Chapter 1

My first trip to Southeast Asia was a disaster.

I got drugged and sold to a gambling ring.

Then, I was given as a prize fighter’s trophy to some mob boss’s son.

My life turned into a living hell.

I knelt before a golden Buddha, praying for all those who wronged me to rot in hell.

Ironically, the devil himself, dressed in red robes and fingering prayer beads, stood beside me.

He stared at the Buddha with utter disrespect.

“Money and power are the only things that can save you here,” he said.

He looked down at me, arrogance radiating from him.

“Praying to me is more effective than praying to Buddha,” he continued. “I can make your wishes come true.”

At that moment, I understood.

When law and religion fail, money and power rule.

I’m pretty sure I’m the unluckiest person alive.

My first time saving enough for a trip abroad, and I get roofied.

I was traveling solo, so I found a travel buddy online.

We hit it off right away, planning our itinerary and taking photos together.

I thought I’d made a new best friend.

Then I stupidly drank something she gave me.

The next time I woke up, I was being sold like livestock.

Blindfolded and bound, I was moved from place to place.

Whenever I regained consciousness, someone would force-feed me drugs.

Then I’d black out again.

I learned to spit the drugs out, trying to stay as lucid as possible.

Each time I woke up, I lay still, thinking.

Regretting my naivety was pointless.

I was in hell, and survival was my only goal.

But I’d heard horror stories about trafficked women in Southeast Asia – organ harvesting, forced surrogacy.

Could I really survive this?

I was herded into a cage with other women, treated like animals.

We were in some underground fight club.

A Muay Thai match was nearing its end.

One fighter, his arm muscles rippling beneath tattoos, was brutally dominating the other.

Blood streamed from the loser’s face.

The crowd roared, the sight of blood fueling their excitement.

“Kill him!” they chanted.

In this lawless place, people indulged in violence, bloodlust, and greed.

Every dark desire amplified.

I’d lived a sheltered life.

I’d never witnessed anything like this.

I thought such things only happened in the news.

Now I was living the nightmare.

I hugged my knees, terrified.

Most of the other women were numb, beyond tears.

The crowd erupted in cheers as the victor came to claim his prize.

Savage.

That was my first impression of Jason Reed.

His eyes were cold and cruel, like a predator’s.

He scanned the women in the cage, his gaze settling on me – the only one who met his eyes.

He had me dragged out.

I was pulled out like a rag doll, his strong arm holding me as he looked me over.

His gaze made my skin crawl.

I closed my eyes, trying not to tremble.

I couldn’t afford to break down.

These people weren’t human.

They were demons who fed on suffering.

Jason nodded, satisfied.

He spoke in Thai, and that night, I was taken to his room.

My restraints were removed.

I was stripped, checked for weapons, and then given food.

It was the first decent meal I’d had in days, but my stomach was too knotted with fear to eat.

I clutched a razor blade I’d palmed from the bathroom.

Jason entered, his bodyguards filing out.

He showered and then sat at the table in his robe.

He lit a cigarette, his eyes fixed on me.

He looked like a coiled snake, ready to strike.

His cigarette had a strange, sulfurous smell.

I coughed, and he unexpectedly stubbed it out.

His action emboldened me.

“Do you speak English?” I asked.

He didn’t respond.

My hope dwindled.

“Please let me go home,” I pleaded. “My family can pay you.”

He laughed, a cold, humorless sound.

My composure shattered.

I sobbed, begging him for mercy.

He untied his robe and walked toward me.

“Kneel,” he commanded.

He grabbed my hair and forced me down.

I hung my head in shame.

He stood over me, relishing my humiliation.

Seizing my chance, I pulled out the razor blade and slashed at him.

He reacted instantly, grabbing my wrist and twisting.

I screamed in pain, collapsing to the floor.

I glared at him, hatred burning in my eyes.

The memory of what he’d done made me gag.

Jason, unharmed, looked at me like I was already dead.

“You want to die?” he asked, his voice like ice.

Terror seized me.

I knew what was coming.

I hated myself for being so foolish, for letting myself fall into this trap.

And I hated this monster even more.

Rage flared within me.

“You’ll go to hell for this,” I spat.

Jason was about to shoot me, but then he smirked.

“I’ll show you what hell is like first,” he said.

He gestured to his men.

