A NANNY

The silence that followed the bid was heavy enough to crush everyone in the room. I stood frozen on the stage, the bright lights burning into my eyes, but I could feel the tectonic shift in the atmosphere. The lust and greed that had filled the air moments ago were instantly replaced by a suffocating fear.

People began to murmur, their voices low and frantic as they craned their necks toward the back of the room. I squinted against the glare, trying to see who had just valued my life at such an impossible sum.

"Four billion dollars," the auctioneer stuttered, his earlier confidence evaporated. He wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead with a trembling hand. "Going once... going twice..."

He slammed the gavel down so hard I thought the wood might splinter. "Sold! To the man in black at the back!"

My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird. I strained my eyes, looking past the blinding spotlights. I couldn't see his face, shrouded as he was in the shadows of the private booths. However, I could see the silhouette of a tall figure standing up. He was surrounded by a wall of guards—far more than anyone else in the room. The other bidders, wealthy men who usually looked down on the world, were physically shrinking back in their seats as he turned to leave.

Whoever he was, he was important. And he was dangerous.

The auctioneer practically ran off the podium to signal the stagehands. "Get her ready! Immediately! Do not make Mr. Silvano wait!"

Two new guards rushed onto the stage. They were different from the brutes who had dragged me out earlier. These men were dressed in sharp, tailored suits and wore earpieces. They didn't grab me roughly. Instead, one of them gestured toward the wings of the stage.

"This way, Miss Rose. Now," he said, his voice devoid of emotion.

I walked on shaky legs, my bare feet cold against the wooden floorboards. As soon as we reached the backstage area, the chaos was palpable. The burly guard who had shocked me earlier was standing there, holding the remote to my collar. He looked pale, his arrogance completely replaced by terror.

"Take it off," the suit-wearing guard commanded.

The burly man’s hands were shaking so badly he could barely hold the small magnetic key. He stepped toward me, and I flinched instinctively, expecting pain. He jumped back as if I were radioactive.

"I... I'm trying," he stammered. "Don't tell Mr. Silvano I took too long. Please."

He finally managed to slot the key into the heavy metal device around my neck. With a mechanical click, the collar popped open. The weight fell away, but the phantom sensation of the metal remained, choking me. I rubbed my raw skin, taking in a deep, ragged breath for the first time in hours.

A woman hurried over, shoving a bundle of fabric into my arms. It was a long, thick trench coat and a pair of simple slip-on shoes.

"Put these on," she whispered urgently. "Cover yourself."

I pulled the coat over the thin, sheer dress I was wearing and buttoned it all the way up to my chin. I shoved my feet into the shoes. I felt slightly more human, though the stamp of '22' on my wrist still burned like a brand.

"Move," the suit-wearing guard said.

They flanked me, marching me toward the exit. We bypassed the main loading dock where the other girls were being herded into vans and instead went out a private side door. The night air hit my face, cool and crisp, smelling of rain rather than stale cigarettes and fear.

A sleek, black car waited at the curb. It was massive, an extended sedan of a brand I could never afford to even look at. A driver in a cap opened the rear door and stood at attention.

"Get in," the guard instructed.

I hesitated for a second. This was it. I was stepping from one nightmare into another. But I had no choice. I slid onto the leather seat, the door closing with a heavy, muted thud that sealed me inside.

The interior smelled of expensive leather and a faint hint of peppermint. I turned my head, and my breath hitched.

Sitting on the other side of the seat was a man. He was looking down at a tablet, his fingers scrolling through something with precise, calculated movements. He didn't look up immediately, which gave me a moment to stare.

He was devastatingly beautiful, but in a way that made you want to run away rather than get closer. His jawline was sharp, his skin pale, and his dark hair was styled perfectly. He wore a black suit that likely cost more than my parents’ entire lifetime earnings. But it was the air around him that terrified me. He felt cold. Lethal.

He finally stopped scrolling and turned his head to look at me. His eyes were a startling shade of gray, devoid of any warmth.

"What is your name?" he asked. His voice was deep and smooth, but it carried an authority that made my stomach twist.

"Amelia," I answered. My voice was hoarse from screaming, but I forced it to be steady. "Amelia Rose."

He nodded once, as if confirming a fact he already knew. "I am Kade Silvano."

I gripped the fabric of the coat tightly in my lap. The name rang a bell—he was a ghost story in the business world, a man who owned half the city. I needed to know. I couldn't just sit here and wait to be used.

"Why..." I started, then cleared my throat. "Why did you buy me?"

Kade looked at me, his expression unreadable. "I am in need of an employee."

I blinked, confusion warring with my fear. "An employee? You just paid four billion dollars for an employee?"