Chapter 5

Victor’s POV

I stepped out of the car and headed toward the five star Stainley Hotel. Tonight, an auction would be held there.

I came with a simple goal to acquire the latest prototype firearm being smuggled in. Unregistered in any system. The perfect toy for someone like me.

My stride was wide, firm, intimidating.

“Welcome, Mr. Victor.”

Several hotel executives greeted me. This auction was strictly confidential.

The basement of the old hotel gleamed, crystal lights reflecting off marble surfaces, the scent of expensive perfume mingling with the stench of fear and ambition.

Escorted by my men, I entered and took my seat in the VIP section. The guests sat neatly, like pawns on a chessboard, all waiting to own something, to turn it into an asset. I was no different.

But there was one variable I hadn’t calculated, one possibility that would make me forget my true purpose.

A boy being auctioned.

Nicholas Hayes.

The child stole all of my attention.

The first gavel struck. The auctioneer opened the session with a slick voice, announcing the next item.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our twenty first auction. The largest black market capable of fulfilling all your desires. Our first item human subject. A male child. Six years old.”

I swallowed.

The large screen lit up. At the center of a bulletproof glass stage stood a young boy, still wearing his school uniform. He stood straight. He wasn’t crying. Not shaken.

Instead, his deep obsidian eyes stared directly at the VIP seats.

Straight at me.

Damn it.

“How bold of him to look at me like that.”

I smirked.

The starting price appeared: one hundred million dollars. Expensive even for the most powerful conglomerates. But for me, it was cheap.

They praised the boy, explaining the high base price: exceptional intelligence, a healthy body, maximum organ compatibility, trainability from an early age.

Everything that made him the perfect tool for a filthy world like this.

To me, the numbers were just figures and statistics. Perfectly reasonable for a hidden diamond like him.

“Boss, why do you keep staring at that kid?” Leon whispered in my ear.

I stayed silent. I felt something strange, an irrational pull.

Nicholas’s gaze, his posture, his intelligence, even his looks awakened something unfamiliar. A desire to possess him.

Not as an asset. Not as entertainment.

But as if I were seeing myself as a child reflected in Nicholas.

I didn’t understand why.

Leon, my most trusted man, watched me with suspicion.

“Boss, we’re here for weapons. Not a child.”

He knew. He could sense my interest.

I gave a thin smile, cold and controlled.

“The boy is interesting,” I said.

Every movement he made stirred something long buried within me.

Fragments of my childhood surfaced nights without warmth, blood stained hands, firearms as my favorite toys, a world that taught me cruelty, that I would be crushed if I didn’t fight back.

And now, I was looking at another version of myself.

A version I could protect.

The auction continued. Numbers climbed. The gavel’s rhythm echoed like a heartbeat.

One hundred twenty million.

One hundred forty.

One hundred sixty.

Everyone began bidding. They were fighting over him.

Leon pressed my arm lightly, deeply worried.

“Boss, this is insane. The price keeps going up. The risk is too high. They’re willing to burn money for this child. Please don’t get involved. Remember why we came.”

I remained silent, my eyes never leaving Nick. He stood tall, scanning the room as if calculating his chances of survival.

Six years old, yet his eyes carried decades of experience.

“Two hundred million.”

I raised my bidding paddle. Leon froze, panic flashing across his face.

“Two hundred twenty million,” I added.

Leon jerked. “Boss, why are we doing this? We’re after weapons, not a kid!”

There was a part of me that couldn’t answer him. A voice inside whispered, louder than logic.

He is mine.

Nicholas Hayes. Every statistic, every potential listed in the documents ensnared me.

But that wasn’t what captivated me most.

There was something in his gaze, something that made my blood pound unnaturally.

I didn’t realize then that this wasn’t mere obsession with control or dominance.

It was far deeper.

An unexplainable ache bloomed in my chest a sense of loss I had never known before. It intensified as the numbers on the screen climbed higher.

Two hundred seventy.

Two hundred ninety.

One by one, competitors withdrew. The world’s eyes locked onto me and Nick. The auctioneer held his breath.

I knew Leon was stunned. He had known me long enough to recognize this wasn’t the usual Victor.

“This is reckless,” he must have thought.

“Boss, you’ve lost your mind.”

Then, from the empty seats at the back, a low voice rang out.

“Three hundred million.”

I turned. Someone was testing my limits.

I met the gaze coldly. No fear. Just calculation.

“Five hundred million dollars.”

Silence fell.

The auctioneer nearly dropped the gavel. Everyone held their breath. No one dared bid higher.

“Sold,” the auctioneer finally said, his voice trembling.

I won.

But this wasn’t an ordinary victory.

Strangely, I felt satisfied. Deeply satisfied to the point that even I was confused by how happy I felt.

I lifted my head and saw Nick as the bulletproof glass was removed. He stopped right in front of me, looking me up and down without expression.

He wasn’t afraid.

He didn’t thank me.

This child calculated everything.

“You’re mine,” I said.

“I belong to no one, Uncle,” he replied.

For the first time, I felt challenged.

He was incredibly bold.

I liked that.

Leon stared at me, eyes wide. “Boss, what’s the plan now? This is completely unexpected. What about the weapon we came for? The money you brought it’s gone.”

I raised my hand, silencing him. My gaze stayed on Nick. His body was small, but the aura he carried was immense.

“Forget the weapon, Leon. I don’t know why,” I said quietly. “But this child has to be with me. I can’t let him belong to anyone else.”

Leon swallowed. He understood but not fully.

Even I didn’t completely understand the force driving my heart.

One thing was certain: this was far deeper than ambition or greed.

Something without my realizing it bound me to Nick more tightly than law or morality ever could.

Without thinking, I reached out and touched Nick’s face.

“You’re coming with me from now on, boy,” I ordered, giving him no choice.

A strange pain pierced me a sense of loss I had never felt before, reflected in the child’s eyes.

I knew my men would be shocked. They would think I was insane.

I didn’t care.

I would take him home. Protect him. Guide him.

And perhaps without fully realizing it, I would come to love him.

“Make sure everyone knows that boy is mine,” I said to Leon. “I’m taking him home with me. From now on, he’ll live with me.”

Leon swallowed again.

He knew I was serious.