For several seconds, Sylvain couldn't move. The world felt strangely quiet, like everything had been plunged underwater.
Silas Vane.
The name echoed inside Sylvain's head again and again, refusing to make sense.
The man standing in front of him looked nothing like the boy he remembered.
Ten years ago, Silas had been thin almost invisible in the crowded halls of their elite academy. His uniform had always been worn out, his books secondhand. He had kept his head down and his eyes lowered, enduring the constant sneers of the wealthy students who treated him like a stain on their polished world.
Sylvain had been the worst of them, he remembered it clearly now. The way he had once tossed a coin onto the ground and told Silas to fetch it like a dog.
Sylvain stomach twisted because the man standing before him now was totally different.
Silas' movement radiated wealth. His black suit fit him perfectly, the fabric sharp and expensive. The faint golden light of the suite reflected off his cufflinks, his watch, the polished leather of his shoes.
He looked like someone who owned the entire city and right now, those cold blue eyes were fixed entirely on Sylvain.
Sylvain forced himself to breathe. "This…" His voice came out hoarse. "This is a joke."
"A joke?"
Sylvain pushed himself upright on the bed, anger finally breaking through the shock. "You expect me to believe this is coincidence?" he demanded.
Silas said nothing.
That silence irritated Sylvain more than anything else. "You bought me as a price," Sylvain continued, his voice sharper now. "You sat in the dark and watched me humiliate myself—"
"Humiliate yourself?" Silas finally spoke again. His voice sounded soft, almost thoughtful.
But the smile on his face never reached his eyes. "You walked into a club that sells bodies, Sylvain," Silas said calmly.
His gaze drifted slowly over Sylvain's disheveled appearance. "You knelt down and begged". The word landed like a knife.
Silas took another step closer. "And now you're upset about humiliation?"
Sylvain glared at him. "Cut the act, you planned this."
Silas silence said everything. Sylvain let out a humorless laugh. "Of course you did."
He ran a hand through his messy hair. "Let me guess," Sylvain continued bitterly. "The poor little scholarship kid grows up, makes a little money, and decides to get revenge on the rich boy who bullied him."
Silas studied him. "A little money?" he repeated softly.
Sylvain gestured vaguely at the room. "Fine, a lot of money."
Silas chuckled. That same dark, unsettling laugh from the darkness earlier. "You still haven't changed," Silas said.
Sylvain's eyes narrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Silas leaned against the edge of the desk nearby, crossing his arms casually. "You're still arrogant, after falling this far."
Silas's eyes flicked toward the discarded coat on the floor. "Former heir of the Vale empire," he continued slowly. "Reduced to selling himself in an underground club." The words were spoken calmly, but Sylvain felt them like punches.
"And yet," Silas added, "you're still looking down on me."
Sylvain opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out. Because deep down, Sylvain knew what Silas said was the truth..
Silas pushed away from the desk and walked toward him again.
Sylvain pulse quickened despite himself. Silas stopped directly in front of the bed. "So," he said quietly. "Let's talk about why you're here."
Sylvain's jaw tightened. "You already know why."
"Do I?"
Silas slipped a hand into his bag on the bed and pulled out a thin black folder. He opened it slowly. The sound of paper sliding against paper seemed strangely loud in the quiet room.
"Leon Vale," Silas read calmly,
Silas continued scanning the documents.
"Detained for financial fraud tied to the collapse of the Vale Corporation."
" You said you didn't know, so how do you know"
"Know?" Silas glanced up at him and tapped the folder lightly. "I know everything about you."
The words were spoken so casually that Sylvain felt a chill run through his spine. Silas closed the folder. "The settlement amount is enormous."
Sylvain looked away. "Yes."
Silas studied him for a moment. "And you decided the best way to solve this problem…" His gaze drifted slowly over Sylvain again "…was to sell yourself."
Sylvain's pride flared. "I didn't have a choice."
Silas hummed softly. "There's always a choice."
"Not when someone you care about is going to prison."
For the first time, something flickered in Silas's eyes. Interest.
He placed the folder on the table beside the bed, then reached into his bag again. This time he pulled out a single sheet of paper. He held it out toward Sylvain.
Sylvain hesitated before taking it. His eyes scanned the page and widened in shock. "This is…"
"A contract," Silas said calmly.
Sylvain read the bold heading at the top. Private Ownership Agreement.
His stomach dropped. "What is this?"
Silas's smile returned. "You sold one night."
Sylvain looked up sharply. "Yes."
Silas tilted his head slightly. "I bought three months."
Sylvain stared at him. "You're insane."
"Who the hell will pay a hundred million for a night".
"So you think I don't worth it, huh?"
Silas shrugged. "Perhaps"
Sylvain tossed the paper back onto the bed. "I'm not signing that."
Sylvain stood up from the bed, grabbing his coat from the floor. "Since you don't think I worth that amount," he said coldly. "The night is over." He turned toward the door.
"Sit down." The command came out abruptly but it froze Sylvain in place.
Something about the tone… sounded loud and threatening.
Sylvain slowly turned back. "You seem to be misunderstanding something," Silas said.
Silas gestured lazily toward the contract. "The money for your brother's settlement has already been paid."
Sylvain stared at him. "What?"
Silas's expression didn't change. "The full amount."
Sylvain's heart began pounding. "You're lying."
Silas reached for his phone and tossed it onto the bed, Sylvain grabbed it quickly. The screen displayed a bank transfer confirmation. The exact settlement amount.
Sylvain hands started shaking. Leon was safe, his brother wouldn't go to prison.
Sylvain lowered the phone slowly. "Why?"
"I told you." He tapped the contract. "I bought three months."
Silas stepped close enough that Sylvain could see every detail of his face. The sharp line of his jaw.
The cold amusement in his eyes. "You used to call me a dog," Silas said softly. Sylvain stomach twisted again.
Silas leaned closer. "So I thought it would be interesting," he continued, "to see how well you will behaves on a leash."
Sylvain chest rose and fell quickly. "You're sick."
Silas simply placed a pen on top of the contract. "Three months." His voice was calm. "After that, you walk away."
Sylvain stared at the paper. Three months of humiliation.
Three months of being owned by the boy he had once bullied.
His pride screamed at him to refuse, to walk out.
But then he thought about Leon and the impossible debt that had just vanished.
Sylvain closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, his expression had hardened.
He picked up the pen and signed the contract. The scratch of ink against paper sounded strangely final.
Sylvain tossed the pen aside. "There," he said coldly. "You got what you wanted."
Silas picked up the contract and folded it neatly. "Yes," he said quietly. His blue eyes gleamed. "I did."
He looked back at Sylvain "And Sylvain?" Silas slipped the contract back into his pocket.
"Welcome to your new cage."
The words sent a cold shiver down Sylvain's spine. Three months felt like a long time.