Laurier Ashford's POV (as Roxanne Vale)
The compound was hidden beneath the ruins of a former resort on an island no map dared label.
From above, it looked abandoned—half-sunken villas, crumbling docks, sea fog clinging to the shore like a veil. But underground?
It was luxury dipped in blood.
Gilded walls, masked security in designer suits, champagne on trays carried by silent women with empty eyes. The corridors smelled of perfume and gun oil. Laughter echoed off marble floors, punctuated by the occasional scream from deep below.
Silas had been right.
This wasn't a place you walked into.
It was a world you became.
And tonight, I was Roxanne Vale.
Arms broker. Mercenary queen. Quiet killer with red on her ledger and no soul to save.
My heels clicked softly as I entered the auction hall.
No one looked twice.
That was the power of persona.
That was the power of fear.
The auction had already begun.
Lot #14: a prototype rifle from Eastern Europe. Sold to a Middle Eastern oligarch with a mistress on each arm.
Lot #15: a cyber-virus capable of turning security systems into open doors. Chinese buyers outbid a Russian general.
Lot #16...
My breath hitched.
The screen above flickered.
Lot 16: Subject C7 — Male. Trained asset. Former military-grade defense. Off-grid. High endurance. Proven kills in six countries. Loyalty fracture suspected. Clean genetics. No prior sale history.
The curtain drew back.
And there he was.
Renzo.
Mine.
Shirtless. Shackled at the wrists and ankles, head low. There was blood at the corner of his mouth. A small cut above his brow. His arms trembled—but he stood.
Just barely.
The room buzzed.
Men and women leaned forward, hungry.
I saw someone smirk.
"Beautiful specimen," one woman whispered behind her mask. "Look at that back. I wonder if he screams."
I clenched the edge of my seat hard enough to feel my nails pierce skin.
Renzo didn't lift his head.
But his body... shifted.
Subtly. Barely.
As if he sensed me.
I pressed the bidding button on my table.
Silence.
The auctioneer tilted his head.
"Starting bid: thirty million."
The room hesitated.
I pressed again.
Fifty.
Gasps.
Someone laughed. "Roxanne's back. And she's hungry."
Another pressed their button. Fifty-five.
I didn't flinch.
أنت تقرأ
Inheritance ✔
عاطفيةLaurier Ashford is Asia's most ruthless businesswoman-untouchable, unstoppable, and uninterested in love. Behind her empire is Renzo Hart, her silent, sharp secretary... and the son of her father's most loyal man. Laurier sleeps around. Renzo cleans...
