Sold for $1 To The Hawthorne Brothers
Three women, three brothers, a single, crumpled dollar bill.
Alina's world shatters the moment she's auctioned off-and claimed by the powerful Hawthorne brothers.
Thrown into Adrian Hawthorne's cold, dangerous world, she becomes his to control... his to protect... and, terrifyingly, his to desire. He's ruthless, possessive, and hiding secrets that could destroy them both. But the deeper she falls into his world, the harder it becomes to tell if she's his prisoner-or something far more dangerous.
Because the Hawthorne brothers don't just take.
They keep.
Viviane has spent her life surviving, so when Julian Hawthorne "buys" her freedom, she knows better than to trust it. Men like him don't save people-they collect them. But Julian isn't as simple as he pretends to be, and the deeper she's pulled into his world, the more dangerous it becomes to walk away.
Especially when she realizes she might be the only thing he's ever been willing to fight for.
Lena doesn't belong to anyone-and she intends to keep it that way. Brilliant, guarded, and hiding more than anyone suspects, she enters Lucien Hawthorne's world on her own terms. But Lucien doesn't play fair, and he doesn't let go.
When her past comes crashing back, Lena is forced to face the one thing she's been running from: trusting someone who could destroy her... or save her.
Three women. Three choices.Stay. Fight.
Or burn it all down.
Because being sold was only the beginning.
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Chapter 15
"Was that all it took?"
I'm still pinned underneath Adrian, and I'm not sure if I'm breathing anymore. He's so close that every inhale feels like taking in a lungful of him. His eyes twinkle as he clicks his tongue. "Perhaps I should've tried this a long time ago. It would've saved me the trouble of having to deal with your sass."
"Sass?" I wheeze. "I've done everything you've asked me to do. I allowed your bodyguards to chaperone; I have to sleep close to the wall so I don't...touch you. I don't think I'm being mouthy, Mr. Hawthorne."
His fingers brush against my wrist as he moves, and slow heat trickles down my spine. "The phone," he reminds me. The bed dips, and I instinctively adjust, moving my leg.
Wrong move. My dress has ridden high. The fabric of his pants grazes my bare skin. I swallowed hard as my nerves hum and my skin tingles. My lashes flutter nonstop as my chest inflates like a helium-pumped balloon.
"It was supposed to be a communicating device," he murmurs, "not a freebie. The boy you gave it to sold it for a fraction of its worth."
"I told him he could-"
I stop, my head cocking sideways. "How did you know about that?" His henchmen were outside the building, and Julian hadn't shown up then.
His mouth curves slowly. "I know everything, Alina."
"Then you know I don't appreciate being sprung on without prior notice. I already got sold once, against my wish," I retort, the words rushing out before I can stop them.
"Your father had a debt to pay, Alina. And he paid it with you," he tells me. "You should be mad at me, not him."
I am.
Mad at my stepfather. At myself. At Adrian Hawthorne, with his smug face. I shimmy up the bed, propping my upper body on my elbows as I stare at him, unblinking. "You bought me. You could've forced him to work for you...had him sign an agreement. Yet, I was the one you wanted. Someone who wouldn't complain, who you could control."
"Is that what you think I wanted?" His voice drops into a low timbre as his gaze darkens. "A slave? A servant?" His thumb glides over my chin as a low, humorless chuckle slips out. "The dress on you has my price tag, Alina Wilson. My brother sent me the bill as soon as you were done shopping."
"I watched you when you walked into the party-until you ended up at the bar. Your yellow dress the center of attention. You were the wet dream of every single man there tonight and for the life of me-" he grits his teeth, dragging a hand through his hair, "-I couldn't stop my thoughts from straying."
Adrian rakes a hand over his face as he pushes away from me, cursing under his breath. I remain on the bed, my thoughts scrambled. His thoughts...was he thinking about me?
"It's impossible for you to be my slave, Alina," he rasps, sitting on the edge of the bed. He doesn't look at me. "Because you have a way of getting under my skin. I should be able to dismiss a servant, ignore them. Hell," he chuckles mirthlessly, "forget that they even exist."
"With you?" he glances over his shoulder. His eyes land on mine with a stormy expression that burns through me. "I plan everything. I had to bribe my brother to watch over you. Why would I care if you mean so little?"
I can feel my heart thumping, slamming my ribcage as something alive, slick, unwelcome, coils inside me. "I don't know," I say hoarsely. "You said my father owed a debt, and he sold me for it. Maybe I'm worth more than a dollar to you. You told me I was your business."
That's all I am. The truth hits me like a bucket of ice dumped over my head.
He's the kind of man who doesn't let go of what belongs to him. He doesn't like me. He's not attracted to me-I'm an object. Property. A tool.
