"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.
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 kiss grew more passionate as he felt her warm supple body pressing against his chest. He couldn't believe how soft she was. He was gentler this time, making love to her with a slow, languorous pace, pausing now and then to check the expression on her face. Kira was. transported. She no longer felt the fabric of the sheets underneath her. One moment, she was floating in the air, cuddled by cotton candy clouds. The next, she'd become one with a dinghy, bobbing up and down with the undulating waves. His scent enveloped her. He was on top of her, using his arms to support his weight and avoid crushing her. She snuggled up closer to him, safe and snug, cocooned in his warmth. Kira had always marvelled at Austyn's stamina, but he outdid himself tonight. In the midst of overwhelming rapture, Kira still had the presence of mind to broach the subject she'd been meaning to bring up. 'My dad's medical bills.' Austyn paused. He frowned as he looked into those beseeching eyes. 'It'll be taken care of by the end of business day tomorrow,' he said with a bit of an edge in his voice. Kira breathed out. ****** She is a 21-year-old college student who dreams of becoming a journalist. He is the heir of the McCarthy family and president of a business empire. She is bright-eyed and vivacious, a glass-half-full kind of gal. When life throws her a curveball, she knocks it out of the park. He is the archetypal alpha male, aggressive and domineering. Endowed with both brains and brawn, he steamrolls over his enemies and rules his company with an iron fist. The two would never have crossed paths if not for a cruel twist of fate. Kira's world was turned upside down when her father was hospitalised after a car accident. The medical bills were astronomical. Austyn McCarthy offered her a way out. The price: becoming his contract wife. At night, he consummated their marriage but called out another woman's name. Who was she? Why did Austyn marry Kira if he was in love with someone else? Kira was his lawful wife, but she had no right to ask these questions. Then one day, the woman showed up in front of her.
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.
During her three years of marriage with Brendan, Adeline had become as humble as dust itself. However, what she got in return wasn't love and affection, but endless indifference and disdain. Worse yet, when the woman in Brendan's heart suddenly showed up, he further distanced himself from her. Finally, Adeline couldn't stand it anymore and asked for a divorce. After all, why should she stay with such a cold, distant man? The next one would surely be better. Brendan watched as his ex-wife left with her luggage in tow. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him and he made a bet with his friends. "She'll definitely regret leaving and will come crawling back to me in no time." After hearing about this bet, Adeline sneered. "Dream on!" A few days later, Brendan ran into his ex-wife in a bar. It turned out she was celebrating her divorce. Not long after, he noticed that the damned woman seemed to have a new suitor. Brendan was starting to panic. The woman who had clung to him for three years suddenly didn't seem to give a damn about him. What was he going to do?
After a devastating divorce with the man she had been married to for over three years, Rachel thought her life was over. Her family disowned her, they wanted nothing to do with her anymore and she couldn't blame them. She had just divorced David Hart, one of the top successful bachelors in the country and heir to the Hart industries. But they would never understand that she didn't divorce him, he divorced her after she caught him cheating on her with her god-damned best friend! Rachel was just about to end everything by jumping off a bridge when she was saved by the most unexpected person. The boy she once bullied severally in highschool because he always wore ugly glass and was from a poor background, how come that glass make him so hot now? Why was he helping her get revenge on ex-husband who is trying to make her life even more miserable? And most important how did he get so handsome? What exactly does he want from her? ... No, you must want something, anything. If you can really help me get revenge on David and Lana, I can't just let you do it for free". Ethan went quiet for a while. I held my breath waiting for what his request might be. If it was something money could buy, I'll try my best to get it for him even though I was somehow broke right now. "You're right I do want something". He said after thinking for few minutes "What?" I asked slowly. " Until you get your revenge on David, Lana and every other person you want, you will live here". Live here as in...? " Wha... What are you saying? ". I stammered hoping he wasn't saying what I thought he was saying. I tried to step back but I missed a step and almost fell on the bed but Ethan caught me holding me in his muscular arms. Ethan moved his face closer to mine be was so close, our nose almost touched. " I want you to be with me! ".
"The bloodline is confirmed. The Universal God Token is activated. All the gods will obey..." ........................................... Everyone believed Ye Liuyun was trash, even himself. No money, no talent, and no one he could rely on. Bully, scorn and laughter, that's what he deserved. But Ye Liuyun never gave up working hard. One day things had changed. Ye Liuyun's inner power was suddenly awakened. He could cultivate a divine level spirit and became a supreme hero. Slaying demons and exterminating devils, his adventures just started... Money, beauty and power, he would grasp everything in his hands...