Bound by Desire to the Enigmatic Heir

“Auntie, I won't accept what you want me to do!” shouted a young woman as she entered an office.

A middle-aged woman exhaled cigarette smoke while she was on the phone. “We’ll do, sir. Thank you. I hope you’ll enjoy her service.”

After saying that, the older woman hung up the phone and turned to the younger one who had entered her office.

“You have no choice. I've already put your name on the list. The crowd wants you! This is the solution to your financial problems. Consider it payment for my help in hiding you from your family for two years, Thea,” said the older woman as she sorted through some papers scattered on her desk.

“A trade-off? I came to you willingly when I approached you. I've been working hard, sacrificing my education to help with our daily expenses, and now you're going to do this to me? You're not making me an escort, but you're going to auction me off!” The young woman couldn't help raising her voice out of frustration.

“You have no choice. If you back out, you'll need to pay a penalty. Do you have the money for that? I don't. So just follow what I ask you to do. I'm buried in debt, and we have many needs. Just endure it, or if you want, ask your mother for help. Your family has money, don't they? However, you'll also have to face the wrath of your family after running away from them.”

Theana, the young woman, couldn't bring herself to speak. She knew she couldn't go back. Two years had passed since she left their home, and she had accepted the fate that she could never return. Besides the escape, she left behind a big scandal and mistake that haunted her. So now, she had no choice but to cling to the woman who sheltered her when she had nowhere else to go. Estelle, the woman who helped Thea when she left and ran away from her family, who worked at an exclusive club.

Thea sighed heavily. There were many things she wanted to fight for, but... she knew she couldn't do anything about it. She didn't want to ask her mother for help because she knew her mother wouldn't feed her. Besides, it was too late when she found out that she was included among the women being auctioned off tonight. She also didn't have the money to pay the penalty if she decided not to go through with it.

Her hands trembled as hairstylists and makeup artists worked on her. She still couldn't accept what awaited her tonight.

All the women to be auctioned off were lined up. Theana wanted to cry and vomit. Never did she once imagine she would end up in this situation.

She grew up with a silver spoon in her mouth. Though she was somewhat spoiled because her parents indulged her whims, she still knew when she needed to stand on her own two feet.

Thea's desired quiet life was shattered when her twin sister, Alethea Brooke, was suddenly arranged to marry a member of a prominent family known nationwide. That's when the chaos began in what she thought would be her perfect life.

She closed her eyes as she remembered everything. She wanted to bury it all in oblivion, but she also wanted to think about what might have happened to her if she hadn't left back then.

"Thea!"

Her thoughts were interrupted when an organizer of the auction called her. He grabbed her by the arm before talking to her.

"You're next. Even back when your only job was as a waitress, many were willing to pay for your service. Too bad you couldn't before, but now... oh boy! I wonder how much the highest bid for you will be?" he said excitedly. "As of now, the highest bid tonight is one million."

As excited as everyone around Thea was, she felt nothing but despair. She wanted to retreat, she wanted to run away, and escape from it all. She knew she was good at running away from problems. But she also thought about the situation her Aunt Estelle would be in. She owed a lot to the person who was treating her like this now because she had relied on her for two years while hiding from her family.

"Are you still a virgin?" asked a woman, sucking on a lollipop while waiting for Theana's response. Theana remained silent. "Oh dear! If you're still a virgin, I'm sure people outside will bid very high for you. Besides being beautiful, if they find out you're still a virgin, everyone will be scrambling to get you."

In truth, she's no longer a virgin! She had long surrendered her virginity to a man she really liked. Nevertheless, she still had to leave him.

Thea remained silent, thinking that the money she would receive wouldn't be worth trading for her dignity.

She was being prepared because she was up next. She was the last woman to come out, and she was told she was the one they were all waiting for. She sarcastically smiled because she wasn't pleased with how much importance they were giving her now.

Theana took a deep breath, swallowing all the emotions she felt. If she wanted to get through all of this, she needed to numb herself.

When her nickname was called, she stepped out. The men present eyed her as if they were ready to lay down any amount just to have her and be with her for a few days.

She still couldn't accept that she was here now, like some thing or property being sold at a price deemed suitable for her. She wanted to vomit and be disgusted by the people doing this.

Thea couldn't focus. She couldn't even move her eyes away from the floor. All she heard was when the auctioneer said the bidding would start at one million.

Thea scoffed. She had clearly heard earlier that prices usually started low before rising, but for her, the amount was ridiculously high right away. Maybe they were that eager for virgins, or they thought she was still one and untouched by any man.

Someone raised their number. Thea glanced briefly and grimaced when she saw a running senator bidding for her.