SOLD BY MY FAMILY BOUGHT BY THE ARROGANT BILLIONAIRE

"Take care, Tracy... I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you. Know that Mommy loves you."

Those were the only words I could hear.

I stared at my mother's pale face as she lay motionless on the hospital bed. The way she looked at me sent a chill through my body. It wasn't the gentle smile she always wore whenever I was afraid. It was a look filled with pain... and farewell. No. This couldn't be happening. I hurried toward her, reaching for her hand, desperate to prove to myself that this was just another nightmare.

"Mom...?" My voice came out as little more than a whisper.

She slowly lifted her eyes to meet mine. Despite the weakness in them, they held the same warmth that had comforted me all my life. Then her lips parted.

"Your father is dangerous," she whispered. "Never trust him."

The words struck me harder than I could understand.

"What?" I shook my head, unable to believe what I'd heard. "Mom, what are you talking about? Tell me! Please!"

I reached for her again, but just before our hands could meet, her body began to fade. Little by little, she disappeared into the darkness spreading across the room.

"No!" I cried, stumbling after her. "Mom! Don't leave me!"

The hospital walls dissolved around us until nothing remained except endless darkness. I kept running, refusing to stop even as she drifted farther away. Then her voice vanished completely.

"Hey, girl... wake up."

The unfamiliar voice cut through the darkness.

I ignored it.

My mother needed me.

"Wake up!"

Something struck my shoulder.

My eyes flew open, and I drew in a sharp breath. The hospital was gone. Instead, I found myself inside a moving van, the loud engine drowning out every other sound. Sweat clung to my skin as I struggled to separate the dream from reality, but my mother's final warning lingered in my mind.

Your father is dangerous... Never trust him.

The words refused to leave me. It had only been a dream... hadn't it? Then why did it feel so real?

I pushed myself up, only to freeze as pain shot through my wrists. Looking down, I found thick ropes binding both my wrists and ankles. I pulled against them, but they only tightened, cutting into my skin. My gaze slowly lifted, and my stomach dropped.

I wasn't alone.I wasn't alone.

Ten other young women sat inside the van, their wrists and ankles bound with thick ropes just like mine. Fear hung heavily in the cramped space, but each of them carried it differently. Some cried in silence, tears slipping down their cheeks without a sound. Others sat frozen, staring blankly at the floor as though they had already given up. One woman whispered prayers beneath her breath, her lips moving nonstop, while another hugged her knees as tightly as the ropes allowed, trembling with every bump in the road. Their clothes were wrinkled and stained with dirt, and several looked as though they had been dragged here without warning. One still wore office clothes, while another had on a restaurant uniform, as if she'd been taken in the middle of her shift. Whatever had happened, none of us had expected to wake up like this.

At the back of the van stood three armed men, watching us with complete indifference. One rested a gun on his shoulder, another had a long knife strapped to his waist, and the third lazily flicked a whip through the air as though he was amusing himself. To them, we weren't people. We were cargo.

I forced myself to meet their eyes.

"Who are you?" I asked, my voice unsteady. "Where are you taking us?"

None of them answered.

The woman beside me suddenly broke into sobs. "Please..." she begged. "Please don't kill us."

The man holding the whip shot her a cold glare before bringing it down against the metal floor.

"Shut up!"

The crack echoed through the van like a gunshot. Several women flinched. The woman beside me clamped a hand over her mouth, her shoulders shaking as she struggled to hold back another sob. A heavy silence settled over us. No one dared speak again.

I lowered my head and forced myself to think. Panicking wouldn't help. If I wanted to survive, I had to remember how I'd gotten here.

The memories came back in scattered pieces.

My sister smiled as she placed a small parcel in my hands.

"Tracy, can you help me deliver this? It won't take long."

I remembered leaving the house, walking down the familiar road with the package, thinking about the groceries I needed to buy on my way home.

Then...

Nothing.

Everything after that was a blank.

A cold knot formed in my stomach.

Was I drugged?

Did my sister know I was missing?

Was she searching for me?

Or had she become a victim too?

I swallowed hard and looked around the van again, forcing myself to stay calm. Crying wouldn't untie these ropes. Screaming wouldn't stop the men guarding us. There had to be a way out... I just hadn't found it yet.

Suddenly, the van began to slow.

Every conversation died instantly. Even the woman who had been praying fell silent.

The engine rumbled one last time before coming to a stop.

No one moved.

The three armed men exchanged glances. One of them stepped forward and unlocked the back doors. The moment they swung open, a flood of sunlight poured into the van, forcing us to squint after being trapped in the darkness for so long.

Fresh air rushed in, but it did little to ease the fear hanging over us.

The man with the gun climbed down first, followed by the one carrying the knife. The last man remained where he was, his cold eyes sweeping across the frightened women one by one. He studied each face as though he were choosing an item from a shelf.

When his gaze landed on me, it stopped.

A slow smile spread across his lips.

Every instinct in my body screamed that something was wrong.

He lifted one finger and pointed straight at me.

"Take that one first."

My blood ran cold.

"W-What?" The word slipped out before I could stop it.

Two men climbed back into the van and strode toward me.

"No..." I shook my head, instinctively trying to move away, but there was nowhere to go. The ropes around my wrists and ankles made every movement clumsy, and the women around me shrank back, too frightened to help.

"Please," I whispered. "You've got the wrong person."

Neither man answered.

One grabbed my arm so roughly that I cried out. The other cut the rope around my ankles, only to yank me to my feet before I could regain my balance.

I stumbled forward.

"Walk," one of them barked.

"I don't know who you people are!" I struggled against his grip. "Please, let me go! My sister will be looking for me. I haven't done anything!"

My words were met with silence.

As they dragged me toward the open doors, I glanced back at the women in the van. Some lowered their heads. Others watched with pity, grateful that, for the moment, they hadn't been chosen.

I wished I could trade places with them.

The ground felt unsteady beneath my feet as they shoved me outside. Blinking against the bright sunlight, I looked around, hoping to recognize something—anything—that would tell me where I was.

Instead, all I saw was a massive iron gate surrounded by high concrete walls. Armed guards stood at the entrance, their weapons hanging at their sides as though this was an ordinary day.

Where was I?

One of the men gave me another hard shove.

"Move."

The heavy gates creaked open.

I took one

reluctant step forward, my heart sinking as I stared at the place beyond them.

Whatever waited inside...

I knew my life was about to change forever.