1

The light from the lamp shone directly on her face. Lilith could barely see the faces in front of her. All she could see were silhouettes, men wearing tailored suits, gold watches glinting under the chandelier, glasses filled with red and brown drinks accompanied by ice that reflected light onto the stage, among the hands of men who looked at her hungrily.

The music that had been playing had just stopped. And that was the worst part! When the music was playing, at least Lilith could pretend to be a regular performer. Just a girl wearing a sparkling evening gown who was forced to smile in front of all the men in the room. But now, there was only silence that suffocated her.

“The opening bid for our virgin girl tonight is ten billion!” The auctioneer shouted, setting the starting price for Lilith that night.

A ripple of low whistles and amused chuckles spread across the VIP lounge of The Masque Club. Lilith's fingers trembled at her sides. She tried hard to hide the fear she felt behind her calm, restrained expression. Lilith could feel her heart beating faster and faster and her breathing becoming more and more labored. Lilith lifted her chin as her late father had always taught her. Don't let anyone see you weak. A weak girl being sold. Lilith felt sad about her current fate.

“Fifteen billion!”

“Twenty billion!”

“Thirty billion!”

These were the numbers shouted by potential buyers for a woman like Lilith. The men continued to stare hungrily at her, as if they couldn't wait to have Lilith to fulfill everything that was in their minds right now.

Lilith swallowed her saliva with great difficulty. She didn't even know how much debt the Rose family had. Her own family, until she ended up in a place filled with men hungry for pleasure and fantasy.

Lilith had, of course, asked her family. She had asked them once, just once, but they only said it would be too complicated for her to understand. Too complicated, but also too simple to be able to sell her body to strangers in this cursed place!

“Forty-five billion! Just give me the virgin girl!” Another shout from a prospective buyer with an impatient tone came from the left.

The crowd around the man immediately whispered even louder now. Anticipation thickened the air around Lilith. The men in the club weren't just bidding on Lilith for one night. They were now bidding for complete ownership of Lilith herself.

Because that was the rule of the auction held at The Masque Club. The highest bidder would not only get Lilith's body, but also her person for as long as he wanted. Or more precisely, until the man grew tired of Lilith and discarded her.

A lifetime contract for ownership of her body. Thinking about it made Lilith's stomach churn, and she almost threw up on the stage. But Lilith managed to hold herself back by forcing herself harder.

“Fifty-five billion!”

“Sixty billion!”

Lilith forced herself not to close her eyes. Otherwise, she might cry right there, and the worst-case scenario was that the men might enjoy the weakness she showed later. No. Lilith didn't want that to happen.

“Sixty-five billion! And finish this bid to me alone!”

The auctioneer smiled broadly as he listened to the increasingly high bids for Lilith. “We are now at sixty-five billion dollars. Does anyone dare to bid seventy billion?”

All the men fell silent and waited for each other. Meanwhile, those who had already offered such high prices looked impatient. A pause that felt dangerous for Lilith, making her wonder about her future after leaving this place with the man who had bought her tonight. And then,

“Seventy billion dollars. That girl is mine.” The man's voice sounded very calm.

Not loud. Not overly enthusiastic either. In fact, his voice sounded much calmer than the voices of the men who had offered Lilith many prices before.

The entire room fell silent upon hearing the price the man had offered. Even the auctioneer stopped breathing for a moment, slightly surprised by the man's courage and composure. Lilith didn't know how to react. She could feel the dominance emanating from the man, even though she couldn't see him clearly from where she was standing.

The shift in the air. The weight. Slowly, Lilith turned her head toward the private balcony on the second floor. The man was standing there. He looked tall. Still. The man was wearing an immaculate black suit that seemed to swallow the light instead of reflecting it. One of the man's hands was in his pants pocket, while the other was holding a glass of drink.

The man's gaze was fixed on her. Not with the hungry gaze of the previous men. Not with a gaze of pleasure either. But only a gaze that showed the man's possession of Lilith now. The possession.

