"How does it feel to belong to the federal dog you hated so much?" Lauren's life takes a downward spiral when a risky deal leads to her being shackled and sold to the black market to repay an immense debt incurred by the private company she worked under. She is handed to the highest bidder, a ruthless billionaire who she has crossed a time too many, and he is eager for revenge... just not in the way she ever expected.
"Unhand me!" My hands were bound, but I snatched myself away from the rough, nasty grip on my arm, smacking away the brute that was manhandling me.
The heavy-set man stumbled back, the bright light of the white passage we were in illuminating every crease of the frown on his scarred face.
He raised his hand to hit me and I stepped back, alarm bells ringing in my head. Oh, now was he going to hit me? "You bi-"
The white screen door at the end of the passage slid open and a lanky bespectacled man in a dark well-pressed suit stood with a welcoming smile, his hands clasped behind his back.
"Now, now. I would have to stop you there," he addressed the brute beside me and the fool lowered his hand, a grumpy expression on his tight face. The suited man continued speaking, "She is very high-quality goods."
I stormed towards him, fuming. "I am an agent of the secret service! You cannot do this to me!"
He chuckled, unmoving even as I stopped right in front of him.
"Well, miss Sole." He stepped closer, his smile spreading as he looked into my eyes. "You should be grateful. As far as I'm concerned, we gave you a neat place to stay where you were well fed, dressed, cleaned and rested... while other people we will be having on display had to make do with wet towels for cleaning, a dirty cage, and sleeping on the cold, hard floor. Don't you feel so sorry for them?"
I gritted my teeth, fighting the urge to spit in his face. "They're criminals. Don't you dare compare me to them!" I snapped at him.
The city had a strict criminal law whereby those who committed grave offences like consecutive murders, rape, and numerous others, would have their human rights stripped from them and then handed over to the black market.
That was their death sentence.
So why and how the fuck could I be among?!
It was all thanks to that shitty boss of mine! And I was going to rip out his face when next I saw him!
I had told him. I had told that bastard Silas not to secure the contract with those scumbags, and he did it anyway!
With me as collateral!
I had ties to the state government. He couldn't just throw me away like this to the federal dogs. Even if I was bought off by some pervert or contractor, the amount wouldn't be enough to pay for the damages failed on his end.
And here I was, bound, basically on the same level as that of a criminal. My basic human rights were still intact-for the most part-but I was a possession now, and it was so demeaning. It made me so infuriated.
I had built my way up the ladder only to have it ripped out from beneath me. All thanks to my agency's inability to fulfil one stupid contract.
Not once did I think I would be someone's scapegoat.
His smile slipped to a gloating grin. "Same thing. You're all for sale."
I stiffened, offended, and almost jarred to hear that word. Just like that.
I came back to my sense and opened my mouth to speak, but he turned away from me, directing his attention to other people in the room and speaking to them as if I wasn't even there.
"Here." He beckoned to them and stepped away from the entrance. Before the brute behind me could push me forward, I already helped myself into the spacious white room, empty except for Mr. four-eyes and the two vested bodyguards at the other end of the room.
The man continued, nodding at them. "She will have to be taken to the last block. She is quite known in many circles and we don't want inquiries into why she's is on display in the underground."
"We'll take it from here," one of them mumbled with a subtle nod and the two approached me.
I frowned, standing still. "Don't touch me. I'll walk!"
They stopped, their faces empty masks that lacked any emotion, but then one of them shifted, angling his heavy frame towards the other sliding door in the room, different from the glassy white I had just come in through.
I made my way to the black door, both men at my sides watching my every move.
The scrutinisation was unnecessary. It wasn't like I could escape from my position deep down in this monolith. They would be able to lose me when I get outside. With some trusted help, I would have gotten new passports, changed my identity, and left for another district.
But the window for that opportunity had gone, and the brief period I could have used to escape was spent seething from Silas's reckless behaviour.
Darn it!
The black glass door slid open and I cast one last look at Mr Four-eyes before making my way into another passage.
It was cooler in here, and the smooth cold floor bit into my bare feet. They had probably taken that off me for the fear that it was a potential hiding spot for all sorts of small items.
The dark walls, floor, and flat ceiling only added to the gloomy atmosphere, and the fluorescent lamps embedded into the ceiling only gave the place an antique look. That of the old technology.
There was silence between us and I was trapped with walls closed in on both sides, and the two guards, one in front and the other behind me. If I were unbound, I would at least scale through the small space and slip past them. I was slender and fit enough to accomplish that. And I was confident in my grip strength.
I should be contemplating escape when I've been purchased, not here. With me gone, Silas would have to pay for his error himself if they are unable to hunt me down.
We got to another entrance and the guards stopped.
The one in front of me stepped aside. "The waiting room for the auction. Your owner will arrive for you after you've been purchased."
Wait. What?
He then grabbed me by the arm, simultaneously opened the door with his other arm, and shoved me inside.
Betrothed before she was even born, twenty-two year old Mel is past the marriageable age and has almost given up hope of hearing from the nearby Kingdom, Orion about her arranged marriage when her family receives a sudden missive demanding her presence in their bride. Mel is caught off guard by the sudden summons and things take a shocking turn when her father reveals the real reason for the arranged marriage. A reason that might make her stay in Orion not so welcoming, especially when she is to wed a beast.
