a's

sing down on my chest like an iron fist. The echoes of the laborers' anger still rang in my ears, their faces twisted in fury, their voices laced with mockery.

way the guards barked orders, the way I was treated like a lesser being. Even my un

ng silence. It started as a faint murmur, then grew louder, like a wave crashing against a shore. Trembling voice

oh my goodness! Sh

of chains clinking against the bars. I leaned forward, my curiosit

and shuffled to the edge of my cell. I pressed myself against the b

en I s

ndsome, he was the kind of man who could silence a room with a single glance. His jawline was sharp, like it had been carved by

avier. His presence was commanding, almost regal. His black coat clung to his frame, and I could see the g

sed to look away. If I was going to survive

ed, clutching at the bars in desperation. They whispered feverishly, hoping that he w

n, he p

ectly to my cell, an

eep, like the growl of a storm b

l nod. She turned back to the handsome man, a hint of hesitation in her eyes, but sh

old bars, every muscle in my bod

. I wasn't some... some object for sale. My voice came out in a

be out of

ised, clearly taken aback by the sharpness of my r

" he asked, his vo

said you must be out of your min

ith a mix of fear and intrigue. Miss Caroline

, his voice softer now, almost a whisper. "Most would cower in fear at th

is? You're trying to buy me, just like you would any other prisoner

now. "Because I'm the one with the power to decide. You may be

k you can just take me? That's where you're wrong. No one takes me. No one

inside me. "Interesting," he murmured. "Most women in your positi

glaring at him. "I've been broken, sure

the bars, his fingers brushing against my wrist, and I fought the urge to jerk back. His tou

er of what happens when someone like me makes

ng to flinch. "Don't touch