Bought By The Billionaire

HERA

I was seated at the far end of my room, my back resting on the wall as I stared out of the window. Today was the day the brothel was auctioning off girls. And I was part of the girls to be auctioned off.

I wasn't as ecstatic as the majority of the other girls were. They were excited to leave this place. And I couldn't exactly blame them for it. I, on the other hand, wasn't ready to leave here at all.

Let me explain.

Girls like us – the girls whose parents probably sold them off to Madam Viviane, or the orphan girls who were just unfortunate, or fortunate, to be brought here, were taken care of excellently, and given the best quality of education till we were eighteen and we could pass as university graduates. Then we would be sold to the highest bidder.

And the highest bidder, are usually the extremely rich guys. Those filthy rich billionaires,- note that I didn't mean that as an insult – who were looking for a helpless girl to warm their beds.

The auction contract includes the signing of a court marriage paper, which Madame Viviane included, just to guarantee the safety of the girls. I didn't think it guaranteed our safety in any way. It just meant that we were stuck to some obnoxious rich guy who would probably not look our way again after they've gotten what they wanted.

Unfortunately, any girl that didn't get bought would remain at the brothel as a prostitute.

And I might just be part of them.

Everyone said I had the brains. I knew I had. I was smarter than every other girl here, which turned me into an enemy of the other girls except my two best friends, Arina and Hestia.

But at an event like this, the brains were not enough. I had to be beautiful too. Attractive. And that was where the problem lay.

Arina, was the prettiest and curviest girl among us all. She wasn't too tall. She has blond hair, cream-colored skin, and a clear, glowing face that would make anyone do a double take. Arina was the perfect definition of shorties with the attitude. Arina was the sauciest in this brothel. She had never been scared to open her mouth and talk before. Probably because she knew Madame Viviane wouldn't hurt her.

Hestia was taller than both Arina and me. She is slender with a very tiny, curvy waist. She was black-haired, with tan skin. She was an exceptional beauty, next to Arina.

And then there is me, Hera.

I had cream-colored skin and tiny dots of freckles around my nose and cheeks. The freckles weren't easy to notice unless you were closer to me. I had red hair which reached my hips. It was full and always got tangled up in its curls. I wasn't curvy that much. I had medium-sized breasts, for a girl my age, and slightly wide hips, which made me hate wearing tight clothes because of all the perverted looks the men would give me. I was an inch taller than Arina, and...well...I had the brains.

I doubted any man will look my way at all.

I considered it funny that my friends and I had the names of one Greek goddess or the other.

Hestia; the goddess of the hearth, Arina; the goddess of peace, and I, Hera; the Queen of the gods. The goddess of the heavens.

I sometimes wonder if our future husbands would have the name of Greek gods too. That would be funny as fuck.

The girls were chatting excitedly, and I wasn't paying any attention to what they were saying until one of them snickered. We called her Dee, shortened for Dorothea. And she wasn't a fan of mine.

"I don't know why she keeps acting like she isn't glad to be getting out of here," she said to the girls surrounding her bed. "Idiotic 'Goody two shoes'."

"I know, right!" Another one chirped in. "I don't know why Madame Viviane likes her so much. She isn't worth it. Annoying redhead. It's not like she's pretty, anyway."

Subconsciously, my hand flew to my hair, touching the tangled curls as I felt water gather in my eyes. Unfortunately, I've always been like this. Getting emotional every damn time. Even over little insults. Like this.

"She isn't," Dorothea added. Oh, how I'd love to strangle this girl or give her a piece of my mind. "And-"

"And you are?" Hestia interrupted, flipping the pages of a book with deep concentration.

I looked just as Dorothea turned her head towards Hestia. "Excuse me?" she asked as if wondering who dared to interrupt her.

I was surprised Hestia was even talking at all.

"Are you pretty?" Hestia asked, slamming the book shut as she finally looked at Dorothea.

"I'm sorry, are you referring to me?" Dorothea asked. She looked taken aback. Probably because Hestia has never uttered a word to her.

"Oh, dear gods," Arian muttered with a dramatic sigh as she lay on her back, covering her face with a hand while the other lay on her stomach. I dreaded how this would turn out. I wasn't ready to make more enemies. "Not only is she ugly, but she also lacks the brains too!" She lamented, shaking her head slightly.

"Arina, I sincerely hope you're not referring to me," Dorothea snapped, a scowl on her face as she stared at her.

"She is," I surprised myself by speaking up. Honestly, I was just frustrated by thinking about how today will turn out. If today was going to be my last day here, I might as well stand up to these girls. "She's talking to you, Dorothea. And it would be nice if you kept quiet for once. You can't be so sure you'll leave here tonight. You might end up working permanently at this brothel."

Dorothea stared at me for a minute and scoffed, a look of disbelief on her face. "Pathetic!" she spat.