Loraine was a dutiful wife to Marco since they got married three years ago. However, he treated her like trash. Nothing she did softened his heart. One day, Loraine got fed up with it all. She asked him for a divorce and left him to enjoy with his mistress. The elites looked at her like she was deranged. "Are you out of your mind? Why are you so willing to divorce him?" "It's because I need to return home to get a billion-dollar fortune. Besides, I don't love him anymore," Loraine replied with a smile. They all laughed at her. Some believed that the divorce affected her mentally. It wasn't until the next day that they realized she wasn't fibbing. A woman was suddenly declared the world's youngest female billionaire. It turned out to be Loraine! Marco was shocked to the bone. When he met his ex-wife again, she was a changed person. A group of handsome young men surrounded her. She was smiling at them all. The sight made Marco's heart ache severely. Putting his pride aside, he tried to win her back. "Hello, love. I see that you are a billionaire now. You shouldn't be with suckers who just want your money. How about you come back to me? I'm a billionaire too. Together, we can build a strong empire. What do you say?" Loraine squinted at her ex-husband with her lips curled in disgust.
On her wedding night, Natalie's stepmother set her up to marry Jarvis, a disfigured and disabled man. Fortunately, she managed to escape, but little did she know that later she would fall for the man she was betrothed to.Jarvis pretended to be a poor man, but he didn't think that he'd fall head over heels for this woman.Their life went on until one day, Natalie found out her boyfriend's little secret."Huh? How could you have billions of dollars' worth of assets?" she asked in disbelief.Jarvis didn’t know how to respond.Being met with silence, she gritted her teeth angrily. "They said that you couldn't walk, but as far as I can see, you're strong enough to run a marathon."Still, he remained silent.Natalie continued, "They even said that you only have a few years to live. What about now?"Finally, Jarvis opened his mouth to explain. "Honey, this is all just a misunderstanding. Please calm down. Think about the baby.""Jarvis Braxton!"The man knelt down immediately.
The day Lilah found out that she was pregnant, she caught her fiancé cheating on her. Her remorseless fiancé and his mistress almost killed her. Lilah fled for her dear life. When she returned to her hometown five years later, she happened to save a little boy's life. The boy's father turned out to be the world's richest man. Everything changed for Lilah from that moment. The man didn't let her experience any inconvenience. When her ex-fiancé bullied her, he crushed the scumbag's family and also rented out an entire island just to give Lilah a break from all the drama. He also taught Lilah's hateful father a lesson. He crushed all her enemies before she even asked. When Lilah's vile sister threw herself at him, he showed her a marriage certificate and said, "I'm happily married and my wife is much more beautiful than you are!" Lilah was shocked. "When did we ever get married? Last I checked, I was still single." With a wicked smile, he said, "Honey, we've been married for five years. Isn't it about time we had another child together?" Lilah's jaw dropped to the floor. What the hell was he talking about?
Melanie married Ashton out of gratitude, but she quickly found herself entangled in a web of relentless challenges. Despite these struggles, she stayed true to her commitment to the marriage. In the hospital room, Ashton indifferently attempted to draw her blood, disregarding her discomfort. This callous act was a harsh revelation for Melanie, awakening her to the grim reality of their relationship. Resolved to prioritize her own welfare, she decided to sever ties. With newfound resolve, Melanie filed for divorce. In the process, she unveiled her concealed identities, leaving everyone in shock. Throughout these turbulent times, Melanie realized that Derek, Ashton’s uncle, had been discreetly protecting her all along.
Allison fell in love with Ethan Iversen, the soon-to-be Alpha of the Moonlight Crown pack. She always wanted him to notice her. Meanwhile, Ethan was an arrogant Alpha who thought a weak Omega could not be his companion. Ethan's cousin, Ryan Iversen, who came back from abroad and was the actual heir of the pack, never tried to get the position nor did he show any interest in it. He was a popular playboy Alpha but when he came back to the pack, one thing captured his eyes and that was Allison.
In their three years of marriage, Chelsea had been a dutiful wife to Edmund. She used to think that her love and care would someday melt Edmund's cold heart, but she was wrong. Finally, she couldn't take the disappointment any longer and chose to end the marriage. Edmund had always thought that his wife was just boring and dull. So it was shocking when Chelsea suddenly threw divorce papers at his face in front of everyone at the Nelson Group's anniversary party. How humiliating! After that, everyone thought that the formerly-married couple would never see each other again, even Chelsea. Once again, she thought wrong. Sometime later, at an award ceremony, Chelsea went onstage to accept the award for best screenplay. Her ex-husband, Edmund, was the one presenting the award to her. As he handed her the trophy, he suddenly reached for her hand and pleaded humbly in front of the audience, "Chelsea, I'm sorry I didn't cherish you before. Could you please give me another chance?" Chelsea looked at him indifferently. "I'm sorry, Mr. Nelson. My only concern now is my business." Edmund's heart was shattered into a million pieces. "Chelsea, I really can't live without you." But his ex-wife just walked away. Wasn't it better for her to just concentrate on her career? Men would only distract her—especially her ex-husband.