A Thousand Million Novels & Stories

Christian continues to look between us all before looking down at the ground and taking a deep breath. "one million dollars."

The air between our tables was electric with one year of hate and a thousand unspoken words. "Five million," Tyler called out immediately, staring directly at me, not the stage. "Six million," I said, my voice trembling with adrenaline. "Seven." "Ten." The room went deathly quiet. Ten million for forty acres was insanity. Tyler leaned across the aisle, his eyes dark with a toxic expression, that tried to pull me back into our old patterns.

FIFTY THOUSAND SUBSCRIBERS. FIFTY!

I typed in a one with six zero's, but then changed it when I remembered the sweet words I overheard through the baby monitor. 1000.500, and I pressed enter. A million and five hundred—that's how much I could have loved those girls and their mom. If I had not fucked it all up.

The mention of the bank hit me like a physical blow. “How did you know about that?” “You work for me, I have your file as well as the others. I always conduct a thorough background check on all my employees without fail.” He explained. “Oh… right,” Sharon shook her head in that manner that says; what a dumbass. Way to go, Sophia. Asking stupid questions. “Here’s the deal. One year, I pay off the farm. Every cent. And I give you one million dollars in cash for your time.” He said smoothly.

ALISA’S POV The live stream had ended thirty minutes ago, but the city didn’t need me to sign off. It was already voting with every share, every comment, every desperate phone call flooding Kael’s inbox. I stood in the middle of the penthouse living room, barefoot on cool marble, wearing only one of his black shirts that skimmed my thighs. The claiming mark on my shoulder throbbed in time with the bond—golden threads pulsing warm and constant, like they were sealing us into something eternal. Kael paced three steps away, phone pressed to his ear, voice low and lethal as he dismantled yet another threat.

Ten million dollars? The store owner wondered whether his ears were playing tricks with him. He even asked tentatively, "One thousand dollars? Okay, no problem." Dragon Claw snorted in amusement, "You have no problem with your ears, right? It’s ten million dollars. Million, not thousand. Did you hear it clearly?" The store owner was so shocked that his knees became weak. What gadget would require ten million dollars? "Y-You’re crossing the line." The store owner made a grab for Dragon Claw's collar, but this time, Dragon Claw did not give him a chance and kicked the store owner's stomach.

He gritted his teeth. "I wanted to stop hearing about the missus... Ten million is not a small amount is it?"

This is really happening. I'm going to be sold and will never see my pups again. Someone's going to buy me, take me, use me— "Ten million." The voice cuts through the room like a blade. Everything goes absolute silent. I blink, my brain trying to process what I just heard. Did someone just say ten million? The auctioneer's jaw drops. "I—did you say ten million dollars?" "Yes." The voice comes from one of the private booths in the back. The voice is deep, cold and utterly emotionless. "Ten million." he repeats

she said, "Ms. Carver is requesting compensation totaling $230,000. Is that something you’re willing to accept?" "No," I said.