Arina gagged as she finally sat up on her bed, locking gazes with Dorothea. "Even your voice makes me want to puke."

Dorothea stood up, charging towards her when madame Viviane walked in. Dorothea froze where she was, slowly turning to the door as she saw every one of us stand up. The murderous look on her face turned pleasant.

Madame Viviane was dressed in an elegant evening dress, her hair pulled back into a tight, glossy bun on top of her head. Her face was full of makeup. And it made her even more pretty. She had a hand fan in her hand as she looked at each of us.

"Ladies, it's time," she announced, then landed her gaze on me. "Hera, I'll dress you myself."

ARES

I walked towards the main entrance of my company, one hand holding my phone to my ear. I nodded to the greetings of my workers while I walked.

I was currently on a phone call with my mother, Aurelia Grey. And she was being such a huge pain in the ass at the moment.

"No, you listen to me, Ares Grey! I don't care whether you're interested or not, but you have to help those girls. Even if it's just one-"

"Mother-"

"I am NOT done talking, Ares. Put yourself in their shoes. What if you were one of those girls?!"

"Well, I am not one of those girls, mother," I replied calmly as I got into my car. "And I am certainly not in their shoes. I will go there, just because you want me to, but I will not buy anyone."

"Ares-"

"Goodnight, mother," I cut her off and ended the call. I could imagine her shrieking with smoke coming out of her imaginary horns right now.

Like I mentioned earlier, Aurelia Grey was a huge pain in the ass. Let's say my mother was feminist, because she was deeply concerned whenever it came to the female gender. Just like she is doing now.

I got an invite two weeks ago to attend an auction at a brothel – a popular one in the city – last week, and I had made a mistake of telling my mother about it. Now she's instructing me to buy one of the girls being auctioned off. Even though she knows fully well that there is a court marriage paper involved in the process.

Is it even legal to auction girls? Young girls at that matter. They weren't up to nineteen years of age. Isn't that an abuse to their rights?

My brothers were also invited to this auction. And I had no doubt she had told them they also had to buy girls.

The thought of it made me cringe.

I, Ares Grey, going to an auction to buy a girl I do not know? And the fact that I had to sign a marriage paper for it!

I was the last of four kids. Atlas was the first. Hermes, the second. Teresa, the third. And I, Ares, the fourth.

There was an age gap of two years each between the four of us. Atlas was twenty-eight. Hermes was twenty-six. Teresa was twenty-four. And I was twenty-two. And at this age, my brothers and I were billionaires over the world. And my sister was a renowned successful fashion designer.

My brothers and I had a childhood friend. Adela. She came from a wealthy home like me. She is our best friend but she was closer to me. That was why she decided to become my assistant, so she could be close to me. Not that she did anything at work anyway. She had her assistant, which helped with all my work.

My siblings, and Adela, are one of the few people I could manage to stand their presence for over an hour a day. My siblings and I barely see each other, due to our work differences, but Adela was always availablee.

My phone began ringing, and I raised it up to check the caller ID. Well, speak of the devil and she appears. Or calls, in this case.

I answered the call and put the phone in my ear.

"WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU, ARES?!" She yelled into the phone. I winced, rolling my eyes a bit as I drew in a breath.

"It's nice talking to you too, Adela," I answered.

"Your brothers are here. And the auction is starting in ten minutes," she snapped, totally ignoring my sarcasm, which was unlike her.

I looked out of the window as I noticed the car reversing. My driver was parking inside the compound of the brothel. Looking around, I sighted Adela standing at a corner right next to the entrance of the brothel, a wide scowl on her face. She was dressed in a blue evening gown which hugged her body tightly. Her hair was made into a low bun with some strands falling in front of her face. This was one of the rare days I get to see Adela's hair made. It was mostly in a messy bun, or a loose pony, or it was let down.

I opened the door and got down.

"Oh for fucks sake, Ares, don't go mute on me!" she added when I didn't say anything.

"Well I'm walking to you right now and I would love it if you would just calm down," I replied with an exasperated sigh. I continued walking while she looked around in search for me. She rolled her eyes as soon as she saw me, then hung up.

"Why do you make an habit out of being late?" she questioned harshly as she began walking towards the entrance of the brothel. I shrugged, walking behind her.

The brothel was a big place. A tall, white building that had been built as though it was from the 90's. It had many opened windows, and I could see some ladies poking their heads out of some.

As I walked in, I noticed people lining the reception, some people talking while others taking photos as though this is a big event of some sort.

I waited while Adela went to speak with the lady I guessed to be the receptionist. I let my eyes roam over everyone there, and if landed on a girl sitting on a chair and staring at a woman in heavy makeup.

