The glass slipped from her trembling fingers.
It shattered against the marble floor with a deafening crash, the sharp sound echoing through the silent mansion like a gunshot.
But she didn't move.
She couldn't.
Her breath caught.
Her heart stopped.
No.
It couldn't be real.
Because what she had just heard couldn't be real.
"Sign the papers. She's yours now."
The words replayed in her mind over and over. Her vision blurred.
No.
Her guardian… had betrayed her. He had sold her.
She wasn't sure how long she stood there, paralyzed, her body frozen in place, before she finally forced herself to move.
Her chest tightened painfully as she stepped forward, her footsteps echoing in the cold hallway.
Her heart was pounding.
Her mind was screaming.
But she had to see it.
Had to understand.
The door was slightly ajar. The dim light from inside spilled out into the hallway, casting long shadows across the polished floor. Her fingers curled tightly into her dress as she stepped closer, each movement a battle.
She couldn't breathe.
Her legs felt heavy.
But she stepped closer.
And then, she saw him.
Her guardian.
The man who had raised her.
Protected her.
Given her a home when she had nothing.
Her guardian.
The only family she had left in this world.
And yet, his face was calm. Too calm.
As if he hadn't just handed her over like she meant nothing.
He's a stranger.
She didn't want to believe it.
She couldn't believe it.
But she had to.
He sold me.
Her chest tightened, the words feeling like a crushing weight inside her. How had she not seen it? How had she not known?
How could he do this to me?
The man beside him spoke, his voice low and controlled. Cold.
"Any complications?" the other man asked.
Her guardian's voice answered, just as calm. "None." He leaned back in his chair, too comfortable. Too detached.
Her heart hurt.
Her throat burned with the urge to scream, but nothing came out. She wanted to shout at him. To run. To slap the truth out of him. But she couldn't move.
The man beside him smiled, the smile of a predator.
"I'll take her then."
And just like that, her life changed.
Her vision blurred, but she forced herself to stay quiet.
She had to understand.
Had to find out why.
She had to believe there was a reason.
A reason why her guardian—her protector—had betrayed her.
The stranger's words echoed in her mind. There's a debt.
Debt? She thought, her stomach dropping. What debt?
She didn't know anything about this. She had never heard of any debt.
She wasn't the one who owed anyone anything.
"You can't pay it."
Her guardian's words were as cold as stone.
"Then what do we do?" The stranger was calm, matter-of-fact. As if this was all part of a plan.
Her guardian said nothing for a moment, only staring down at the desk, where a contract sat—sealed, waiting.
"You sign it, and she's yours." The words hit like ice.
Her guardian didn't hesitate. He didn't blink. He didn't even hesitate to take the pen in his hand.
He simply signed the contract.
And just like that, she was no longer his.
She was his, this man's.
The stranger turned to her, his cold gaze never leaving her for a second.
"You'll come with me," he said simply.
Her body froze, her heart pounding in her chest.
She had no choice.