Markel Zeus Arrives

Three days Before the Auction

ELENA POV

As I walk through the house one last time, the lack of Lorenzo's slurred yelling and clinking bottles fills me with serenity. It’s been a peaceful week without his constant inebriated rants and violent outbursts.

A week where I’m not beaten and can sleep in peace.

He left a note on the kitchen counter, pretending to have an important "business" to attend to. Yet I know the reality—he’s away on his annual mafia cruise, indulging in women, gambling, power games, and attempting to cling to the world that had forgotten him long ago. Seeing him desperately hold onto this fleeting delusion only makes me pity him more.

And me?

I’m nearly free.

My heart races as I retrieve my duffel bag from my bedroom. Inside, it holds everything I need to escape my old life and start again: fake identities, encrypted backup drives, and stacks of cash I withdrew that morning, along with cards. My other persona—CIPHER, a notorious hacker and genius who helped me accumulate some wealth over the years—is finally disappearing without a trace.

CIPHER is never going to surface again. I’ve wiped all my equipment clean, deleted digital evidence of my existence, and burned everything down. By the time Lorenzo returns from his cruise trip, I’ll be gone.

I’m finally in control of my life.

The sea, mountains, waterfalls... Beautiful life, here I come...

Then the sound came.

It started faintly, a low hum that grew louder until it became a roar. Tires screeching against gravel. My heart skips a beat. Dropping the bag, I move to the window, parting the heavy curtain just enough to see outside.

My stomach twists into knots. Sleek black SUVs line the long driveway, men in crisp dark suits emerging like shadows. Their movements are practiced, predatory, with weapons strapped tightly to their bodies. In the center is Lorenzo, a disheveled mess being kicked and pushed around. His shirt untucked, tie hanging loose, face pale with panic. Two large men grasp his arms, forcing his unsteady footsteps toward the entry.

A shiver runs through me at the sight of the man beside Lorenzo—Markel Zeus, a name whispered only in the darkest corners with fear. As the head of a powerful crime syndicate that deals in human and organ trafficking, no one is beyond his reach. If he’s come in person, Lorenzo’s long overdue debts have finally caught up to him.

Grabbing my bag, I hurry soundlessly through the house. Sliding behind the heavy crockery cupboard in the living room, I press into the shadows just as voices carry into the room.

From there, I can hear everything.

"Please, Zeus," Lorenzo’s voice is high-pitched, trembling. "It’s not what you think! I—I can pay you. I just need a little more time!"

"Time?" Zeus’s voice is deep, smooth, and cold. "You’ve had years, Lorenzo. You think I’m here to negotiate?"

A heavy thud follows—a chair, maybe a table—and Lorenzo groans in pain.

"I’ve got nothing left to give!" Lorenzo cries. "The estate’s worthless! The accounts are dry!"

"Enough." Zeus’s tone is sharp and final.

I can hear his footsteps now, slow and deliberate as they move across the floor. "What’s this?" he says, a note of amusement creeping into his voice.

Curiosity gets the better of me, and I peek. Zeus is holding a photo frame, one that was always on the small coffee table.

It pictures my mother smiling warmly with her arm around my smaller self, taken when I was only five. Gazing at it now feels like a gut punch.

Zeus studies the frame, his lips upturning darkly. "Your wife?" he asks Lorenzo. His finger taps where a young me smiles, questioning, "And the girl? Your daughter?"

Lorenzo sputters anxiously. "Y-Yes, but she's worthless! Like the estate, I assure you nothing but trouble!"

Zeus’s smile widens. "Is that so?" He sets the photo down carefully, his gaze never leaving Lorenzo. "You have nothing else to offer me, Lorenzo. But I’m a generous man. I’ll give you a choice: your life, or your daughter’s."

I freeze.

Surely Lorenzo wouldn’t...

But the silence that follows is deafening.

"She's untouched," Lorenzo blurts desperately. "A virgin worth a fortune if sold!"

Lorenzo was never a father to me, but I expected him to protect me. But he betrays me. I feel the floor disappear beneath me.

Zeus chuckles darkly. "A virgin, you say? Well, things have changed."

Then the unthinkable, Lorenzo points at the cupboard.

"She's hiding. Over there."

My breath catches as everything stills. Then rage boils over inside me.

"You bastard!" I burst from my hiding place, voice shaking with fury.

All eyes turn to me. Zeus's men raise their weapons at me, but he motions them to stand down. His piercing gaze locks on mine, sweeping my body dark and glistening with curiosity.

"And here she is," Zeus says, his tone dripping with mockery. "The fiery little Virgin De Luca."

I glare at Lorenzo, who has stumbled back, his face pale and sweaty. "You sold your own daughter to save your miserable life? You’re disgusting."

"Elena, please," Lorenzo pleads. "Let me explain—"

"Explain what?" I snap. My trembling hands ball into fists. "You cower in fear and flee responsibility. Your cowardice knows no bounds. You are a fucking asshole!"

Zeus chuckles deeply, sending shivers down my spine. "She’s got spunk, guys! This one," he muses, never removing his stare. "Take her."

"Papa!" I cry out. He turns his back to me without a word.

I fight as hard as I can, kicking and thrashing, but they’re too strong. Their hands clamp around my arms like iron, dragging me toward the door.

"Let me go!" I shout, struggling. My nails rip at my holder's sleeve, but it only tightens the grip.

Zeus steps closer, towering over me. "You’re quite the little firecracker, aren’t you?" he says, his voice low. "I think you’ll do nicely at the auction."

"The auction?" I hiss, glaring up at him.

No, no, no, no. I know what happens at those auctions. I don't want to be one of those girls. The fear of being raped and tossed around like a doll flares through me.

He smirks. "Oh, yes. You’ll be sold to the highest bidder. Consider it… a new chapter in your life."

As Zeus’s men restrain me, Lorenzo checks my bag, his eyes turn wide at the sight of the cash inside it, and he seizes the opportunity to flee. Without so much as a glance back, he bolts for the door.

"Pathetic," Zeus mutters, shaking his head. "Your father’s a coward, little De Luca. But you… you’re interesting."

I refuse to comment, too consumed by a burning rage. Without hesitation, my father had given me away to the wolf to save himself.

One of Zeus's men hands him a syringe filled with a mysterious liquid that glistens ominously under the dim light. He lets out an amused chuckle when I thrash and pull desperately, panic surging through my veins. "What are you---"

"Relax," he says in an almost soothing tone before gripping my jaw firmly and plunging the needle into my neck. "You’ll regain consciousness just in time for the entertainment to begin."

My terrified gaze is frozen on him before it gets blurred and the edges darken as unconsciousness overtakes me. The final image seared into my fading sight is Zeus’s sneering smile as he watches me struggle helplessly.