My chest aches as I climb off the bed, crossing my arms to hide my wardrobe malfunction. "You don't see people, Adrian. You see things to own. I-" I shake my head as my voice breaks, "-am something you own. That's why you can't ignore me."
"I-"
The ache sinks deeper, squeezing my chest until it feels like I'm going to pass out. "I should go," I mutter. "I don't think you want to sleep in the same bed with me after I've had too much to drink. I get touchy," I smile thinly. "Goodnight, Adrian."
I turn, begging my shoulders not to fall, for the tears that I've cried one too many times tonight to give me a break. At least until I'm alone.
I don't hear his footsteps as they pound behind me.
Adrian grabs my wrist, spinning me around. His mouth crashes on mine, swallowing my gasp as he crushes me to his chest. My hands hang helplessly as my thoughts blank out completely. A surge floods through my chest, down my spine, curling deep in my stomach.
My fingers twitch, like my body is trying to grab onto something, but it's too much-too sudden. The heat in his body, rushing into mine...his smell, clouding my senses, drugging me.
He pulls as quickly as he kissed me, panting softly. "Does this look like I don't see you?" he rasps thickly. "Tell me, Alina. Tell me you have no idea what's going through my head."
"I-"
He cups my chin a little roughly before I can respond, his other hand resting on my back. His teeth nip my lower lip, and I feel a pulse throb between my thighs in response. "He should've gotten you black," Adrian whispers against my mouth as his tongue slides between my parted lips. I whimper as my back arches into his touch, silently begging for more. I can taste the whiskey he drank on his breath, and it pulls me under, like a crashing wave. "Something ugly."
His hand slips down my ass, cupping it.
My knees buckle as his lips roam down my neck, kissing my skin, biting me gently. A broken whimper slips out as I reach for his shirt, sinking my fingers in...needing something to hold on to.
"I'm glad the dress is ruined," he says as he raises his head, smirking at me. "Because now I can take it off myself without feeling guilty."
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9.7
For three years, I hid my identity as the sole heiress of a multi-billion dollar tech empire to live in a cramped apartment and support my boyfriend, Ben.
But the day before our engagement, I stood outside a meeting room and overheard him talking to his wealthy boss, Haylie.
"She's just a stepping stone," Ben laughed, his voice full of contempt. "A poor, ambitionless distraction while I work my way up to where I really belong."
He mocked the cheap silver ring he gave me, calling it a necessary prop to keep a naive fool happy.
He bragged about the multi-million dollar merger proposal he was presenting, planning to use it to secure his promotion and build a future with her.
He had no idea that I had secretly negotiated that entire deal using my real connections just to give him his big break.
I had sacrificed my family's comfort, my true identity, and my own career just to watch him rise.
I poured my heart and soul into our humble beginnings, only to realize he saw my love as a pathetic joke and me as disposable trash.
I calmly picked up a pen and voided the merger agreement, tearing my hard work into tiny pieces.
I went home, slid the cheap ring off my finger, and dropped it into his mug of cold coffee.
"Soon, you'll find out exactly who is nothing."
Walking out the door, I pulled out my phone and texted my billionaire father.
"I'm in. Announce the merger."
8.6
In my past life, the Cerberus strain leaked, turning the world into a blood-soaked hell of rotting flesh and mutated monsters.
I thought my boyfriend Declan and my best friend Hailee would have my back as we fled the quarantine zone.
Instead, when the surging crowd of the infected cornered us, they didn't hesitate.
They shoved me backward into the horde just to buy themselves three seconds to run.
As I fell into the mud, I saw them fleeing without a single backward glance.
"She's dead weight anyway!" Hailee screamed.
"Just keep running, she'll distract them!" Declan yelled back.
I was torn apart, feeling the agonizing tear of rotting teeth sinking into my neck and the hot spray of my own blood.
Before the apocalypse, my greedy uncle had locked away my ten-million-dollar trust fund, leaving me with nothing but a fake boyfriend who only wanted me for my money.
Until my last breath, I couldn't understand how the people I loved most could trade my life for a head start.
Why did I blindly trust them? Why didn't I see through their perfectly choreographed lies?
Opening my eyes again, the stench of decaying flesh vanished, replaced by the sterile smell of my college dorm room.
Hailee and Declan were standing over my bed, faking tears of concern over my meningitis fever.
I was back exactly seven days before the world ended, and my spatial vault ability had come back with me.
This time, I'm extorting my uncle for every cent, hoarding the city's supplies, and leaving them all to rot.
7.9
After her twin brother's unexplained death at Alpha Academy, Alexandria Hyde takes his place and his name to uncover the truth. Now living as "Alex," she's thrown into a world of hot, testosterone-fueled Alphas who fight to the brink of death... and she has to survive it while hiding who she really is.