The girl was dressed in a short, tight, sequined green dress, and there was a number tag on her dress that read twenty-five. Her red hair was tied to the back. I couldn't make out her face because she was looking at the woman, but with the way she kept on dragging down her dress, I could tell she was nervous and uncomfortable.

She was probably one of the girls who would be sold out to men who didn't give a fuck about them tonight.

I was still staring at her when Adela grabbed my arm and began leading me toward an elevator. "Let's go."

*

Irritation rolled out of me in waves as I kept my eyes on the glass of whiskey in my hands. I wasn't looking at the girls all lined up on the podium, dressed in sinful outfits.

I was angry at my mother for forcing me to come here. But the only thing that offered relief was the fact that my brothers were here too.

I turned my head to look at them. Hermes had his usual playboy smirk on his face, eyeing the girls while his fingers traced the tip of his glass cup. Atlas, on the other hand, had a permanent scowl on his face.

I didn't need anyone to tell me to know that my Atlas had already made up his mind not to get any girls from here. Hermes on the other hand, I wasn't so sure.

I eyed him and traced his gaze to one of the girls' standing on the podium. Her black hair was made into a low bun, and from where I sat, it seemed like some strands were already falling from the bun. She was dressed in a white, body con gown which only covered her necessary bits. She wore black heels, and her arms were crossed over her chest, although I could still see the tag number 24 there. Even her blank look was even blanker than mine. For a moment, I thought she was looking back at Hermes.

The girl on her right was dressed in black, the dress hugging all her curves in the right places and stopping mid thigh. She had on black heels. Half of her curly blonde hair was swept over her right shoulder and covering her breast. I couldn't see her tag number. But I was sure she was the 23rd.

The girl by her left...I recognized her as the girl I saw at the reception. Her mid thigh length, sequined dress seemed too short on her body, and the girl didn't even look comfortable as she kept dragging down the dress in a subtle manner. The coils of her hair were almost falling out of the bun. Her red hair made a nice contrast to her green dress.

Something stirred in my chest and all of a sudden, the event was going at tortoise pace. Every common sense I had flew out immediately as I set my mind to the worst decision ever. I was going to get her. Regardless of the bullshit marriage papers. I became restless, drumming my hand on the table as I watched the auctioneer do his work. Unfortunately, he was still at number tag 8.

I inhaled deeply, opening my mouth to speak, just the same time by brothers spoke.

"500 thousand for 25"

"500 thousand for 24"

"500 thousand for 23"

The three of us turned our head to look at each other, relieve shining on our faces.

"Gentle men, it's not their turn yet-" The auctioneer was saying, but I could see the glee on his face as a result of the auction going well.

"We don't have much time to waste," I said, cutting him off. "We offer a million for each of he three girls."

"You three better know what you're doing," Adela said in a clipped tone as her eyes swept through the three of us, then back to the auctioneer.

"one and half million dollars for 25," one person yelled from behind.

Oh hell no. I am a billionaire. I could as well spend the money however I wanted.

"10 million for each of them. We want no negotiations," I snapped. I turned to my brothers. "Unless you'd rather loose the girls to these perverted men," I said lowly.

Atlas clenched his jaw, eyeing me for a second before he turned his gaze back to the auctioneer. Hermes look like he couldn't care less, his smirk growing each second as the auctioneer sputtered. "10 million for the girls....going...going ....sold!"

My siblings, Adela and I got up just as a lady, the one who I suspected to be the owner of the brothel, led the girls into a compartment.

"Adela, you'll bring her home to me," I said, fully aware that my voice was bossy. I couldn't see my brothers anywhere around.

"I will not –"

"You are my assistant. If I tell you to bring her home to me, then you will," I interrupted, leaving no room for arguments. "I'll go ahead and sign those papers now, and leave."

"You better increase my pay if this is the kind of work I'll be doing for you," se muttered, storming away.

I chucled, shaking my head as I made my way back to the reception.

HERA

I looked around Madam Vivian's office, a huge lump in my throat that threatened to turn into a sob if I didn't swallow it immediately.

The auction wasn't over yet. They hadn't even gotten to number ten before three men decided they wanted my friends and me. And they paid ten million each for us.

I don't know where Arina and Hestia were at the moment. Huge chances were they had already been then to their new home. And that made me want to cry badly. They are my best friends. And I didn't even get the chance to say goodbye to them. Chances were, we'll never meet again.

The lump returned, and I forced it down my throat.

My eyes swept over the room and landed on Madam Vivian and a lady I didn't recognize. They were both standing by the door and speaking in hushed tones. The lady had a glass of wine in her hand. Her sleek, brown hair was in a bun. She was dressed in a blue evening gown that hugged her body. She had this no-nonsense look on her face that made me wonder again who she was. And what she was doing here. I've never seen a lady at this auction before. She was the first.

