Chapter 3 I'll Pay Twice That

The woman knitted her brows, utterly baffled by Charlie's twisted logic.

Frustration surged in her chest as she shoved at him with both hands, determined to break free. His body barely budged-he was as unyielding as marble, cold and unmoved by her struggle.

Out of options, she swung her hand up to slap him.

Preston's voice rang out behind her, sharp with warning. "Mr. Ford-" He clearly thought she was overstepping, about to seal her own fate.

Charlie, however, barely blinked. He caught her wrist before she could make contact, holding her fast.

With a mocking smile, he asked, "Is this your way of flirting? You must be new to all this-can't even understand what's being said, just eager to get a man's attention."

She shot him a furious look. Flirting? He had some nerve.

Charlie's hold only tightened, her bare skin brushing against his arm through the thin, torn cloth.

The chill of his body seeped straight into her nerves, sending an involuntary shiver down her spine as she twisted, desperate to get away.

He didn't budge. Instead, he drew her closer, clearly entertained by the fury burning in her eyes and the way she clenched her teeth at him.

The moment cracked when the businessman who had won the auction sprinted toward them, greed gleaming in his gaze. "I paid a fortune for that woman. She belongs to me!"

He barely managed two steps in Charlie's direction before Preston stepped forward, gun already cocked and pressed to the man's forehead, halting him instantly.

The businessman froze mid-stride, outrage coloring his cheeks. "Do you have any idea who I am? I-"

"That's enough!" The auctioneer rushed over, yanking him back with a sharp look that warned him not to take another step.

His tone changed completely when he faced Charlie, replacing bravado with deference. "Mr. Ford, we apologize-she's our blood slave, and she damaged your auction piece while trying to escape. We're prepared to compensate you, even pay double-"

The word "slave" wiped the indifference from Charlie's face. Something cold and dangerous flickered in his eyes.

The auctioneer caught a shift in the air but continued, nervous but uncertain where he'd gone wrong, "Mr. Ford, in light of this-"

"I'm taking her," Charlie said, his voice cold and absolute. There was no room for argument.

The auctioneer's face drained of color, disbelief clear in his voice. "Mr. Ford, you can't! She's property of Heaven Island, and she's already been sold. Besides, she-she's-"

He faltered, unable to finish, fear creeping into his eyes.

Charlie's fingers tapped idly at her waist-a motion so casual it seemed careless, but the control behind it was unmistakable.

He spoke again, tone brooking no refusal. "Her auction price was ten billion. I'll pay twice that."

It was a sum that left the room breathless-no one in Heaven Island's history had ever offered so much.

Charlie's words had barely settled before Preston whipped out a checkbook, scribbled out a dizzying sum, and handed the check over without hesitation.

With a flick of his wrist, Charlie let the check flutter to the ground, uninterested in whether it was picked up or not.

The auctioneer's hands shook as he insisted, "Mr. Ford, I can't accept this. Heaven Island has strict rules-this isn't allowed..."

A hint of a smile played at Charlie's lips. "And if Heaven Island ceased to exist, would your rules matter at all?"

The threat hung in the air, delivered so calmly it might have been small talk about the weather, but its arrogance chilled everyone within earshot.

The auctioneer stood frozen, words dying in his throat.

Without another glance, Charlie draped a coat over the woman's exposed shoulders, scooped her up as if she weighed nothing, and strode toward the exit.

Preston and a cadre of men in black fell in behind him, forming an impenetrable wall.

"Mr. Ford..." the auctioneer managed to call out in a strangled voice, but as Charlie's regal figure receded into the distance, he swallowed the rest.

No one in their right mind would challenge the man who held Elesron's fortunes in his grasp, a kingpin in both the underworld and the world of legitimate business.

Meanwhile, the woman, once fighting for every breath, now lay limp and silent against Charlie's shoulder.

The auctioneer glanced up, meeting her steady emerald gaze, and felt a chill run through him.

Her eyes shimmered with a dangerous mix of hope and triumph, the thrill of freedom sparking alongside a sharp promise of revenge.

She didn't utter a word. She didn't need to. Charlie's intervention meant she was finally leaving this nightmare, and silence served her better than anything she might say.

Behind her, the furious businessman continued to spew insults, but the auctioneer collapsed to the floor, gripping his head as he snapped, "Enough! Even if you'd won the bid, you never would've been allowed to take her. My boss never planned to sell her... She was far too valuable."

Heaven Island had spent years crafting their first fully completed blood slave-and now that she'd been taken, the fallout awaiting the island was beyond anything they could afford to imagine.