Björn gestured for Ava to enter the room, and she hesitated for a moment, considering it was her boss's private space. However, she entered upon seeing his expression of irritation. She placed the breakfast service cart near the large dining room and straightened up, running her hands through her navy blue coat. Nervousness enveloped her as it was her first official day on the job as his assistant. Björn sat in a chair in the luxurious dining room of the suite, which was the most expensive and exquisite room in the hotel. He finished buttoning his shirt, leaving it half-open. Ava noticed that he was barefoot, and a thought crossed her mind, "Wow, he has nice feet." Ava cleared her throat, trying to push away that random thought. Björn looked at her. "Have a seat," he pointed to the chair next to him. She nodded and walked over. Björn picked up a box and brought it closer, placing it in front of her on the table. Ava frowned. "It's your iPad. We'll be using it extensively. I don't

Björn stood under the shower water, hands open against the tile in front of him, head down, and eyes closed, enjoying the cold water cascading over him. In the distance, he heard his cell phone, indicating a new message. Without flinching, he mentally dismissed it, assuming it wasn't urgent. Oscar, his father, and Bruno had the same approach – if there was something truly important, they would call immediately. But gradually, curiosity gnawed at him until he cursed under his breath, turned off the cold water tap, and wrapped a towel around himself. His wet footprints left a trail on the marble floor as he made his way out. Picking up his cell phone from the nightstand where it had been charging, Björn opened the message. It was from Thomas, his new head of security: "Miss Gray and two other female employees are coming to the club. Shall I go and get them?" Björn read the message again, feeling anger rise within him. He immediately dialed Thomas's number and called him. "What do you

Ava felt her feet being dragged across the cold floor, her heart fluttered with fear. "What was happening?" Why did she feel limp? Why was everything a blur? She felt foreign hands on her body, she wanted to remove them, to demand that they not touch her, but it was as if she had no will. She opened her eyes slightly, despite heavy eyelids, and managed to see a couple of women laughing among themselves. They noticed the denim jacket she had over her black dress and made fun of her attire. Then, once again, she felt the hands—cold hands. She couldn't bear it any longer and closed her eyes. The voices became distant, mocking laughter filled the air. What were they doing? Was this some kind of initiation by a hotel fan group? Finally, she thought it must be a nightmare, a result of having had too much to drink... then darkness embraced her. A woman entered the room, where Ava lay half-naked and unconscious on a massive bed. The women stood still, heads down, while the woman with black ha

They entered a large room, with dim lighting. There were only seven tables, each with a small lamp. Six men were sitting at the tables, avoiding eye contact due to the lack of light. The last table was unoccupied and located near the center. Nicoletta gestured for him to take a seat. Björn was surprised when she placed a mini tablet on the table and leaned forward, revealing her cleavage. "The procedure has changed now. You will press the red button, and the details of the auction will appear on the screen behind those curtains," Nicoletta explained. Björn looked up and saw a TV hanging near the black curtains, displaying seven lines with numbers marked as "zeros." "The button is used to raise the bid, and your bid will be marked on number seven, which is you." "He's got quite a few zeros," Björn muttered. "Any doubts?" Nicoletta asked, and Björn shook his head. "Okay," Nicoletta said as the dim light disappeared. "See you in a little while. Good luck, Hoffmann..." And she disappea

Björn felt his heart pounding hard as he closed the door. He had lied, hadn't lied, used to not because he knew that lies had short legs, and sooner or later, he would come across the truth. He had experienced it years ago. He was about to go back into the room and tell her what had happened. It didn't matter if he would get in trouble with lawsuits and the police. That was the last thing he cared about right now. A knock on the door made him stop. "Come in," he said. The door opened, and Thomas appeared with a laundry bag. "Sir, the laundry," Björn glanced fleetingly in the bedroom door and removed his hand from the knob, then turned to Thomas. "Thank you," Björn said softly, taking the bag, and Thomas noticed that something seemed off. "Is everything all right, sir?" Thomas asked, noticing Björn's demeanor. "Miss Gray has woken up," Björn replied, his brow furrowed. "Does she know what happened?" Thomas ventured to ask. Björn remained silent for a couple of seconds before answe