Bought as the Billionaire's Mistress

Chapter 2 Prove It

Arthur ushered me out through a different door.

'So that is why no one ever comes back the same way—there is another exit.'

The new room held two other girls already waiting.

After all the young women had been examined, only three of us remained.

We sat in silence, heads bowed, awaiting the next stage of our fate.

One girl couldn't hold back her quiet sobs. None of us knew what being chosen truly meant—a living nightmare or a quick end.

Half an hour later, Arthur reappeared and called the first girl to follow him, and she never returned.

"My name's Elara Croft. I'm a student at Arabio University. What about you?" the girl beside me whispered, her voice trembling slightly.

"Lillian Lockhart." I wasn't comfortable with instant closeness.

Elara continued nervously, "You go to Arabio University, too? I managed to talk to some of the others earlier. All the girls taken... they're from good families but not many relatives, and they all attend top universities. Why only pick students from prestigious schools? Do you think it's something illegal? Or maybe the owner of this villa has some... unspeakable tastes?"

I shook my head, just as lost about what lay ahead.

Next, it was Elara's turn. She stood up, her eyes teary as she glanced at me, before following Arthur out.

Like the first, she never came back.

A desperate hope flickered within me.

'Maybe there is another exit inside those rooms, too.'

Finally, Arthur's cold voice cut through the silence. "Your turn."

That fragile hope was shattered the moment I followed him down the corridor.

A stretcher passed us, its occupant covered completely.

As it brushed by, the sheet slipped, revealing a familiar face beneath—Elara's. Her eyes were shut, no trace of life remaining.

My chest tightened, breath catching in my throat.

A wave of terror washed over me, tears springing to my eyes as plans of escape raced through my mind.

Arthur stopped abruptly. "We're here. The Master is waiting."

I had never imagined the man inside would appear so young. Handsome, sharp, and radiating an imperious aura.

I would later come to know him as Victor, the head of the Finch family—the most powerful force in Arabio City, operating both in the shadows and in the light.

This was my first encounter with him. He was the untouchable puppeteer; I was merely a leaf swept along by the current.

A dynamic that foreshadowed our intertwined destinies, fraught with life, death, and inescapable entanglement.

Victor swiveled in his leather chair, casually flipping through a file on the desk. Even seated, he exuded a formidable presence that made my spine instinctively want to curve.

"Lillian Lockhart. Twenty-two. Top of your class in Economics and Trade at Arabio University. Your mother is undergoing long-term treatment at Central Hospital." He paused, lifting his gaze from the documents.

His eyes met mine, and for a fleeting moment, they registered surprise—as if struck by what he saw.

I knew why I had been singled out. My looks, my physique, the doctor's assessment—all marked me as exceptional. Rare. A once-in-a-century find.

As I held Victor's gaze, a thought crossed my mind.

'Perhaps the rumors are wrong. He doesn't seem like the monstrous p*****t obsessed with young girls. Instead, he feels distant, intimidating.'

The next instant proved how naïve I was.

His expression turned cold. "Did the butler not explain what is required here?"

My face flushed instantly. On the way, Arthur had been clear: the Finch family needed a "willing and uninhibited" virgin. And I knew exactly what "uninhibited" meant.

Victor leaned back in his chair, his eyes never leaving me. "Prove it."

Prove I could be what they wanted.

His gaze drifted downward, then back to me, as he gestured with a slight, commanding spread of his legs. "Lillian. Prove it."