"Five minutes, Vivian," The lady said harshly as she straightened her spine and gazed at me. "Five minutes." She stared at me for a second more before walking out of the office.

"Who is she?" I asked immediately she shut the door behind her. Madam Vivian's expression was a mixture of excitement and exhaustion as she walked to me.

"That's Adela Dimitris. She...ummm...is related to the person who got you," she said as she crouched in front of me, tucking a stray strand of my red hair behind my ears.

She used 'got' instead of 'bought', as if that would make the situation less worse.

"And who is that?" I inquired. I mean, I had the right to know the guy who bought me for ten million dollars, right?

"I think Adela will tell you that herself," she replied and cleared her throat hurriedly, like she couldn't wait to change the topic. "Have you signed the papers?"

I turned my head, looking at the court marriage papers which lay on her desk. On one signature side, was the signature and initials of the man who bought me. A.G. On the other side, was just my signature. I didn't have an initial.

"Yes." My voice was quiet. Don't blame me. I was now married to a man I did not know. Worse, there is a ninety percent chance that we would do what married people do tonight, and then, he'd forget about me. He might even toss me out on the streets.

My fears must have shown on my face, because she took my hands in hers and gave an assuring smile. "I promise, he'll treat you like a queen."

I forced a smile. Her words were supposed to make me feel better, but it didn't. Maybe it was because I knew that that wouldn't happen.

There was a light but firm knock on the door, accompanied by a voice which I suspected was Adelas'. "A minute and half left, Vivian."

Madam Vivian looked at the door and sighed. For the umpteenth time tonight, I forced that lump back to where it belonged.

"Arina and Hestia. Where are they? Can I at least tell them good bye before I leave?" I asked, hope swirling in my chest.

"I'm sorry, honey-" That hope I had disappeared immediately. "-they're gone. I'm sorry. But you'll meet them soon."

I won't.

I sighed, blinking. "Well, I guess it's time for me to go, isn't it?"

She got up and placed a kiss on my cheek. "You'll be fine, Hera. I promise," she answered.

The door flew open and Adela came into view. "Time is over," she said, addressing Madam Vivian and me. The next part was for me. "Let's go." Her voice was soft, but her expression was as cold as ice. She turned around and began walking away with so much elegance that I couldn't help but ask who she was, and what her background was.

I got up from the chair I was seating in and walked after her, not taking another look back at Vivian.

Tonight, I leave this brothel with no belongings of theirs, except the dress I was wearing, shoes, and hair accessories.

I should be glad I was leaving here after eighteen years, but for some weird reason, I wasn't.

*

I stared as we drove past the hustle and bustle of New York in a blur. I was currently sitting in a black Maybach with posh red interiors. The driver had this professional scowl on his face. And Adela seemed to have completely forgotten that I was in the car with her as she typed on her phone.

It was better to be forgotten anyway. That way, I could deal with my situation without anyone talking to me and getting me angry.

"Umm...Earth to Hera!" Adela said in a clipped tone, snapping her fingers as she finally turned her head to look at me.

Spoke too soon.

I stared at her, resisting the urge to raise my brows at her.

"Ares says your name is nice," she said flatly as she kept on typing on her phone. I frowned in confusion.

"Who is Ares?" I asked, finally raising a brow.

Slowly, she raised her head and looked at me, her poker face finally turning into a surprised one. "You don't know who Ares is? Ares Grey?"

"No," I replied, shaking my head slightly.

"Girl, do you live under a rock or something?" she shook her head. "Anyway, you'll get to meet him. So let's just get this over with. We're almost at his place. Number one. Ares totally hates noise. He hated to be stared at. His favorite color, is coincidentally the color of your eyes. Green. But he doesn't know that yet. Ares can be very dominant. I know you already know what that means."

Damn right! I knew what Dominance meant. A slight shiver ran through my spine.

"You'll get to meet him soon anyway. And you'll find out what he likes and what he doesn't by your self. Just be careful," she said and placed a hand on my shoulder. It was then I realized the car had come to a halt and we were now in the drive way of a very huge mansion.

Her look softened as she stated at me. And she was even kind enough to give me a smile. That calmed my nerves. "Ares might not say this, but I will. Hera, you're very beautiful, and sexy. Don't let any one, even Ares, make you feel less. Okay?"

I nodded slowly, wondering where that was coming from.

Great! Leave my car. He's waiting."

"Wh- aren't you coming in with me?" I asked, my eyes widening while my heart hammered in my chest.

"No. I have other things to do. Now, hurry up," she said, waving her hand as if she was shooing me away.

I gulped, blinking. "Alright." I opened the door and stepped out, watching in horror as the Maybach drove out of the gates. I turned to the mansion and looked up. And just by one of t he many windows, I could make out a figure in the dark, holding what might be a glass cup.

I blinked twice, and he was gone.