficult,” Camellia murmured as she gazed at the handsome face that had once again fallen asleep before her. The girl gently caressed his masculine face with her fingers. She took a deep breath before finally resting her head against his forehead. “Why d
Camellia spent a long time thinking about the contents of the document she had just brought home. And with great care, she hid the document in a safe place to prevent anyone from finding it. She had just sat down on the bed after putting the document in a safe place when the ringing of her cell phone caught her attention, and Hagen’s name appeared on the screen as the caller. They had just parted ways that morning, but it seemed like the man never got tired of bothering her. “Did you leave something behind?” Camellia asked, trying to take a dig with a hint of sarcasm. Of course, the man chuckled softly. It was obvious that Hagen hadn’t brought many belongings with him when he went there. “No, Princess,” said the man, who sounded like he was doing something on the other end. “I just wanted to check on you.” “I’m fine. You even saw me this morning.” Maybe the man had amnesia. “I just wanted to double-check,” he replied. This time, Camellia heard the sound of running wa
Their eyes met, but neither of them spoke; even Hagen no longer listened to Gavin, who kept talking on the other side of the call. It was as if his stare was glued to Camellia, who was standing very gracefully at the top of the stairs in her white pajamas.However, when he heard his name being called
“Who hit you?”Suddenly, Camellia asked after swallowing a bite of the warm soup that Hagen ordered from a nearby restaurant.Both of them were sitting opposite each other at the dining table. There was no sign of the chaos in the kitchen. The entire room looked shiny, which made Camellia wonder how H
Immediately, Hagen endured the pain that radiated along his arm because suddenly Camellia bit his hand that was about to stroke her cheek.“Argh, damn!” Hagen grimaced as he stared at Camellia, who was still sinking her teeth into his skin.With his hardened jaws and teeth clashing in pain, Hagen atte
“What did you do to that girl?”A man in a black suit stood not far from Camellia’s lying body. He gently rubbed his chin and glanced at the man, who was now standing still near the table.With gritted teeth and a cynical tone, the man in question said, “I didn’t do anything to the girl.”Getting that







