Three

Chapter three

Aryn

The room was spinning, its bright lights shone in my eyes as I gripped the lace tightly, standing naked under the lace.

The auctioneer’s voice was loud over the speakers, smooth and practiced, as if he had been doing this for years with no guilt of selling a fellow human being. “Gentlemen, feast your eyes. A fiery one, this. Hair as bright as a flame and spirit to match. She’ll fight, but isn’t that part of the fun?”

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms as I tried to suppress the wave of panic threatening to drown me. The thin green dress they’d forced me into barely covered my body, leaving me exposed to the cold air and the predatory eyes of the men seated in the shadows.

“Let’s start the bidding at five hundred thousand dollars,” the auctioneer announced.

Murmurs rippled through the crowd, followed by sharp voices calling out numbers. My chest tightened with each bid. I wanted to scream, to run, but my legs felt like they were made of lead.

“One million.”

The voice was low, smooth, and commanding, cutting through the noise like a blade. The room went silent.

I felt my stomach drop. There was something unnervingly familiar about that voice, though I couldn’t place it in my haze of fear.

“Sold,” the auctioneer declared, slamming his gavel down with finality.

My knees buckled, but strong hands grabbed me before I could hit the floor. I tried to pull away, but the grip was tight, and I was dragged off the stage.

"No, please. Let me go! I didn't do anything to deserve this. Please."

“Mov, bitch” a gruff voice barked.

My feet obeyed automatically, though my mind was screaming at me to fight. I was led down a dim hallway and shoved into a private room. The door slammed shut behind me, and I stumbled, catching myself before I fell.

“Stand up straight,” a cold voice ordered.

I turned, my breath catching in my throat.

The man standing before me was tall and broad-shouldered, his dark suit perfectly tailored to his powerful frame. His face was a masterpiece of sharp angles, but it was his eyes that held me captive—cold golden eyes, and entirely devoid of mercy.

“You’re mine now,” he said flatly, as if he were stating a fact as simple as the weather.

“Please,” I whispered, tears streaming down my face. “I don’t know how I got here. I was kidnapped! This is a mistake. Just let me go. I’ll do anything.”

He raised an eyebrow, his expression shifting from bored to mildly amused. “A mistake? That’s cute.”

“I’m serious,” I said, my voice breaking. “I don’t belong here. Please.”

He took a step closer, towering over me. “Let me spell it out for you, sweetheart. You were sold. By your boyfriend, no less.”

His words hit me like a block of bricks. I stumbled back, shaking my head. “No. That’s not true.”

“Oh, it’s true,” he said, his lips curling into a smirk. “Your precious Brandon owed them a lot of money. Since he couldn’t pay, he offered you instead. Said you’d be more than enough to settle the debt.”

I felt the air leave my lungs as the betrayal sank in. Brandon. The man I thought I loved. The man I thought loved me. He hadn’t just cheated on me—he’d sold me like I was a piece of property.

“How much?” I managed to choke out, my voice barely above a whisper.

“One million dollars,” he said, his tone almost mocking.

A sob escaped my lips as I collapsed to the floor, clutching my chest. “I—I don’t have that kind of money.”

“Well, if you really want your fucking freedom, then you’ll work it off,” he said casually, as if he were discussing a business deal.

Tears streamed down my face as I looked up at him, my vision blurred. “Why are you doing this? How can you be so heartless?”

He crouched down so that his face was level with mine, and for a brief moment, I thought I saw a flicker of amusement in his cold eyes.

“You know,” he said, his voice low, “the first time I saw you cry, I thought it was cute. But now? It’s just pathetic.”

His words cut deeper than I wanted to admit, and I froze, the tears still spilling down my cheeks. Then something about his tone, his face, tugged at a memory buried deep in my mind.

It was him.

The man I’d kissed.

I gasped, my body trembling as the realization hit me

It had been him.

The man who now owned me.

“You,” I whispered, my voice trembling.

His smirk widened as he stood to his full height, looming over me. “Never knew you were also fucking dumb.”

Panic surged through me as the pieces fell into place. “You knew,” I said, my voice shaking. “You knew who I was that night. This isn’t a coincidence.”

“Nothing I do is a coincidence,” he said, his tone dripping with condescension. “You just happened to make my job easier. That kiss was... unexpected. But useful. And sweet, like I hope you are in bed

I wanted to scream, to claw at him, but all I could do was stare up at him in shock and disbelief, but I couldn't do anything of that.

“Please, I beg you, I would do anything. I.. I can clean. I can cook. I can do anything except killing people” I said, my voice cracking.

He chuckled, turning toward the door. “None of my men would be so fucking dumb to hand you a gun, Rosé. You are going to be fucking men with that little body of yours. Get some sleep,” he said, ignoring my words. “You’re going to need it. Your new life starts tomorrow.”

With that, he walked out, leaving me alone in the cold, empty room.

As the door clicked shut, I let out a strangled sob, the weight of my situation pressing down on me like a boulder. Brandon had betrayed me, and now I was trapped, at the mercy of a man who seemed to have none.

I curled up on the floor, hugging my knees to my chest as silent tears streamed down my face. My world had been ripped away from me, and I had no idea how I was going to survive this and worst of all I still hadn't found Lily.