Chapter 1

When I realised that something was wrong and tried to leave, it was already too late.

"Roxy, it's 50 million dollars! 50 million! I'll never be able to pay back, even if I were to work for the rest of my life!" my best friend, Amber Stone, exclaimed. "But you'll be able to save me! God gave you this crescent moon-shaped birthmark on your stomach so that you could help me pay off my debt!"

I gasped as fear gripped my neck, unable to breathe.

"Did you just sell me off, Amber Stone?" I cried. "We've known each other for more than a decade! You're my best friend! But you sold me off just to pay off your debt of 50 million dollars!"

My questions made her back away as she kept shaking her head.

"No, don't look at me like that. The casino boss is very wealthy. He just has a kink for women with crescent-shaped birthmarks on their bodies, and he'd waive off any gambling debts as long as they can bring him a woman with that birthmark…

"Since he has a fetish for women like that, and you have a birthmark just the way he likes them on you, I'm only doing this for your own good! What if he really likes you? You might even turn out to be the next owner of his casinos!"

An image of an old man with a disgusting, lewd expression on his face immediately flashed before my eyes. I shuddered hard and pushed Amber away, trying to leave.

"You can go ahead and be the boss' wife for all I care! I'm going back!"

However, before I could even grab the doorknob, I felt a sharp pain on the back of my head.

Amber had just hit me with a wooden stick.

"You forced me to do this, Roxanne Sweeney!" she gritted out loud.

I immediately felt dizzy and stumbled a few more steps before collapsing onto the ground.

She then crouched over and took the pink pendant from my pocket.

"I know that you didn't follow me here to Las Gavas for sightseeing. You're only here to search for your biological parents!

"But since you're already here, you will help me pay off my debts, and I will help you find your parents. But if you dare to run away again… Forget about ever reuniting with your family!"

The back of my head hurt a lot, and the pain was excruciating. I struggled to move my lips as despair settled into my heart.

I had been kidnapped by child traffickers when I was merely five years old. The kidnappers had been afraid that I'd be found too easily and immediately made me change out of my clothes, shaved my head, and threw away all of my belongings.

The only thing that remained was this pink pendant with my nickname engraved on it in the back, which I'd hidden under my tongue.

16 years had passed, and I'd forgotten the way home. My memories before the age of five were also fading away. Yet, this pendant was the only thing I had left that connected me to my parents.

But now that I no longer had the pendant, all hope was lost.

"Be good and behave yourself."

Amber had only just finished speaking when the door to the private VIP room was opened.

A couple of fierce-looking thugs entered.

"Amber Stone, right? I heard that you brought something to settle your debts."

She hurriedly pointed at me and said, "Yes, Bobby. Hasn't the boss been looking for women with crescent-shaped birthmarks?

"This is my best friend, Roxanne Sweeney. She has the same birthmark on her stomach!

"See, I've already brought her here. So about my 50-million-dollar debt—"

The head of the thugs, the one she'd referred to as "Bobby", didn't even bother looking at her before pulling up a chair and sitting down.

"What's the rush? We're inspecting the goods first."

One of his lackeys immediately pounced on me, dragging me over to the couch and yanking my jacket off my body. Another tried to yank off my shirt, and I mustered whatever strength I had left to kick him on the shin.

"Let go! Don't touch me!" I screamed.

"You bitch! How dare you kick me!"

The lackey spat at me and raised his hand in the air before slapping me hard, twice.

I was slapped so hard that I saw stars. However, before I could even protest, a frightening gunshot was heard, and the man's leg immediately began to bleed. He let out a painful howl before falling backward onto the floor.

Bobby held a gun in his hand, his face expressionless as he said, "How dare you lay a finger on her before we were even done inspecting the goods! Trying to get yourself killed, Edd Poole?"