He dressed and walked out, tossing a final command over his shoulder.

“Don’t make it too easy for her.”

I watched the guards approach, their grins sickening.

I knew what was about to happen.

Despair washed over me.

I tried to bash my head against the wall, but they were too quick.

Suddenly, someone burst into the room.

“Cops! They’re raiding the place!” he yelled.

Jason’s face contorted in fury.

He kicked the messenger.

“You useless idiot! Why now?” he roared.

He grabbed his gun, his men following suit.

“What about the girl?” one of them asked.

All eyes turned to me.

I swallowed, expecting a bullet.

“Bring her,” Jason snapped.

Relief flooded me.

I thought I’d been given a second chance.

I didn’t realize then that I was falling deeper into the abyss.

Later, I pieced together what had happened.

The police had raided the underground casino, freeing all the women.

I’d missed my chance to escape.

I was taken to Jason’s mansion, guarded by armed men.

I spent a week confined to a room, eating, sleeping, existing.

At least I wasn’t starving, I told myself.

Cameras watched my every move.

They didn’t even bother to hide them.

I went from trying to cover myself while changing to not caring.

I was no longer considered human.

One day, I was summoned to meet a woman.

She looked to be in her early thirties, with a kind smile.

“Are you Chinese?” she asked.

My eyes widened, hope flickering within me.

“Are you too?” I asked eagerly.

She nodded, her expression warm.

“I’m Jason’s mother.”

My smile froze.

Hope extinguished.

But I still clung to a sliver of optimism.

“Please, ma’am, let me go home,” I sobbed. “You have a son. You know my parents must be frantic. I’ll die here.”

She stroked my hair.

“Poor child, don’t cry,” she said. “You’re about Jason’s age, aren’t you? He just turned eighteen. How old are you?”

“It’s normal to be homesick at first,” she continued, ignoring my plea. “You’ll get used to it. You’re the first girl Jason’s brought home. You’re like my own daughter now.”

I was stunned.

I was living some twisted romance novel trope.

But I couldn’t laugh.

Jason, that cold-blooded monster, was only eighteen?

“I heard you were Jason’s prize for winning his first fight series,” she said. “He’ll treat you well.”

She patted my hand reassuringly.

“Our fates are similar, you know,” she confided. “Jason’s father brought me home from a fight too. I wanted to run away, but…” She trailed off, a shadow crossing her face.

Then she smiled again.

“Anyway, don’t worry,” she said. “We’re both Chinese. Jason’s half-Chinese. I gave him his Chinese name.”

“Why are you telling her all this?”

A harsh voice cut through the air.

Jason stood in the doorway, his face impassive.

He wore a dark shirt and slacks, a suit jacket draped over his arm.

His hair was slicked back, revealing his forehead.

He looked like he’d just come from some formal event.

“She’s going to be your wife,” his mother said. “It’s only natural I talk to her.”

Jason scoffed, his expression contemptuous.

His mother’s face turned serious.

“Don’t do anything foolish,” she warned. “Your father knows about this girl. You need to marry her and have children. He values family. Seeing you settle down will show him you’re mature, ready to take over the business.”

Jason didn’t reply.

He unbuttoned his cuffs, rolling up his sleeves to reveal his muscled forearms.

“Isn’t Dad sending me abroad to study, leaving my brother in charge?” he asked.

“That’s why you need to get married,” she insisted. “Once you have a child, your father will trust you with the company.”

I watched Jason, my heart pounding.

I was terrified of him agreeing.

But I was also terrified of him refusing.

Either way, I was trapped.

I was alive only because I was useful.

His mother, sensing his hesitation, dropped the subject.

She patted his shoulder.

“Dinner at your father’s tonight,” she said before leaving.

The living room fell silent.

I shifted uncomfortably, acutely aware of the guards and the exits.

Suddenly, an explosion rocked the house.

I jumped, my heart racing.

Jason’s eyes snapped open, a flicker of alarm crossing his face.

He rushed outside.

Later that night, I learned that Jason’s mother had been killed by a car bomb on her way home.

There wasn’t even a body to recover.

It felt surreal.

I’d just met the woman, and now she was gone.

I felt a pang of sadness, even though she’d been complicit in my captivity.

She’d been the only one to show me any kindness, even if it was fake.

