Instantly, six hulking men in black rushed towards the three of them. To the surprise of the onlookers and the terror of the trio, they
were chained by the neck and thrown into the cage, where they were locked inside.
I slowly knelt, patting their faces. “The auction item? Isn’t it right here?”
The crowd below erupted into a clamor, murmuring and whispering. “My God, Miss Scarlett was so devoted to her three kept men!
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The crowd below erupted into a clamor, murmuring and whispering. “My God, Miss Scarlett was so devoted to her three kept men!
What happened today?”
“Who knows, but for the Thorne family’s ‘Dog Cage Auction‘ to reappear, those three are in for a world of hurt.”
The three men, trapped in the dog cage, stared at me in disbelief. Muffled whimpers and roars came from their gagged mouths.
Their hands and feet were bound, and the dog chains around their necks clanked incessantly as they struggled.
I smiled, then reached out and pulled the gag from Ryder’s mouth.
“Scarlett Thorne! What are you doing? Have you gone mad?” Ryder looked at me horror, as if finally seeing the coldness in my
eyes. “Scarlett, there’s been a misunderstanding. You’re still angry about Brittany, aren’t you? You’ve got it all wrong. How could I
possibly have anything to do with a housekeeper’s daughter?”
“Please, just let us go. We can talk this out, okay? If Mr. Thorne finds out about this spectacle, he’ll be upset.”
Ryder finished, and Zane and Knox looked at me with hopeful eyes. I wiped the smile from my face, narrowing my eyes, staring
coldly at Ryder, who was kneeling on the ground like a dog. Even now, he dared to subtly threaten me with my father.
“Did I miss a major production?”
As the grand doors opened, a deep, resonant voice drifted in. Everyone rose, bowing and smiling deferentially towards the man.
Mr. Thorne.”
Dad walked to my side, glanced at me, but said nothing. Ryder, however, misinterpreted this look as my father being angry at my
outrageous actions. He immediately shouted to him.
“Mr. Thorrie, I know Scarlett enjoys her games, but this time, treating us brothers like this is simply too much.”
“Please order your men to release us. I can let bygones be bygones.”
My father snorted at his words, warning him in a low voice, “Insolent boy, you have no idea what you’re talking about.” Then he patt-
ed my shoulder, a look of profound satisfaction on his face. “Excellent. A descendant of the Thorne family should possess this kind
of resolve.”
With that, he walked to the stage, glancing at Brittany Miller, who was already pale with terror. He then sat in the center seat, offer-
ing me his unspoken support.
Brittany, at this point, was trembling with fear at the sight before her. Ryder, who had moments ago believed he had everything under control, felt his composure shatter piece by piece. He stared at my father’s resolute back, utterly disbelieving. It was only now that he finally realized the person in front of him wasn’t the overly doting Scarlett who catered to his every whim, but Miss
Scarlett Thorne, the heiress.
Ryder completely panicked, looking at me, utterly lost. Beside him, Zane and Knox struggled free of their gags, pleading tearfully, Scarlett, we were wrong. We shouldn’t have gotten involved with Brittany. From now on, whatever you say, we’ll do!”
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Ryder looked up, pleading just as desperately, “Scarlett, stop messing around. Please, let us go, okay? I promise, I’ll never defy your orders again!” As he spoke, he moved his face closer to mine, just as he used to do when he angered me. His eyes were full of
tentative hope.
And it was that very gesture that made my face darken completely. Damn Ryder, how dare he use that face to do such disgusting things! Not wanting to waste another word on him, I turned and sat beside my father.
The auctioneer, seeing this, smiled. “The three auction items are now officially open for bidding. The starting price, set by Miss
Thorne, is one dollar!”
