Lahat ng Kabanata ng Switched at the Mafia Auction: Kabanata 31 - Kabanata 40

~ Avelyn ~The music hit first.A slow, decadent rhythm, heavy on bass, like a heartbeat amplified and stretched into something sultry. Then the lights followed, a beams of violet sweeping across the stage, striking the polished floor beneath my bare feet. It gleamed like glass, slick and dangerous, every step a reflection waiting to betray me.I forced myself to breathe. My emerald dress clung to my skin, the slit scandalously high and the fabric shimmering beneath the lights. The audience’s roar melted into a low hum in my ears. I could feel their eyes on me, greedy, expectant, daring me to give them more.So I did.I stepped into the center of the spotlight, letting the beat guide the sway of my hips. My hand skimmed down the slit of my dress, brushing my thigh as if I were teasing myself for their benefit. A wave of whistles cut through the room. Somewhere in the blur, champagne glasses froze midair, conversations stilled.The bass deepened. I twirled slowly, letting the silk flar

~ Avelyn ~When I was brought to Xander’s penthouse in the Mona Lisa. The door clicks as the guard retreats leaving me. I have never been to his penthouse at the top of his Mona Lisa before. I didn’t even know it existed. Apart from the splash of grey and vintage leather every other thing was dark themed. I didn’t make a move from the door, stood as stiff as a pole as if that would make a difference. My eyes finally landed on the shadow standing far into the room by the floor-to-ceiling windows that gave a vast view of the city. My bare feet clung tightly to the rug beneath. He spoke first, his deep and measured voice destroying the quiet air. “I wasn’t aware Ms. Freda taught such moves,”I swallowed, nervousness creeping up my spine from how lethal his sharp shoulders emanated coldness. His tall shadow was how I envisioned the grim reaper. I could tell he was upset, at least that’s how it seemed even though I had no idea why. “I—I came up with the choreography“ I finally said

~ Avelyn ~The screen blurred for a second and then snapped into sudden focus. One hundred thousand dollars. My mouth went dry and the stupid grin that announced itself felt like a betrayal, a twitching little traitor sitting like a light in the back of my throat. A hundred thousand. Not a hundred million. Not the number that had broken my life open at the auction. But a hundred thousand would buy something. A hundred thousand would help buy a plan. A hundred thousand means days, months, maybe a piece of the debt, maybe a ticket somewhere with a different sky. It was a step!I sat up straighter. For the first time since the stage lights had dimmed I let my brain wander down the small, stubborn road of practicality. How many nights like this? How many performances to buy a way out? If I kept this up, if I could keep the ankle from flaring up and the shoulders from slipping maybe, just maybe, the numbers would add up. Maybe Kyle and I would not have to trade on hope only. Maybe I coul

“The mistress doesn’t like to be kept waiting”I swallowed, and followed only because I didn’t want to get in trouble. Whoever this mistress was, I bet she was just as crazy as Xander. For the fact that these men were let through the security with ease and the maids seemed to mind their business as though they weren’t two hefty strangers leading me away, though they seemed tense on their feet. I kept calm all the way.I know now how a lamb feels, not terrified in the moment, but stunned into a kind of polite stillness that has the shape of acceptance. They sat me in the center of the room like the prize at the heart of a table, and I planted my knees and tried, desperately, to be a person who could keep her face flat and reasonable while being examined.The club was not the Mona Lisa. It felt smaller and meaner, a wood-and-velvet den with low lamps the color of old blood. Private rooms branched off like gullies in a canyon where rich things hid their petty cruelties. I had been wal

~ Xander ~The car was too quiet.Only the faint hum of the engine and the sound of rain drumming on the tinted glass filled the silence between us. She sat on the far end of the seat, head lowered and shoulders trembling. Every few seconds, she sniffed softly, trying to hide it.The heater was on, but she shivered as if it made no difference. Chocolate streaked her hair, dried in uneven patches on her skin. The silk robe someone had thrown over her was soaked through, clinging to her arms and collarbone. She kept rubbing her hands together like she could erase the memory of what just happened.I didn’t look at her. Not directly. I fixed my gaze on the documents spread across my lap — numbers, names, shipping routes, deadlines. They were supposed to keep me grounded, mechanical. Yet my jaw kept tightening until the muscles ached.What was it about her that made control feel so… thin?“Focus,” I muttered under my breath, flipping a page that I hadn’t read.The light in the car flicker