The girls who weren't tied up exchanged glances and replied, "SALE, haven't you heard of it?"Aurora shook her head blankly. SALE? Was it a promotional mall? Why was she brought here? As forced labor?The girls snickered silently, and Aurora, growing impatient, demanded, "What place is this, exactly?""It's what you call a red-light district, only more luxurious and more brutal. Those of you who are tied up are either sold or abducted, while we are here voluntarily," One of the girls replied. Aurora cursed internally. Elowen, that little bitch, had sold her into an international version of the red-light district?Aurora looked at them and asked, "There are people who come here voluntarily?"One girl nodded and said, "This place is full of high-ranking officials and rich heirs. Just getting close to one can bring in unimaginable amounts of money."Aurora clicked her tongue and said, "I don't need money, can they just let me go?"The girl shrugged, "Once you're here, unless a client bu
Heath stood up, took the pistol, and aimed it at Elowen’s father, demanding, "I'll ask one more time, where is she?"Elowen's face changed drastically, and she yelled, "Heath! How dare you! Are you going to kill someone?"Heath replied coldly, "If I don't see Aurora, what's the harm in flattening your residence?"He emotionlessly loaded his pistol and fired a shot at the floor by Elowen's feet, leaving a mark on the wooden floor. The shot turned her father's face deathly pale. He looked towards Elowen and said, "Elowen... just tell him..."Elowen clenched her teeth tightly, glaring at Heath. As Heath raised the gun towards her father's forehead, Elowen's tears began to fall. Her eyes conveyed pain, regret, and unwillingness, but Heath's gaze remained nothing but cold."I'll tell! I'll tell! At the SALE venue!" Eventually, Elowen chose to compromise, despite her deep hatred for Aurora. She couldn't let her father die for it. In that moment, watching Heath with a gaze as fierce as a dem
Aurora threw off the covers and got out of bed, flung open the bathroom door, and rushed in to turn on the cold water. Standing under the showerhead, she tilted her head back as the icy water cascaded over her head and body, temporarily quenching her anger. But it wasn’t long before the discomfort returned, crawling over her like ants. Aurora felt a deep, piercing pain throughout her body, terribly itching and aching. Lucas whispered into Dominic’s ear, “Bro, what do you think of that blonde girl?” Dominic glanced over dismissively and said, “Merely gaudy and vulgar.” Lucas moved closer to look at number eight and remarked, “You like that type? She obviously looks wild and untamable!” Dominic smirked, suddenly reminded of a girl who had been with him for over a decade, equally stubborn and wild. Heath watched on the screen as Aurora first stood under the shower, then submerged herself in the bathtub, holding her breath, and finally sat in the cold tub, banging her head against t
Dominic suddenly turned around and spotted Heath, a somewhat familiar face. His gaze then shifted to Aurora on the screen, and he was reminded of the girl from Weydon Manor, who wore a half-face mask. Her bright eyes and white teeth made her sweet and charming.Heath and Olivia?How did they end up together?Heath casually glanced at Dominic, ignoring his scrutinizing look, and turned away.Right now, Dominic wasn't the focus. Once Aurora was rescued, he would settle scores with her slowly. This girl, having ended up here, had fully exposed her identity. From now on, Dominic would relentlessly pursue her. But what of it? She was his fiancée, his to claim, and no one could take her from him.Heath’s jaw-dropping bid shocked everyone. Five hundred pounds was a significant sum, quite wasted here, but Heath didn’t care. His only concern was the girl in the room, driven to desperation, protecting herself with the few pitiful shards of glass in her hand.In the room, the bodyguard’s walkie-
When Alaric arrived with the doctor, he pushed open the door into the living room and shouted, “The doc’s here, Heath!”From the bedroom came a furious shout, “Get out!” followed by a vague sight of a lamp being hurled toward the doorway.Alaric: “...”Eamon looked around at the clothes and shoes scattered all over the living room and heard faint sounds from the bedroom. He patted Alaric on the shoulder and said, “Let’s go, we don’t need the doctor. Heath’s handling it himself.”Alaric: “...”So, they had been busting their backs all day for nothing, and in the end, Aurora was fine?Eamon dragged Alaric and the doctor out of the room, locked the door for them, and went back to his room to sleep soundly. Today, no matter what happened, even if it was the end of the world, they weren’t going to bother Heath, or it’d be the end of them.The next day at noon, Aurora finally woke up groggily, feeling like a truck had rolled over her, with every bone seemingly broken and reattached. She man
Last night, when Aurora returned to the hotel, she evaded Heath’s persistent advances and managed to keep him at bay. Heath was now akin to a wolf who has tasted the lamb.Whether Aurora slept dressed or undressed, Heath insisted that both were attempts to seduce him, proclaiming confidently, "As long as you're by my side, you're seducing me."Aurora, helpless, took her blanket to sleep on the couch, only for Heath to bundle her up, blanket and all, and carry her back to bed—determined to sleep while holding her, discomfort be damned.Aurora found this man's behavior a bit too exaggerated. Not sure if everyone was like this, but she knew tonight was off-limits if she hoped to get up tomorrow to meet Mrs. Strider.The next morning, Aurora woke up early, dressed, and applied light makeup. Together with Heath, they left to visit the Striders.The Striders situation was quite complicated. Years ago, Mrs. Strider married Mr. Strider and bore Alaric. However, Mr. Strider was unfaithful, pro
"Elowen!" Mrs. Strider sounded a bit upset: "Are you here to make trouble at our house today? If you are, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave. We're having a family dinner, and outsiders shouldn't be here.""No, no, I'm here to see Alaric..." Elowen looked at Mrs. Strider with a hurt expression. She didn't understand why Mrs. Strider just didn't like her, always mocking and sneering at her."Alaricisn't here. Come another day," Mrs. Strider said impatiently. She was annoyed just looking at Elowen's pitiful face. Elowen always used her victim act as a weapon, dangling it over Alaric, just like those fox spirits who used to haunt her ex, using pity to manipulate without any real skills."My family is having financial troubles right now. Could you possibly lend me some money..."Elowen stopped Mrs. Strider and said,Elowen was desperate. Her family was on the verge of bankruptcy. If she didn't
Dominic rested his chin on his hand, listening to his subordinate’s report without saying a word for quite some time. The subordinate stood there with his head lowered, barely daring to breathe.They all knew better than anyone that Dominic Ashcroft might seem like a charming and elegant gentleman on the surface, but in reality, he was more ruthless than anyone could imagine. His methods were fearsome, to say the least. Since the disappearance of the legendary ace, Olivia, Dominic’s temper had become even more unpredictable.Now, after following that scoundrel from the Whitmoresto theSALE venue, Dominichad inexplicably taken an interest in a woman there. He had used the intelligence network of the Abyss to dig into this woman’s background thoroughly, only to find nothing but trivial matters. How could someone with such a lowly background compare to Isabella Whitmore?Dominic squinted h