But staying hidden isn't easy–
Not when the Alphas start noticing her.
Not when the truth she's chasing might destroy her first.
And definitely not when they start fighting for her instead.
8.3
Half a month into our cold war, I, Claire Parker, found an abortion procedure slip tucked inside Daniel Carter's suit pocket.
The patient's name belonged to the fragile little childhood sweetheart he had always protected so fiercely-Sophie Bennett.
I folded the paper calmly and slipped it back where I had found it.
Daniel noticed the movement immediately. His eyes flicked toward me through the rearview mirror, resignation coloring his voice.
"What are you overthinking now? Sophie was just keeping a friend company at the hospital. She accidentally left it there."
I turned toward the window and said nothing.
This was Sophie declaring war on me, yet the man who could crush competitors without mercy in the business world believed her completely.
The silence inside the car grew suffocating until Daniel finally stopped outside an upscale jewelry boutique.
He reached over and ruffled my hair with easy familiarity, his tone indulgent and affectionate.
"Come on. Pick out a ring. Your birthday's next month anyway, so we might as well register our marriage too."
I bit down hard on my lip as tears fell soundlessly onto the back of my hand.
What he still didn't know was that I wouldn't live long enough to see next month.
9.5
He was born from the void between stars - a being of immense power, forged from cosmic origins.
For thousands of years, he walked among humanity, protecting them and keeping his true strength hidden. After losing the only family he had, grief led him to seek his own end... only to wake up in a world entirely unlike his own.
Here, cultivation is the main path to power. Those who master spirit qi gain superhuman strength, speed, and abilities that place them far above ordinary people. Four great sects rule the land, competing for resources, secrets, and dominance over each other.
Icaros joined the Li Sect, where he found companions he came to trust and care for: the capable and easygoing Li Han, the sharp and composed Su Yan, and the spirited Nelly. For a time, he felt he had found a place to belong, even as he kept his true nature hidden and wondered whether he could ever learn to cultivate like those around him.
Everything changed when their voyage was suddenly attacked. A powerful figure floating in the sky cut their ship apart with sharp, devastating energy strikes, leaving only destruction in his wake. Believing his friends had been lost in the disaster, Icaros chose to stop holding back any longer.
> "I am done hiding!"
He unleashed his full power: golden light blazed from his eyes, he flew at incredible speed, and he broke through every barrier and enemy in his way. On the shores ahead, he tore through hordes of powerful jade monsters, destroying them completely before flying deep into the interior of the island.
Meanwhile, survivors washed up scattered and alone. One young cultivator found himself on the shores of Jade Island - a place most cultivators avoid, as it holds no treasures or useful materials, only danger and endless deposits of ordinary jade. Yet despite the risks, ordinary people have built settlements here, finding safety from the conflicts and power struggles of the outside world.
This island works by different rules. Spirit qi is scarce and unstable, making cultivation far less effective than elsewhere. Instead, the people here rely on advanced technology - weapons and explosives that can injure or even defeat those with great physical strength. Here, skill and preparation can be just as powerful as raw strength, and even the strongest cultivators must move with caution.
Now, Icaros has vanished deep into the island. His companions are lost somewhere across this dangerous land. And the mysterious swordsman who destroyed their ship has already arrived here, searching for an ancient map said to lead to the legacy of a being from another world.
Will they find each other again? And can anyone survive in a place where the usual rules of power no longer hold true?
✅ Chapters 1–19: FREE
🔒 Chapters 20 onwards: PAID
(Continue the journey of power, friendship, and discovery!)
8.2
In our beast world, females are treated as nothing more than precious breeding stock to keep the pack strong. As the pack's best Mender, I spent all my time focusing on my healing herbs, completely ignoring my maturity ritual.
But tonight, the blind pack elder grabbed my wrist and delivered a chilling ultimatum.
If I don't choose my mates by the next Full Moon, the Council of Elders will force a match and assign them to me.
The threat is already suffocating. Arrogant, elite warriors like Caleb Quinn are pacing outside my door like starving wolves, stalking my porch and using pack business to corner me. At home, the reality of multiple mates is even worse. My mother has two mates—my father, the strongest Alpha, and my cold, intellectual step-father. Their toxic, murderous jealousy turns our house into a daily war zone. They literally unleash suffocating killing intent on innocent cubs just for hugging my mother.
I am disgusted by this sick, possessive obsession. I refuse to let my life become a battlefield of jealous males fighting over who gets to guard my door, and I absolutely refuse to be forced into a harem by the Elders.
So, I made a declaration that shocked my entire family and broke every pack tradition.
"I will only ever take one mate."
And to make sure none of those predatory warriors can touch me, I set an impossible trap.
"Whoever wants me must defeat my father first."