CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

ZOEY

I watched with disgust as the bastards started bidding for me like she was a low commodity. Tears streamed down my face as I wondered why Mikhail would do this to me. My mind raced, thinking of Alexei and whether he was out there searching for me.

The auctioneer's voice echoed in the room, announcing bids like a macabre chant. Each bid felt like a knife twisting in my gut. How did I end up here, a pawn in their twisted game?

I couldn't take it anymore. The weight of despair pushed me to the edge, and with a sudden burst of desperation, I ran out of the spotlight, away from the merciless gazes of the predators.

I stumbled through the dimly lit corridors, my breaths ragged, and the echo of my frantic footsteps mingling with the pounding of my heart. But I didn't reach far before the malicious woman caught up with me.

"Running, dear? You can't escape your fate," she sneered, her voice a venomous hiss. She grabbed my arm, her nail