Chapter 2

2

Within half an hour, I had gone from a decent girl to the newest "commodity" in the house.

They locked me in a room, cutting off all contact with the outside world.

An hour later, the Madam brought people in to wash me. When I refused to cooperate, she shoved the contract under my nose.

“Stop fighting. You’ve been sold by your own mother. We found you a decent man―since it’s your first time, I’m being generous.”

I stared at the contract. The name “Evelyn Sterling” was written in black ink.

The seller? My mother.

Just as I suspected.

The temptation of silver had beaten a decade of family ties. In this famine-stricken city, money was thicker than blood.

Before I could even mourn, the Madam dragged me out of the bathtub.

“Forget it,” she advised. “Plenty of girls get sold by their families. Dry off and get ready. Mr. Halloway is waiting.”

Mr. Halloway?

I knew the name. The Halloways had moved here a month ago. The heir, Silas Halloway, controlled all the taverns in the city. He was the wealthiest man in the region.

But they said he was a monster, a man with a heart of iron. Anyone who crossed him ended up in an unmarked grave, and even the authorities turned a blind eye.

Worse, he was notoriously lewd. The night he arrived, he’d sent the city’s top performer to the infirmary with his "attentions."

I felt my blood turn to ice. I’d rather die than be his toy.