Chapter 1 1. Auctioned

In a dark prison cell, a large, fierce-looking female inmate threw a bucket and a mop into a corner of the floor. She pushed another female inmate into the wall.

"From now on, you'll be the one doing this disgusting work. Aren't you so arrogant and consider yourself still a famous model? Rubbish!"

Natalie Hale, the woman who had just been violently pushed, unconsciously clenched her fists. The look in her eyes became cold. "You're no better than me."

A loud slapping sound rang out immediately. "You still dare to answer me, huh?!"

The anger and hatred in Natalie's heart grew even more intense. She held her red cheeks with a trembling body. Before she could return the slap, someone suddenly came over.

"You two, stop fighting! Miss Hale, come with me!" a warden ordered.

Natalie closed her eyes, trying to compose herself. She glanced coldly at her enemy before finally stepping up to follow the warden. Moments later, she was in front of an unfamiliar and mysterious man dressed in black.

She looked at him with a mocking expression. "Is it now possible for someone to bribe a warden to have a private meeting with a prisoner?"

The mysterious man smiled crookedly. "Miss Hale, don't you want to be free from this cursed place?"

The woman was silent.

He stepped closer, then whispered, "I can free you, darling."

***

The time passed quickly. Natalie sighed heavily at the memories. In just a few months, her life had changed. However, she regretted her choice.

"I'm not leaving," she said, standing with her head down. Her black hair partially covered her face.

"You must obey me, Natalie."

Natalie looked up immediately. "Are you out of your mind?" she hissed as she stared intently at the tall man before her. "I'm not something you can just sell!"

The man with scars on his face stared back at her coldly and sharply. His hand suddenly gripped her chin firmly. "So you'd prefer me to return you to prison?"

Natalie swallowed. Hearing the word "prison" brought fear to her heart. For two years, she had been in a dark and stuffy prison. There was no light, no fresh air. Every day, she was the butt of jokes for the other inmates. It was a terrible time in her life, and she didn't want to go back there.

If not for Lucas, she would still be behind bars. The man set her free. He changed her appearance and faked her identity. Now, it would be difficult for others to recognize her as Natalie Hale, a famous model who had been involved in a murder case.

"But why are you doing this to me? You never said that-"

"That I would sell you?" Lucas laughed mockingly. "Honey, don't be naïve! You even killed someone. Why are you acting like a stupid, innocent woman?"

Natalie's hands clenched into fists. She glared at the man. "I didn't kill anyone!"

The man smiled mockingly. His cold face showed no mercy whatsoever. "Don't be evasive, Natalie. You're a dirty, sinful, lowly woman. Do you think I set you free because I admire you?"

Pain hit Natalie's chest. She felt so bitter. Lucas was right. She was no longer a woman of prestige or worthy of admiration. She was worthless. No man would ever like her, let alone love her.

"Why me?" she whispered.

Lucas leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Because you're a woman who can kill someone."

Natalie immediately shook her head. She was becoming more and more afraid. Who was Lucas? She really didn't want to get involved with anything more horrible!

The man smiled at the fear on Natalie's face. He suddenly kissed her lips and then caressed her face admiringly. "I don't want all my efforts to change your face and identity to be in vain. So, you must be able to attract the attention of rich men."

"I never asked you to do that, damn! You did all that to me!"

Lucas smiled coldly. He waved his hand. Two of his subordinates approached and grabbed Natalie by both hands. She immediately screamed, "You can't do this to me, Lucas!"

"Be good, sweetie. Never forget where you came from," he warned.

Natalie gritted her teeth. The two subordinates then pushed her roughly toward the back of the auction stage. She tried to rebel, but they were much stronger than her.

"Stop rebelling, Miss Hale. It's useless!" taunted the subordinate man, who gripped Natalie's right hand.

"That's right. You should be happy because you'll be the object of desire for rich men," the other man chimed in.

"You're all assholes!" growled Natalie hatefully. It wasn't just them that she hated. It was the world and all of it. She hated herself, her life, cruel fate, and God's favoritism. Her heart felt cold.

"Remember, this time, your name is Cavendish Smith. Never let anyone know your true identity and how you got here!" they ordered coldly.

"What if I disobey?"

They snorted and looked at her sharply. "Do you believe our boss can wipe out your entire family? That younger sister of yours in London is no less beautiful than you. If she's a virgin, she's worth a fortune."

