Sophia led Zoey to the center of the casino, the crowd parting to make way. All eyes turned to Zoey, curiosity and speculation flickering in their gazes.

“Is this the new auction item?” someone called out, their voice laced with dark amusement. The implication was clear, and the room buzzed with murmurs of anticipation.

Zoey’s face drained of color as she looked up at Sophia, her voice shaky.

“What auction item?”

Before Sophia could respond, a man nearby sneered, his tone dripping with cruelty.

“You, of course. With your looks, you’ll fetch a pretty price.”

A spark of hope ignited in Zoey’s chest for a brief moment. If she were sold to someone else, perhaps she could find a way to escape. Under Sophia’s relentless watch for months, she had been trapped with no chance of freedom. If this was her only way out, she would cling to it.

Just as Zoey felt a flicker of hope, Sophia’s voice cut through the room like a blade, extinguishing it with chilling finality. Her smile deepened into something mockingly sinister as she leaned back in her seat, her tone laced with cold amusement.

“Oh, she’s definitely up for auction,” Sophia said, her words soaked in mockery. “But since she’s… infected, she’s no longer useful to anyone looking for a bedmate. However, if anyone’s interested in her organs, they still hold value. Or perhaps we could consider her for… research purposes.”

This place was indeed a casino, but it was also a shadowy underground trading market. To call it a black market would not be too far off. Here, anything could find a buyer.

Zoey’s entire frame seized up in shock. Her eyes wide with disbelief, she turned to Sophia, her voice shaking as she asked,

“You wouldn’t just sell me off like this, would you? Don’t you want to keep tormenting me? Surely, you haven’t had your fill of that yet.”

The thought of being sold to these people was unthinkable. Should it happen, she would descend into a torturous demise. She did want to escape from Sophia, but if that meant death, she might as well put up with Sophia’s torment. At least survival seemed more certain that way.

Before Sophia could reply, a burst of laughter erupted from someone nearby.

? gν?

“Oh, still a masochist, huh? No wonder you ended up sick. You seem to really play the field.”

Pitying looks followed from others, their gazes greedy.

“Pity she’s ill; otherwise, I’d take my turn. She seems like she’d be fun to play with.”

Their stares dripped with lust.

Zoey, once aspiring to rise above all, even plotting against Katelyn, now faced such cruel treatment, while Katelyn enjoyed heightened status and advantages. All this struck Zoey as bitterly unjust, yet her options were limited.

She couldn’t bear to ponder her fate any longer. She knelt before Sophia, pleading,

“I’ll do whatever you ask, just please let me go.”

Yet, Sophia kicked Zoey aside, her voice cold and firm.

“Stay away. Don’t come any closer.”

If things continued this way, Sophia feared she might kill Zoey herself. Still, the higher-ups had decreed Zoey must live to face one last indignity.

Katelyn’s expression clouded over as she regarded Vincent, her words cautious.

“Something feels wrong.”

Vincent’s expression mirrored her concern. He asked gently,

.

.

.