Chapter 01 - Claimed in Shame
1179 Words
The Auction Begins
The air inside the grand auction hall was heavy—not just with the suffocating blend of expensive perfumes and cigars, but with something far darker. A sickly sweet stench of power, greed, and silent screams. Crystal chandeliers glittered above, casting sharp beams of light that danced across the gleaming marble floors like mocking spirits.
This was no place for salvation.
This was a marketplace for sins.
Men in tailored suits lounged comfortably in plush velvet chairs, glasses of aged whiskey swirling in their hands. Their eyes—sharp, cold, and hungry—followed the stage with disturbing eagerness. They were not here for art. Nor for luxury goods. They were here to claim ownership of something far more fragile.
Human lives.
The MC stepped forward, his voice slicing through the heavy silence like a knife.
“Next item ... Lot number 17. Aria Auretta.”
Behind the heavy curtain, Aria's heart pounded in her chest like a trapped bird slamming itself against its cage. Her breathing was shallow, her stomach twisted into agonizing knots.
You have no choice …
You chose this.
Her trembling fingers clutched the edge of the curtain for a brief second, as if hoping to anchor herself in place, to stop time for just a moment longer. But there was no escape. Two guards flanked her, and before she could even whisper another desperate prayer, they pushed her forward into the light.
Her red dress clung to her like a second skin—tight, revealing, humiliating. The fabric barely covered the softness of her chest, the short hemline exposing her long, slender legs beneath the unforgiving glare of the spotlights.
Hundreds of gazes locked onto her instantly.
Cold. Calculating. Devouring.
Her skin crawled beneath their stare. Each pair of eyes felt like claws digging into her flesh. She wanted to shrink into nothingness. To vanish.
But she stood. Somehow, she stood.
For my mother. Just for her.
The MC sauntered across the stage, his voice dripping with perverse delight as he presented her like a prized object.
“Gentlemen!” His voice boomed. “Untouched. Pure. Exquisite. A once-in-a-lifetime treasure. Only for the man most deserving.”
The room fell silent for a beat … just long enough for tension to thicken like poison in the air.
Then, a gruff voice broke the stillness.
“One hundred thousand dollars.”
Another quickly followed.
“One hundred fifty!”
“Two hundred!” Someone barked from across the room.
The bids escalated like wolves snapping at each other for the first drop of blood. Each number called out felt like a blade slicing through Aria’s dignity, peeling away her last layers of self-worth.
Her lips trembled, though she pressed them tightly. The burn in her chest grew fiercer. Tears threatened to betray her, but she swallowed them down like acid.
You cannot cry. You cannot fall apart. You promised her.
The numbers continued to rise.
“Two hundred fifty!”
“Three hundred!”
“Three fifty!”
Her breathing became shallow. Her vision blurred slightly, the opulent room spinning like a carousel of demons.
Please ... let it end ... please …
“Four hundred thousand,” came another shout.
The entire hall buzzed with a sick excitement.
And then—like a blade slicing through the growing frenzy—a new voice rang out.
Cold. Feminine. Icy.
“Five hundred thousand dollars.”
Gasps followed. All heads turned in unison.
At the back of the hall stood a woman in a sharp, black tailored suit. Her hair was pulled into a strict bun, not a single strand out of place. Her face was blank, but her eyes carried deadly authority.
“Five hundred thousand dollars on behalf of Mr. Adrian Black,” she announced, her voice cutting the air like steel.
Silence. Heavy. Immediate.
No one dared to bid higher.
No one dared to challenge him.
The MC beamed, savoring the discomfort of the crowd. “Five hundred thousand ... going once ... going twice ... Sold!”
The sound of the gavel echoed like a death sentence.
Aria’s knees weakened. She swayed slightly but refused to fall.
Adrian Black.
She had heard the name whispered in fear, in awe, in trembling admiration. A man who could crush empires with a phone call. Who owned people as easily as he owned companies. She had sold herself to the devil. And the devil had just sent for her.
The woman began walking toward the stage.
She was stunning in her own cold, sharp way. Her name was Vivienne Hart, known as Adrian Black’s most trusted personal assistant. And perhaps, something more.
Vivienne ascended the stairs with precise, elegant steps. She extended her hand toward Aria, her pale fingers perfectly manicured.
“Aria Auretta. Follow me.”
Aria tried to move. Her body, weak from the stress, struggled to obey. She took her first step down the stairs. The towering stilettos made every movement a dangerous balancing act.
Her ankle gave way. Her heel slipped. Gravity pulled.
“No—!”
Her world flipped as she tumbled down the marble staircase. Her dress rode up dangerously high, exposing too much pale skin beneath the bright lights. Gasps erupted, followed by low chuckles and amused whispers.
Some of the men laughed openly, their eyes gleaming with sick satisfaction. The humiliation was a show in itself.
Get up. Get up!
Don't let them see you break.
Her face burned with shame as she hurried to cover herself. Tears blurred her vision, but she bit the inside of her cheek, forcing herself to suppress the sob.
Vivienne descended slowly, like a queen approaching a wounded servant. She moved with a grace that exuded lethal calmness. At the bottom, she stopped, standing tall above Aria.
Without a word, she began unfastening her blazer. As Vivienne slipped it off, the silk blouse beneath clung tightly to her voluptuous figure. The thin, semi-transparent fabric revealed the delicate outline of black lace beneath—her full breasts lifted high, softly pressing against the fragile material. The sight drew subtle gasps from a few men still watching, momentarily distracted from Aria's disgrace by Vivienne’s commanding sensuality.
Yet her face remained completely indifferent, emotionless. Power radiated from her—even half-exposed, she was in full control.
With cold precision, Vivienne draped the blazer over Aria’s trembling shoulders, covering her humiliation with calculated mercy.
“Stand up,” she said softly, but firmly. “You belong to Mr. Black now.”
Far from the hall, in a private dark room illuminated only by the glow of large screens streaming the auction live, Adrian Black watched. His fingers tapped rhythmically against the armrest of his leather chair, eyes fixed on the girl now trembling beneath his assistant’s care.
The corner of his lips curled into a sinister smirk. His gaze darkened with something far more dangerous than lust.
Possession.
“Perfect,” he whispered, voice soft like silk, yet sharp like a blade. “You’re even more fragile than I hoped."
- Writer
