LOGINHAZEL But the moment I got close, Maria pulled me into her arms. She held me so tightly that the tears came instantly. And this time, I didn't stop them. I let everything go.Every emotion, every fear and every moment I had been holding together. I broke. Maria was familiar. She had not been sweet, but I knew her. Her hug felt warm and real, and in that moment it was everything I needed.Everything.... God! She had no idea how much I needed that.Maria didn't ask questions. She didn't ask where I had been. She didn't ask what had happened. She simply held me while I cried, and somehow that made me cry even harder."It's okay, bambina," she whispered softly, stroking my hair. "You're safe now."Safe. The word felt fragile. Like something that could break if I touched it too hard. I don't know how long we stood there. Maybe minutes, maybe longer. Eventually, my sobs quieted into shaky breaths.Maria gently pulled back and cupped my face in her hands, looking at me with eyes full of wor
HAZEL She smiled before she responded."Everything looks okay," she reassured me. "There are just a few results we won't have immediately. We need a few hours for those. As soon as they're in, I'll make sure you get them."I nodded slowly."So I'm clean? I'm okay?""You're fine. You're okay. And the bruises aren't that bad. You're doing great. You just need to take care of yourself and eat well, and when the other results come in, I'll make sure you get them."I don't know why, but I trusted her. I trusted what she said. So I nodded."Thank you."She stepped closer, and for a second I wondered what she was doing. Then she pulled me into a hug. A real hug, and she whispered in my ear, "You're going to be just fine."When she let me go, I realised tears were already falling down my face. Mina's eyes were wet too, and for a moment we were both wiping away tears when another knock sounded on the door.Just one knock. Mina quickly tried to compose herself, brushing at her eyes before ope
HAZEL After a long moment, I gave the smallest nod."Thank you."She smiled, but it wasn't forced. It wasn't the fake smile I had seen on the older woman at the auction house. It was... kind."Can you tell me if you're in pain?"I hesitated. "My whole body hurts," I admitted quietly.She nodded as if she had expected that answer."Do you think anything is broken?"I shook my head."No.""Are you bleeding anywhere?"Again, I shook my head."No.""Okay." She waited another second before asking carefully, "I need to examine some of your injuries, Hazel. But I won't touch you unless you tell me it's okay. If you want me to stop at any point, I'll stop. Is that alright?"I looked at her. Then my eyes drifted toward Axel. He was still standing by the door. He hadn't moved, hadn't interrupted, and hadn't spoken. He was standing there, simply waiting and watching.I turned back toward the doctor."I'll start with your arms first," she whispered.I nodded."Okay. Only arms."She picked up a p
HAZEL Axel didn't look back to see if I was following. He simply started walking, never looking back.For a second, I stayed where I was, staring at his back as he moved toward the abandoned warehouse. There wasn't anyone else around anymore. The SUVs had disappeared down the dark road, taking the rescued women and all the masked men with them. The sounds of the engines faded until all that remained was silence.My eyes drifted toward the dark road and then back to Axel's retreating figure. I could run. The thought came so suddenly it almost startled me. But it was true.I could just turn away from Axel and run. There would be no locked doors, no chains, no Harris, no auctions, no guards standing over me. I could finally be free from all of this....from Axel, from Harris, from everything. But then what?I didn't know where I was. I didn't have any money. I didn't have a phone. I didn't know which direction led back to civilization And somehow, despite everything that had happened bet
HAZEL For one terrifying second, I thought Axel wasn't coming with us."Axel.."Instead, he calmly raised his pistol and fired several controlled shots toward the men pouring out of the house."Fall back!" one of his men shouted."Everyone's loaded!"Axel took one last look toward the house before backing away. Only then did he open the passenger door and climb into the SUV. The instant his door shut, the convoy roared to life.Tyres screeched across the gravel as More bullets chased after us, striking the road and the backs of the vehicles. Someone behind us returned fire through the open window, and within seconds, the house disappeared behind the trees.No one spoke as the car moved; sounds inside the SUV were heavy breathing... And my own heartbeat, still trying to catch up with everything that had just happened.It probably took hours. The car kept driving through the night in complete silence. The only sounds came from the masked men quietly murmuring into their intercoms every
HAZEL Before I could understand what was happening, men dressed in black, their faces covered with masks, stormed into the house. The woman had barely taken a step outside when everything changed.Gunshots filled the air with Silenced weapons. No warning and no hesitation. They moved through the room like shadows, shooting anyone they saw.My first reaction was to scream. But before the sound could leave my mouth, the woman grabbed me and covered my mouth with her hand."Quiet," she whispered.The men kept moving as they shot the cameras and anyone who stood in their way. I stood there frozen, my heart pounding against my chest, unable to understand what was happening!g. For the first time in days, something unexpected happened. Something I never thought I would feel again.Hope. But I didn't know if these men had come to save me... or if they had come for something else.For a terrifying second, no one moved. The woman kept her hand firmly over my mouth."Don't," she whispered. I d
AXELI sit back now, putting one leg on top of the other, leaning back on the chair, watching Damien Morozov. I can see the wheels turning in his head as he continues watching me, searching, before he looks at his right-hand man. And then he looks back at me again.He says, “As I told you, you won’
AXELAxel sat at the head of the long dining table and watched Hazel walk out of the room without sparing him a single glance. He wasn’t sure what exactly about her managed to get under his skin, her defiance, her anger, or the way she moved around him like he was poison but he knew one thing:He w
HAZELAs Axel soothed the spank, his finger dipped, trailing up my inner thigh, and the cool air met the sudden, undeniable wetness he found. My breath hitched.He tutted loudly, a sound that amplified my shame and my need. “My, my…This is supposed to be a punishment, you do know that, right?”I
HAZELI didn’t even think. I didn’t even blink. The plate was just suddenly airborne, leaving my hand with this wild, reckless freedom I didn’t even know lived inside me. And for a split second, as it cut through the air, I actually felt good. Liberated. Powerful. Like maybe, finally, I’d gotten on







