The spotlight seared into Lila's skin, blinding her.
Just a heartbeat ago, she had been weaving through the crowded ballroom, balancing a tray of champagne glasses like any other waitress.
Now she was dragged onto the stage, her cheap black uniform plastered to her damp skin.
The auctioneer's voice boomed through the hall, cruel and triumphant, while New York's elite stared up at her like predators circling prey.
"Tonight's next item! A night with this charming young lady!" he declared, waving toward Lila as if presenting livestock. "We'll begin the bidding at one hundred thousand dollars!"
Her chest tightened. This couldn't be real.
She had signed up for a simple shift—serve drinks, smile politely, then walk away with a hundred bucks. Not this. Not being paraded like property in front of a room full of wolves in designer suits and glittering gowns.
Her hands quivered, but she forced them into fists, determined not to let them taste her fear.
"Two hundred thousand!" someone shouted from the rear.
A ripple spread through the crowd as heads turned. Lila's stomach twisted. She squinted into the lights, but the faces blurred, just an endless sea of greed.
"Five hundred!" another man barked, cigar clamped between his teeth. His grin was slick, his voice mocking.
Laughter rolled across the room, sharp and cruel.
Lila's cheeks burned, but she straightened her spine, lifting her chin in defiance. I won't be their plaything.
The numbers climbed, stabbing deeper with each shout. One million. Two. Five.
The sums were obscene, yet the stares were worse—hungry, predatory, stripping her bare with every glance.
She wanted to bolt, to scream, but her legs betrayed her, frozen under the weight of their eyes.
Then it came.
A voice, deep and commanding, sliced through the chaos like a blade.
"Ten million dollars."
Silence crashed over the room.
Lila's breath caught. Every head turned toward the shadowed corner.
A figure emerged, dark and imposing, swallowing the light around him.
Alexander Knight. Billionaire CEO of Knight Enterprises, infamous for ruthless deals and an even colder heart.
His tailored suit traced every line of his broad frame, and his steel-gray eyes locked on Lila with a force that made her knees tremble.
"Ten million," he repeated, his voice low but absolute. "She's mine."
The auctioneer stuttered, "S-sir, are you certain—"
"Final."
Alexander's stare never broke. It wasn't an offer. It was possession.
His gaze cut like a knife, yet something flickered beneath it—familiarity.
As if this wasn't simply claiming her, but reclaiming her.
A shiver crept across her skin, fear laced with something darker she refused to name. His eyes branded her, unyielding, as though he had already carved his claim into her soul.
The gavel slammed down.
"Sold! To Mr. Alexander Knight for ten million dollars!"
Murmurs erupted, but Lila barely heard. Her pulse thundered in her ears.
Sold. The word echoed, the sound of a cage locking shut.
Alexander's lips curved into the faintest, most dangerous smile.
He didn't boast, didn't even move. He only watched her—like a predator savoring his prize.
Lila's heart pounded, but she refused to flinch. You don't own me, she told herself, even as a betraying shiver slipped down her spine.
A suited man approached and clasped her arm. "This way, miss."
His voice was polite, but his grip was iron.
Lila stumbled as he guided her offstage, the whispers fading behind them.
Her thoughts spun wildly. Why me? What does he want?
They walked through a maze of velvet-draped corridors, the hotel's gold and marble pressing in on her.
Her sneakers squeaked against the gleaming floors, a constant reminder of how small she was in this world of power.
The man stopped at a private elevator, its golden doors gleaming like a gateway to something far worse.
"Step inside," he instructed, releasing her arm.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly. Every instinct screamed to run, but where could she go?
She was nobody—a waitress barely surviving in a city that devoured the weak.
And Alexander Knight had just purchased her like property.
She stepped in, the doors closing with a quiet hiss.
The elevator hummed as it climbed, carrying her toward whatever fate awaited.
Lila touched the thin fabric of her uniform, grounding herself. I'm not weak. I'll fight him. I'll fight this.
When the doors slid open, she was met with a sprawling penthouse suite, glass and shadows stretching wide.
The city glittered through floor-to-ceiling windows.
Alexander stood there, his back to her, pouring amber liquid into a crystal tumbler.
He didn't turn, but his voice curled around her like smoke.
"Bring her to my suite," he said, his tone dark with certainty. "And leave us."
The man beside her gave a curt nod and stepped out, the doors closing behind him.
Lila's heart stilled.
She was alone now.
Alone with Alexander Knight, the man who had just bought her for ten million dollars.
His shoulders shifted as he finally turned, gray eyes pinning her in place, burning with an obsession she felt deep in her bones.
What does he want from me?