“Seventy billion dollars.” The auctioneer repeated, his voice slightly unsteady now. “Does anyone want to offer a higher price?”

No one spoke. The men who had been laughing and whispering hungrily at Lilith suddenly looked alert. Lilith didn't understand why the change had happened so suddenly. Until someone sitting close to the stage began whispering, and Lilith could hear him clearly.

“That's Lucas Estevan Luigi, he's the mafia lord who just returned to this city.”

The name immediately spread throughout the VIP room at The Masque Club like a loud warning to everyone there. Her pulse thundered in her ears. It felt like the tension was about to make Lilith faint.

The auctioneer cleared his throat. “Seventy billion dollars going once... going twice...”

Lucas raised his gaze slightly, and that was enough to make everyone lower their eyes again. No one dared to look directly at the man who was rumored to be extremely dangerous among them now.

“And sold! Lilith Sadie Rose officially belongs to Mr. Lucas Estevan Luigi!”

The sound of the auction hammer hitting the wooden table echoed like a loud gunshot in the air. Lilith's heart felt like it had dropped into her stomach. Cold sweat began to cover her entire body, which was trembling slightly. It was all over, and Lilith realized that her destiny would now begin with Lucas Estevan Luigi.

***

A few moments later, the staff of The Masque Club escorted Lilith down a small staircase behind the stage. Lilith's high, pointed heels felt unstable as her knees weakened and trembled with every step. The dimly lit corridor smelled of a mixture of perfume, cigarette smoke, alcohol, and sex.

“Congratulations, dear,” whispered Miss Claudia with a very wide smile.

“You can finally be useful to your family and pay off their debt to me. You should also feel honored to be bought by a handsome and sexy man like Lucas."

“Feel honored?” Lilith whispered, almost laughing, her eyes slightly teary, ready to fall and wet her face at any moment.

The door at the end of the corridor opened to reveal Lucas already inside the private lounge. Lucas Estevan Luigi stood near the window, looking out, directly at the lights of the city. From behind, Lucas looked almost... normal. Almost. Like most men with excessive money and power, after successfully acquiring a new toy they bought after fighting over it with many men who were waiting in line.

Miss Claudia impatiently pushed Lilith to quickly enter the room. The door closed behind her with a soft click. The sound of the door closing felt final. For a moment, Lucas did not immediately turn to Lilith, who was standing stiffly behind him.

Then, slowly, he did. From such a close distance, Lucas was even more terrifying. Not because he looked cruel or anything, but because he looked calm. Almost too calm for Lilith. Lucas's dark eyes scanned Lilith's face, as if trying to memorize every detail.

“You're trembling,” he said quietly. His voice sounded soft and controlled.

Lilith forced herself to be brave and looked directly into Lucas's dark eyes. “Anyone would.”

A slight smile graced Lucas's lips. “Not everyone is worth seventy billion like you, Lilith.”

Lilith's breath caught in her throat. “I didn't ask for that much,” she whispered.

“No. You didn't.” He agreed, slowly walking closer to Lilith. The temperature in the room seemed to drop, sending a chill through Lilith's body.

“You should know something, Lilith Sadie Rose.” The way Lucas said Lilith's full name made her spine stiffen.

“I didn't pay that high a price because you're valuable to them.” His eyes darkened, almost appearing unnatural under the dim room light.

“I paid it because you're valuable to me.” He continued, causing a cold shiver to run down Lilith's spine, growing more intense.

“What do you mean?” Lilith asked before she could stop herself. For the first time, Lilith saw something different and sparkling in his gaze. Something that didn't make sense.

Lucas raised his right hand, gently stroking Lilith's increasingly tense cheek. “You'll find out soon enough.”

And for the first time that night, Lilith felt something worse than all the fear and tension she had felt since earlier. Lilith felt that her destiny was very close, and she was trapped in it.