Natalie shook her head quickly. Her eyes glazed over, but she refrained from crying. Crying would only make her look more pathetic.

"Don't hurt my family," she whispered.

"Of course. As long as you obey, everything will be fine," they promised.

Finally, Natalie stopped rebelling. They let go of her hands. She took a deep breath and tried to lift her chin. Her feet, clad in black platform shoes, began to walk towards the auction stage.

'For the safety of my family,' she thought as she climbed the stage steps.

The auction hall was crowded with people. Some of the visitors were men who looked violent. They looked like gangster bosses, gamblers, drug dealers, or ruthless mafia bosses.

Natalie sat in one of the chairs on the stage. Nine other women also sat in a row not far from her. Some of them were crying and scared. However, some tried to look pretty to attract the audience's attention.

"Disgusting," Natalie muttered. She put on an unattractive, flat, and cold expression, hoping no one would be interested in buying her.

Moments later, the auction finally began. At the very back of the audience, two men had just arrived. They were neatly dressed in black suits and black coats. The latter wore a classic and mysterious black Homburg hat.

The hat man cast his gray eyes around before finally focusing his gaze on the auction stage. He noticed the ten women being auctioned off that night and scrutinized them individually.

"What do you think, boss?" asked the man beside him. "Those women have good looks. But you have to choose someone who is not fussy or chatty."

The man in the hat did not answer. A black-haired woman sitting with a flat expression fully occupied his attention. The extremely short black bodycon dress could not cover her sexy body. His eyebrows furrowed slightly.

The woman looked beautiful and seductive. She had a luxurious and expensive aura hidden behind her cold expression. Anger and hatred filled her gaze. She was very attractive, but something else caught his attention more.

"Her face is fake," muttered the hat man named Dante.

"What?" Alex stared at his boss uncomprehendingly.

"That woman in the black dress." Dante casually pointed at Natalie's figure, sitting immovably. "She looks familiar."

"You know her?"

Dante snorted, then smiled mysteriously. "Pretty sure. I think someone wants to give me a surprise gift. How about we play around with her?"

Alex, who was beside him, smiled. "Be careful, Don."

After a few sessions, the auction host walked to Natalie's side. The chubby man exclaimed, "And here comes the next lady! Cavendish Smith!"

The woman whom the host mentioned still didn't change her expression. She seemed to have no business with anything and anyone who was there. It was as if her world was separate from theirs. And that intrigued Dante even more.

"She is 29 years old, 175 cm, and 55 kg. She's no longer a virgin, but with a face this beautiful and a body this sexy, who wouldn't be satisfied?" The host introduced Natalie with a laugh.

"That means she's experienced in bed! Hahaha!" The audience laughed as they gazed lustfully at Natalie. No one could resist the charm of the former model's body.

Natalie secretly clenched her fists. She wasn't a chaste woman, but being publicly humiliated like that was an insult to her. She hated whoever was there. Her heart became so angry that she couldn't do anything about it.

"Let's start with $5 million!" The host mentioned the price, which was immediately met with cheers from the audience. After that, offer after offer came in.

"$10 million!" one visitor exclaimed.

"$15 million!"

"$17 million!"

Natalie took a deep breath, her body shivering. She had done her best not to attract attention, but they still wanted her. It must be because of her sexy dress. 'Fucking Lucas!'

She felt sad and scared. What if the person who would buy her was a cruel, evil person? Was this karma for her past?

She closed her eyes in resignation. At that moment, a man's flat, domineering voice rang out from the very back seat.

"$50 million."

Natalie's eyes snapped open. Everyone was silent. They turned to a man in a black coat sitting on a chair with crossed legs. His hands were in his coat pockets.

A hat partially covered the man's face, but one could tell how handsome he was just by looking at his sharp nose, firm jaw, and sexy lips. His expression was unreadable, making him look mysterious.

"Does anyone want to bid again?" the man asked calmly.

The audience fell silent. Anyone would be surprised to hear someone spending that much money to buy a woman at an auction. Where did the rich man come from?

The host coughed a few times. He finally asked, "Who wants to bid again? If there's no one, I'll count down."

The fat man then counted down, but Natalie was already out of focus. Her eyes were fixed on the man who had bid $50 million for her. She gave him an icy stare.

Suddenly, the man looked back at her. One corner of his lips lifted in a smirk. His mouth opened, and he spoke her name silently. "Natalie Hale...."

Natalie's face paled slightly. He recognized her!