I was horrified by my own reaction.

Was I becoming so desperate that I’d cling to any shred of human connection, even from my captors?

I didn’t have time to dwell on it.

Jason took me to the funeral.

The funeral was a sea of black and white.

The air was thick with hushed conversations.

Jason remained composed, greeting each guest with polite detachment.

Then his older brother, Ben, arrived with their father.

Jason, alone, had organized the funeral.

His father and half-brother were merely guests.

I stood in a corner, observing them from afar.

I didn’t hear what Ben said, but Jason’s lips twitched in a mirthless smile.

He spoke to his father, and then they all looked at me.

I felt their gazes like needles on my skin.

Jason walked toward me, shielding me from their scrutiny.

He leaned close, his breath warm against my ear.

A strange scent of sandalwood clung to his clothes.

To anyone watching, it looked like an intimate gesture.

But his whispered words were a threat.

“Just listen to what I say,” he hissed. “Don’t react. If you mess this up, you’re dead.”

I knew he wasn’t joking.

I nodded frantically.

His arm tightened around my shoulders, a vise-like grip.

He led me to his father.

I imagined the man as a drug lord, an arms dealer, a casino owner.

Maybe he trafficked women or harvested organs.

The thought made my stomach churn.

But in person, Jason’s father looked like any ordinary businessman.

He was dressed in a suit, his demeanor more like a government official than a ruthless criminal.

To my surprise, they spoke in Chinese.

“Father,” Jason said, “this is the woman Mother chose for me. She’s Chinese, like Mother. She’s pregnant. We’re getting married soon.”

I froze, my mind reeling.

He was lying through his teeth.

I wanted to look at him, to see his expression.

But I remembered his threat and kept my head down.

I felt his father’s gaze on me, heavy and assessing.

I instinctively pressed closer to Jason.

“Hahaha!” his father boomed, the tension dissipating. “Good! You’ve become a man. Your mother would be so happy. Now that you have a family, I can entrust the company to you.”

“Congratulations,” Ben said, his voice smooth. “You’re finally ready to take over Father’s business.”

He emphasized the last few words, his tone laced with something I couldn’t quite decipher.

Jason’s lips curved into a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

He returned Ben’s congratulations with icy politeness, then excused himself, pulling me away.

Later that night, after the guests had left, the funeral home was empty except for Jason and his men.

I was stuck there, with no place to go.

Nowhere was safe.

Jason hadn’t spoken to me since the charade with his father.

He was a different person now.

Gone was the controlled composure he’d displayed during the day.

He knelt before the coffin, his face pale and drawn, an aura of darkness surrounding him.

The wind howled outside.

Chants in a language I didn’t understand drifted from somewhere nearby.

The atmosphere was eerie.

And beside me knelt a man who looked more like a ghost.

At least the coffin was empty, filled only with clothes.

As the night wore on, exhaustion set in.

I swayed, accidentally bumping into Jason.

I apologized profusely before he could react.

He ignored me, his gaze fixed on nothing.

I took a deep breath.

“They say the dead should rest,” I said softly. “You still have me. I promised your mother I’d take care of you.”

I don’t know what it was about my words, but he turned to look at me.

His eyes were bloodshot, dark circles etched beneath them.

He looked like a demon from hell.

His mother’s death was suspicious.

He was probably plotting revenge.

I forced a smile.

“Everyone keeps saying you’ve grown up,” I said, “but your mother said you just turned eighteen. I’m twenty-two, older than you. You can call me sis, if you want. From now on, I’ll be your sister. I’ll take care of you.”

I felt sick to my stomach, saying such things just to survive.

But I kept smiling.

“You’re not my sister,” he said flatly. “You’re my wife. I’ll get you new papers. We’ll get married here.”

My body went rigid.

“Okay,” I said, trying to sound enthusiastic. “We’re family now.”

He saw the tears in my eyes, the forced smile on my face.

He grabbed my hand, his expression savage.

“I know what you’re thinking,” he growled. “But don’t try anything. You’re mine. If you betray me, if you try to run, I’ll make you wish you were dead.”

Tears streamed down my face.

I nodded quickly.

“I’ll be good,” I whispered.

But inside, my hatred grew with every forced smile, every act of obedience.

If I ever got the chance, if I ever held a weapon again, I wouldn’t hesitate.