falling for him silently

**Chapter One: **Alicia** The silk clung to my waist like a secret I didn’t ask to keep. It was the most expensive thing I’d ever worn—and the most uncomfortable. Too tight. Too bright. Too exposed. I stood behind a velvet curtain, hidden from view, but I could still hear them. The sound of crystal glasses clinking, polite laughter, and money moving in invisible ways I would never understand. I didn’t belong here. This was the annual Gala of the Elite—a private event where billionaires and royals bid on rare experiences to raise money for causes they’d never see again. Only this year, someone had decided to auction off a healer. A real one. Someone young, skilled, and "special." Me. Not because I wanted to be here. But because the orphanage that raised me—the only place I had ever called home—was on the brink of shutting down. The director had begged. The board had insisted. "One night," they promised. "One appearance. A healing contract. Just smile." But I wasn’t smiling now. I could feel my hands trembling, hidden in the folds of the long silk gown. The soft lavender color didn’t match my mood—it mocked it. I wore borrowed pearls around my neck and pinched shoes that made my feet ache. And all I could think about was the kids back at the orphanage who wouldn’t have enough bandages next week if I didn’t go through with this. The host’s voice boomed from beyond the curtain. “And now, ladies and gentlemen, our final treasure of the evening. She’s rare. She’s untouched. She’s gifted. A healer with hands so gentle they’ve saved lives no modern medicine could.” I wanted to vanish. Disappear into the velvet and never come out. The curtains parted. Light hit me like a punch. Hundreds of eyes turned toward me. They sparkled with curiosity, lust, ownership. I hated it. But I didn’t flinch. I stepped onto the stage like I belonged there—even if every part of me was screaming that I didn’t. I kept my chin up. I locked my knees. I reminded myself this wasn’t forever. Just a contract. A charity appearance. Thirty days, and then I’d go back to being invisible. My eyes scanned the crowd—until they caught *his*. He sat alone in the back row, dressed in a simple black suit that didn’t shout wealth, but whispered it in the perfect cut and quiet confidence. No drink. No smile. No applause. Just… watching. His eyes locked on mine. Dark. Still. Unreadable. And yet something passed between us. A flicker. Like recognition, but impossible. We’d never met. I would have remembered a face like his—angular, cold, carved from stone and shadow. I would have remembered those eyes. The host chuckled nervously. “We’ll begin the bidding at fifty thousand—” “I’ll take her.” The voice was smooth. Low. Commanding. Mine caught in my throat. Gasps rippled across the ballroom. Heads turned. The host blinked rapidly. “I—sir, the bidding hasn’t begun—” “One million,” the man said, rising from his seat. Silence fell. He didn’t look around. Didn’t smile. He just looked at me. Like he’d already made up his mind. Like I wasn’t a choice—I was *his.* The host sputtered. “T-That’s above—very generous, sir—” “Do we have a deal or not?” he asked calmly, eyes never leaving mine. The curtain dropped behind me. I heard a gavel slam. And then a voice in my earpiece whispered, “Congratulations, Alicia. You’ve just been sold.” --- **Travis** I hadn’t planned on coming. These events were a waste of time. Glittered cages for rich men with too much money and not enough shame. But my father had insisted—*make an appearance, Travis, network, be seen*. He didn’t care that I hated this world. He just wanted to see my face in the press tomorrow. So I’d come. I’d stood in the back. I’d counted the minutes. And then she stepped onto the stage. She wasn’t like the others. She didn’t glow. She didn’t flirt. She didn’t pretend she wanted to be there. She looked terrified. And brave. All at once. I didn’t know her name. Didn’t know what made her a “healer” or why her hands were shaking. But I knew one thing: I wasn’t going to let anyone else buy her. I didn’t know what I wanted from her—only that it wasn’t what they did. Not to parade her. Not to use her. Not to lock her away behind velvet walls. So I bought her. Not for myself. For her. I watched the curtain fall and handed my assistant my phone. “Get her details. Make sure she’s sent to my building. No press. No photos.” “She’s just a healer, sir,” he said. “No. She’s not,” I replied. Because something in her eyes had looked too familiar. Like we’d both been trapped before. And neither of us wanted to go back. --- **Alicia** I sat in the back of a black car, silent. There was no explanation. No conversation. Just a neatly dressed driver who handed me a folded note that read: *You’re safe. We’ll talk soon.* Safe. I didn’t know what that meant. I didn’t know if I believed it. But as the city lights blurred past the tinted window, I leaned my head back, closed my eyes, and felt something I hadn’t in a long time. Not fear. Not control. Just… curiosity. Who was the man who bought me? And why did it feel like I’d just stepped out of one world—and into something I’d never imagined? --- **END OF CHAPTER ONE**