Not knowing what else to do, Liam headed over to her house, his heart racing with each step. When he got to her front door, he rang the bell a bunch of tis but got no answer, just silence.
Turning to the neighbors, he asked urgently, "Have you seen Ayla today?"
One older guy, with ssy gray hair and a concerned look, answered, "No, but I saw Aylin leaving last night. She looked really stressed, and since then, neither of them has co back." That revelation sent a wave of unease through Liam.
"Okay, if you see either of them, please call . It’s important," Liam said, pulling out his card and handing it over to the older man, who nodded, looking uneasy himself.
With a heavy heart, Liam walked back ho, feeling a growing sense of dread. He kept trying to call and text Ayla, but each attempt ended in silence, leaving him feeling more anxious than ever. The city was buzzing with life, but he felt completely isolated, consud by worry for her.
******
In Aylin’s room, the heavy iron door groaned as it swung open, cutting through the silence like a knife. Aylin sat up from where she’d curled up in the corner, her back against the cold wall, keeping an eye on all the sounds and flickering shadows. Her wrists hurt, and the scar under her hoodie throbbed slightly with tension. She hadn’t slept, not with her sister gone and the unconscious little girl lying just a few feet away.
Alpha stepped in first, sharply dressed in black, followed by Selina, who looked both stunning and ruthless in her deep red leather jacket. Two guards in plain black tactical gear trailed behind them.
Aylin’s heart sank when she saw Selina smile, walking toward her like they were old friends. "Good morning, Lunel, or should I say Aylin?"
Alpha’s voice was calm and unsettling in its coolness. "Today’s a big day for you," he said. "You’re up for auction."
Aylin’s eyes widened in shock. She got to her feet, her knees shaking and fists clenched. "No," she said firmly. "No, please don’t do this. Take instead, that’s fine. Just let her go." Her voice broke, filled with desperation. "Let my sister go. I’ll do whatever you want."
Alpha tilted his head like he felt sorry for her. "You really don’t understand, do you?" He gestured toward the little girl still knocked out in the corner. "She’s not even a part of today’s plan. She’s scheduled for next week’s auction. High rollers are coming in, royals, oligarchs, and politicians. She’s worth a ton."
Aylin’s face twisted in panic as she rushed forward, only to be shoved back by a guard. "No! Don’t touch her! She’s just a kid, please!" she shouted, dropping to her knees in tears. "She doesn’t even know what’s going on!"
Selina let out a dry laugh, already looking bored. "And that’s exactly why they’ll pay more. Don’t worry about her, she’ll learn everything. We’ll teach her, don’t worry."
Alpha motioned to the guards. "Move the girl. Put her in Cell 4. Turn off the surveillance."
The guards moved across the room, passing Aylin and, without a second thought, picking up the small child. Her head lolled a bit, still under sedation. Aylin lunged to stop them, but she was too slow and too weak.
"Don’t take her!" she shouted, tears streaming down her face now. "Please! I’ll go quietly; I’ll do what you say, just don’t take her!"
The guards didn’t even look at her as they carried the little girl out, slamming the door shut with a loud bang behind them.
Alpha leaned closer to Aylin, his eyes shining like polished stone. "You’re good at begging," he said softly. "Let’s see if the buyers like that too."
With that, he and Selina turned and walked out, leaving Aylin on the floor, broken, furious, and completely helpless.
The room was dim now, quiet after all the chaos.
Aylin leaned against the wall, her hands shaking as she gripped her knees tightly. Her lips were dry and cracked, and her face was streaked with dried tears. The little girl was gone, and Ayla was sowhere she couldn’t find. Now it seed like she was next. Her brain felt scrambled; she couldn’t figure out how to save her sister and that girl. It felt like her heart was sinking.
She stared blankly at the heavy iron door in front of her. mories flashed in her mind like a computer trying to process too much too fast: her sister’s laughter, the little girl’s sweet face, and the way Selina had smirked as if torture was just a ga. Her body hurt all over, and her thoughts were hazy. Yet sohow, deep down, under all the fear and chaos, Lunel was still there, persistent.
"Get up."
She could hear her father’s voice in her head, steady and firm, the sa way he had sounded years ago when he was teaching her how to code.
"You don’t give up when you’re backed into a corner. You figure out the edges. You change the ga."
She pressed her hand flat against the floor, taking a mont to breathe. Her eyes scanned the room quickly, looking for anything that could help. There was one security cara with a standard lens; thankfully, it wasn’t heat-detecting. She spotted a small air duct that was probably reinforced and noticed two bolts holding the vent cover in place, way too high up for her to reach.
Couldn’t run just yet. But she could definitely get ready.
Her fingers twitched like she was typing on an invisible keyboard. In her mind, she was mapping everything out: the doors, the possible escape routes, and the routines she needed to rember. She thought about how guards walked, the sounds of their footsteps, the schedule for food deliveries, and how long the light flickered when that outer door swung open.
"You’ve always been smarter than them," she murmured to herself. "You know that."
Then the door creaked open again, and the darkness rushed in, making the room feel even more oppressive.
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