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Chapter 24: Freedom can be bought

Author: Black sweet
last update Last Updated: 2025-09-30 15:29:05

~ Avelyn ~

I woke up before the maids could rustle me awake. My eyes snapped open to the gray light bleeding through the curtains, but it wasn’t rest that pulled me out of sleep — it was guilt. Heavy, suffocating guilt that pressed on my chest like a stone. Ariana’s name carved itself into my brain the moment my lashes fluttered.

She’d stood by me through everything, through the humiliation in the Elvans’ house, through the whispers, through every scar I carried. And what did I do in return? I locked her out. Blocked her number. Pretended she didn’t exist because I was too much of a coward to tell her where I’d ended up. Her family was wealthy, knowing Ariana she’d try to help me. But she was no match for Xander.

I never wanted the people I care about to get involved in this mess, my mess of a life. If Kyle didn’t mysteriously show up here, I would never had told him, no matter how tempted I was, it was simply too cruel to burden someone else with this. So I decided to let her think
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  • Switched at the Mafia Auction   Chapter 30: Performing for the devil

    ~ Avelyn ~The music hit first.A slow, decadent rhythm, heavy on bass, like a heartbeat amplified and stretched into something sultry. Then the lights followed, a beams of violet sweeping across the stage, striking the polished floor beneath my bare feet. It gleamed like glass, slick and dangerous, every step a reflection waiting to betray me.I forced myself to breathe. My emerald dress clung to my skin, the slit scandalously high and the fabric shimmering beneath the lights. The audience’s roar melted into a low hum in my ears. I could feel their eyes on me, greedy, expectant, daring me to give them more.So I did.I stepped into the center of the spotlight, letting the beat guide the sway of my hips. My hand skimmed down the slit of my dress, brushing my thigh as if I were teasing myself for their benefit. A wave of whistles cut through the room. Somewhere in the blur, champagne glasses froze midair, conversations stilled.The bass deepened. I twirled slowly, letting the silk flar

  • Switched at the Mafia Auction   Chapter 30: Performing for the devil

    ~ Avelyn ~The music hit first.A slow, decadent rhythm, heavy on bass, like a heartbeat amplified and stretched into something sultry. Then the lights followed, a beams of violet sweeping across the stage, striking the polished floor beneath my bare feet. It gleamed like glass, slick and dangerous, every step a reflection waiting to betray me.I forced myself to breathe. My emerald dress clung to my skin, the slit scandalously high and the fabric shimmering beneath the lights. The audience’s roar melted into a low hum in my ears. I could feel their eyes on me, greedy, expectant, daring me to give them more.So I did.I stepped into the center of the spotlight, letting the beat guide the sway of my hips. My hand skimmed down the slit of my dress, brushing my thigh as if I were teasing myself for their benefit. A wave of whistles cut through the room. Somewhere in the blur, champagne glasses froze midair, conversations stilled.The bass deepened. I twirled slowly, letting the silk flar

  • Switched at the Mafia Auction    Chapter 29: I need a man

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  • Switched at the Mafia Auction   Chapter 26: Mirrors don’t lie

    ~ Avelyn ~The door slammed behind me, hard enough to rattle the frame. My lungs were already tight, my throat closing in. The second I was inside my room, I didn’t even think — I just sprinted straight for the bathroom.The shower came alive with a violent twist of my wrist, water hissing against the tiles like a thousand whispers mocking me. I ripped the sports bra over my head, tugged at the rest of my clothes like they were shackles I needed to escape, and stumbled under the spray before it even warmed.I scrubbed. Hard.The sponge tore at my skin, dragging over every inch with soap that foamed too quickly, slipping through my fingers like it couldn’t keep up with my desperation. His cologne clung to me. I could still smell that woodsy, rich, suffocating scent, it was like smoke I couldn’t breathe out of my lungs. I raked at my arms until they stung, my chest until it burned red. My own nails left angry streaks.But it wasn’t enough.Because it wasn’t on my skin.It was inside me.

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