Chapter 1: Waking Up Sold

A sharp, rhythmic throb behind my eyes was what dragged me back to consciousness.

I pushed myself upright, but the room tilted violently, forcing me to dig my fingers into the thick edge of the mattress to keep from pitching backward. Beneath my palms, cold white silk replaced my familiar cotton bedding. The bed itself was enormous, drowning me in a sea of sterile luxury.

I looked down at my myself and gasped.

My dark denim jeans, oversized cotton sweater, and worn sneakers were gone. In their place, I wore a simple cream-colored silk slip dress that stopped just above my knees.

Panicking, I forced my eyes to scan the room. The space was staggering, finished in rich dark walnut and polished white marble. Floor-to-ceiling glass doors opened onto a balcony where a dark, tempestuous ocean crashed violently against jagged gray rocks, sending white spray high into the air.

Where the hell am I? How did I even get here? my mind raced, my chest tightening until breathing became a struggle.

I squeezed my eyes shut, fighting to pierce the brain fog. My last clear memory hit me suddenly, sharp as an icy blade.

The café.

It had been a quiet afternoon. I was sitting at a small wooden table near the window of my favorite downtown café, right across from my little sister, Lena.

Lena had been smiling at me… that sweet, gentle little-sister smile she always gave whenever she needed help. She had pushed a glass of iced tea across the table.

"Drink it, Sunny," Lena’s soft voice echoed in my memory. "You look so exhausted lately. You work way too hard taking care of everyone else. Just drink it. You’ll feel better."

I had taken a sip feeling strange bitterness at the back of my throat, but I had brushed it off, but few minutes later, my eyelids had grown impossibly heavy. The sound of the café had faded into a dull, underwater murmur.

"Lena..." The memory tore through me—my fingers creeping across the sticky wooden table as numbness flooded my limbs. "Something’s wrong..."

Lena hadn't moved. She hadn't even screamed or called for help. She had simply folded her hands, watching me slip under with cool, unblinking eyes.

"No," I whispered into the quiet bedroom, shaking my head vigorously. "No, that’s impossible. She’s my sister. Someone must have ambushed us. Someone must have taken both of us."

I swung my bare feet onto the cold marble floor, forcing my trembling legs to bear my weight. Crossing the vast room, I grabbed the heavy brass handles of the double doors and threw my weight backward.

Locked tight.

"Is anyone out there?!" I shouted, slamming my palms against the dark wood. "Help me! Open the door!"

A sharp electronic click echoed through the frame. The doors glided open slowly.

A middle-aged woman in a crisp gray uniform stepped into the room, carrying a silver tray with a single glass of water. Her graying hair was pulled back into an uncompromisingly tight bun, her face entirely unreadable.

"Good morning, Miss Jane," the woman said, bowing her head slightly. "I am Mrs. Gable, the head housekeeper. You passed your interview with high marks."

I backed away, my hands rising defensively. "What interview? What are you talking about? I didn't apply for anything! Where is my sister?"

"You are currently on St. Jude’s Island," Mrs. Gable answered, setting the tray on a marble side table. "Your application forms, complete medical history, and background clearance documents were all submitted and signed. Master Roman expects you to follow the rules."

My stomach dropped into a cold abyss.

"No, something’s definitely wrong here!" My voice cracked as panic crested. "My name is Sunny Jane. I'm an interior designer! My.. my sister Lena was with me when I collapsed. She’s probably out of her mind with fear right now! I need to call her! I need to call my boyfriend!"

"Outside phone calls are strictly forbidden," Mrs. Gable said, turning on her heel toward the doorway. "Rest now, Miss Jane. Master Roman will be here to see you soon."

"Wait!" I cried, surging forward.

Before I reached the threshold, two towering guards in black suits stepped into the frame, blocking the exit like a solid stone wall. Mrs. Gable slipped past them, and the guards pulled the doors shut.

Click.

I stood alone in the center of the vast room, my breath ragged and shallow.

What does she mean by that? Who had access to my full legal name, medical records, and signature? Who had handed me that glass of tea?

Lena.

"Stop thinking like that, Sunny," I whispered to myself, wrapping my arms tightly around my waist as hot tears spilled over my lashes. "She’s your little sister. You raised her. She loves you. She wouldn't do this..."

Hundreds of miles away, on the sweeping granite steps of the central police station, Lena Jane stood before a sea of news reporters. Flashing camera lights illuminated her face as she held a damp tissue to her nose, her shoulders quivering with soft, rhythmic sobs as she leaned heavily against the arm of a tall young man. It was Aiden—his eyes bloodshot, his face pale from exhaustion and despair.

"We... we still don't know anything," Lena wept into the cluster of microphones, her voice fragile and heartbroken. "Sunny just walked away from the café. Please, if anyone out there knows where my sister is, help us bring her home!"

Aiden pulled Lena closer to his side, wrapping a protective arm around her shaking shoulders. "We won't stop searching for you, Sunny," he promised into the flashing cameras, his voice thick with emotion.

Lena buried her face into the fabric of Aiden’s coat, hiding from the public eye. And right there, shadowed beneath the tissue—completely hidden from the cameras and Aiden’s grieving eyes—Lena’s lips stretched into a slow, satisfied, wicked smile.

Back on St. Jude's Island, twenty minutes passed in suffocating silence.

I paced across the freezing white marble floor, hunting for an escape route, but the glass balcony offered only a sheer drop down into rough rocks and churning water.

The electronic lock clicked open again. The two guards pushed the doors wide and gestured down the corridor.

"Master Roman is ready to see you now," one said coldly.

I wiped the wet tracks from my cheeks with the back of my hand. Drawing a deep breath, I pulled my shoulders back, fixing my spine into an unyielding line. If this "Roman" was the man holding me captive, I would look him in the eye and demand my freedom.

The guards led me past soaring glass walls overlooking the storm-lashed ocean surrounding the estate. They stopped at two tall walnut doors at the far end of the hall. One guard knocked twice, then pushed the doors open.

"Go inside," he commanded.

I swallowed the sharp knot of fear in my throat, clenched my fists at my sides, and crossed the threshold to face the tyrant who had stolen my life.