Chapter 1

Grace’s P.O.V

I sipped on the wine, sitting at the table in the corner of the wedding hall I was at as a live painter. As an artist, it has always been my dream to be a world-class artist, an artist who inspires others to follow in my path.

“You are amazing! It looks like I’m looking at an actual picture, it’s amazing. Definitely booking you for my wedding” Another guest complimented the live painting I worked on, and I smiled with a ‘thank you’ as a reply.

Finally, I wrapped up my things, handed over the painting to the maid of honor as requested by the bride, and made my way out. After walking outside, I realized I had forgotten to call the cab so I opened the ‘GetMyRide’ app to book one. I started walking after seeing no signals, and after what felt like an hour, I finally got the signals and called the cab.

“Please be quick” Speaking over the phone, I waited for the cab to arrive by the street lamp on an empty street. After a while, I saw a car driving towards me and stopping in front of me when I realized that it wasn’t the cab I had booked, it looked like a van. So, I tried to step back and walk away but 2 men came out with masks and that’s when I sensed danger. I started running in the opposite direction, huffing, and praying to God.

“HELP” I screamed at the top of my lungs after seeing them run after me. However, my running came to no avail when I tripped, causing the men to catch up and grab me.

“NO, WHO ARE YOU!? LEAVE ME ALONE. LEAVE ME” I screamed again, but instead, they tightened their grip on me and placed a bag over my head, picking me up and throwing me inside the van. I screamed again when the bag was lifted off of my face but nothing seemed to help as they muffled my screams with a piece of cloth with a strange smell. Right after a while, I lost all senses and my vision got dark quickly, causing me to faint, making that moment the last thing for me to remember.

~ After a while

I woke up, feeling dizzy and a headache creeping around my skull and the lights stinging my eyes like they were on fire. Adjusting my eyes to the lights, I slowly opened them when I saw a brightly lit room, filled with multiple dressing tables. I tried moving but felt my hands and legs tied up so I tried to call for someone but couldn’t because of the cloth around my mouth. Before I could do anything else, I saw a tall woman walking inside, probably in her mid-thirties, and with a makeup-filled face.

“Finally, the kitten is awake” She spoke and that’s when I noticed the darkness around her, creeping the heck out of me.

“What a pretty little face” The woman spoke, kneeling down in front of me and staring at me with a tilted face. So many emotions were swirling inside of me, but fear topped any emotion.

“You must be wondering where you are, right?” The woman spoke and I eagerly nodded my head, making my hair bounce. But, the next thing she spoke shook the ground under my feet, leaving me hopeless.

“You’re being sold off, honey” The woman spoke the sentence that took the life out of Grace, leaving her to stare blankly at the woman in front of her.

“Don’t worry, sweetie, I’ll be here to teach you everything” Like spitting venom, the woman spoke again as tears flooded Grace’s eyes, leaving her to try and untie herself. She struggled and struggled only for it to fail within seconds. Seeing her squirm, the woman snatched the piece of cloth from her mouth, allowing Grace to scream and cry out loud.

“N-NO, YOU CAN’T DO THIS, LET ME GO” Finally, Grace screamed as loudly as she could, while the woman in front of her only stared at her with a wicked smile.

“I’m Jessica Britland, the manager here, at the Tame&Claim house” Finally introducing herself, Jessica sat proudly on her chair, looking down at Graze who was on the verge of fainting.

“From now on, you will always listen to me, okay, kitten?” Grace couldn’t let out a single word, as she stared at the woman with devastated eyes.

~ On the auction day

Grace was standing with only the fancy undergarments on her, ready to be sent on the stage with her legs and hands trembling. She was the next one to be sent on the stage, and she was looking for tiny shreds of reasons to stay alive and none of them seemed valid enough.

“Go up, kitten, don’t you dare try to pull something” Jessica threatened her again and Grace simply blinked her eyes to show that she had listened. Just like that, Jessica smiled and pushed her out on the stage, and as soon as she did, the audience roared at her appearance. Grace wanted to run away, to scream that she didn’t want to be here, but she also knew the consequences.

“Starting bi-”

“1 Million!” One of the bidders screamed, not even letting the host complete his sentence, as Grace looked around the audience, stunned to see someone even interested in the bruised body.

“5 Million” Another Bid.

“10 Million” And another.

“25 Million” And another.

“100 Million” Another voice beamed from the back, leaving the entire hall in silence as even the host fell silent for a while. After the deadly silence, and the host discussing something with Jessica, they got back on track.

“100 Million. Going once…. Going twice…. And Sold to Vincent Myers!” There, with the sound of the hammer hitting the desk. Grace was then forced to the backside of the stage after she was sold for 100 Million Dollars.

"Stay right here!" One of the guards said when they saw a girl fainting and having seizures as Grace stared at her, wondering if she'd become her someday. From the corner of her eyes, she saw an opened door, leading to the outside world, igniting something inside of her. Hesitantly, she made a run for it, running with every ounce of energy inside her.

"Don't you fucking dare, kitten" As if fate despised her, Jessica stood in front of her, blocking Grace's view of the door that might have led her outside. Grace halted, fear burning inside her eyes, her entire body trembling just with the thought of what Jessica might do to her now. Just like that, Jessica's torture began again, but this time, it was in front of everyone. Grace shut her eyes tight, seeing Jessica raise her hand to slap Grace, waiting for the stinging pain on her cheek.

"Move an inch more, and I'll personally cut off both your hands" A deep voice spoke from behind Grace, startling Jessica and causing her to stop in her tracks. This time, it was Jessica who had fear in her eyes, as her body trembled with fear, dropping her hands to the side of her body.