Alarm bells blared in her mind.

Holly Sinclair scrambled to push the car door open.

But as soon as she got out, the middle-aged couple and the ugly man all turned to look at her in unison.

Terrified, she wanted to run.

But her legs felt weak, and she stumbled and fell after just two steps.

She looked up in a panic, only to see the middle-aged couple take the money and get into their car.

Then they started the engine and sped off.

Holly Sinclair was horrified and instinctively tried to give chase.

"Wait... Where are you going—Ah!"

Before the words were even out of her mouth, the ugly man grabbed her by the hair and, without a word, began dragging her toward a dilapidated house.

THUD.

Once inside, the man roughly threw her to the ground.

Holly Sinclair landed hard on the uneven floor. Her face was ashen as a horrifying realization dawned, and she instinctively began to shrink back.

"Who... Who are you? What do you... what do you want?" she asked, staring at him in terror, her entire body trembling uncontrollably.

The man’s eyes glinted with greed as he looked her over from head to toe.

’Satisfied!’

’What great luck!’

’To think I managed to buy such a beautiful woman!’

The man rubbed his hands together, a wicked smile spreading across his face as he advanced on Holly Sinclair.

"Ah!" Holly Sinclair screamed in panic, scrambling backward. "Stay away from me! Stay away!"

The man ignored her cries, grabbing her by the shoulders and tossing her onto the foul-smelling bed.

"Don’t touch me... Don’t touch me!"

Holly Sinclair’s face drained of all color as she kicked out at the man in a panic.

Enraged, the man roared at her, "You damn bitch! I paid good money for you! You’re here to give me a son, and how’s that supposed to happen if I don’t touch you?"

"What do you mean, ’bought’?"

Holly Sinclair was stunned, her mind reeling.

"I already gave your so-called brother and sister-in-law a huge chunk of cash. You’re mine now, bought and paid for to give me a son," the man grumbled.

’Human trafficking...’

When those two words surfaced in her mind, Holly Sinclair was seized by an absolute, all-consuming panic.

"They’re not my brother and sister-in-law!" she yelled, shaking her head frantically.

She silently prayed that this man possessed even the most basic awareness of the law, a shred of human decency.

But—

"I don’t give a damn who they are! I paid for you, so you belong to me now!"

Holly Sinclair quickly said, "I’ll pay you back! I’ll pay you double, just let me go—"

"I don’t want money! I want a son!" the man yelled impatiently.

In these remote and backward mountain hollows, continuing the family line was more important than life itself.

To this man, a mountain of gold and silver couldn’t compare to having an heir.

’Besides, if he let her go, she wouldn’t give him any money; she’d just run to the police. Was he that stupid?!’

As these thoughts ran through his head, the man moved closer to Holly Sinclair.

"You... Stay back! If you come any closer, I’ll scream for help!" Holly Sinclair shrieked, shrinking back again and again.

"Scream for help? Heh, go ahead. Scream your lungs out."

The man sneered arrogantly.

This village of theirs was poor and backward. Every family had bought a wife to carry on their bloodline.

As a result, a culture of mutual concealment had taken root. Any woman sold to this place could forget about ever escaping.

Holly Sinclair quickly understood this as well.

But even knowing she likely couldn’t escape, she refused to just sit back and accept her fate.

So, in the instant the man unbuckled his pants and lunged at her, she found her angle and kicked him squarely in the crotch.

She had put every ounce of her strength into it.

"AAAHHH!!"

The man let out a blood-curdling scream.

He immediately collapsed, curling up on the ground in agony like a cooked shrimp.

Holly Sinclair seized the opportunity to jump off the bed and run for the door.

By now, the sky had grown dark.

Heedless of everything else, she burst out of the house and ran blindly back the way she came.

"Quick... Someone get over here... She ran... She’s getting away!"

The man staggered out of the house, clutching his crotch in pain, and roared at the top of his lungs.

At his howl, people immediately began to emerge from the surrounding houses.

One after another, they joined the wild chase after Holly Sinclair.

Holly Sinclair was scared out of her wits, running for her life.

The road here was rough and uneven.

"Ah!"

As she ran, she tripped and fell.

And the relentlessly pursuing villagers were now just steps away.

"You fucking dare to run? I’m gonna break your legs today!"

The man quickly caught up, one hand still clutching his groin. His already ugly face was now twisted into a terrifyingly ferocious mask as he spewed curses at Holly Sinclair.

"That’s right, break her legs! That’ll teach her to behave."

"Break both of ’em. She won’t be running anywhere after she has a kid."

The other villagers chimed in, their voices a clamorous roar.

Every one of their faces was repugnant.

’This is a village of villains!’

She watched as the man raised a wooden club as thick as his wrist, preparing to bring it down hard on her leg.

Holly Sinclair closed her eyes in despair.

However, the expected pain never came.

THUD!

The sound of a heavy impact echoed abruptly.

She opened her eyes to see the man had been kicked to the ground.

PTUI—

The man sprayed a mouthful of fresh blood.

Before Holly Sinclair could even react, someone hauled her to her feet.

A familiar scent washed over her.

She looked up and met a pair of dark eyes filled with worry.

"Tris... Tristan Sterling..."

she murmured, her voice failing as her eyes quickly reddened.

She instinctively clutched his sleeve as if it were her last lifeline.

’She never imagined he would suddenly appear at her most desperate moment!’

"It’s me."

Tristan Sterling’s face was as dark as iron. He answered her, but his fierce gaze was locked on the brutish villagers, his entire being radiating a terrifying hostility.

Standing guard in front of them was the powerfully built Greg.

Greg was not only Tristan Sterling’s driver but also his bodyguard.

The man spitting blood on the ground was the one Greg had kicked.

"Don’t be afraid."

Sensing her terror, he gently kissed her sweat-dampened temple before pulling her behind him.

Shielding her completely.

Tristan Sterling’s gentle voice was like a tranquilizer, steadying Holly Sinclair’s frantic heart.

The commotion attracted more of the unscrupulous villagers.

People rushed out from every house in the village.

Men and women, young and old, each brandishing farming tools like hoes and sickles.

They surrounded Tristan Sterling, Holly Sinclair, and Greg, glaring at them with deep-seated hatred.

The atmosphere was taut with tension, ready to snap at any moment.

"Sir, you two go first!"

Greg said in a low voice, his wary eyes fixed on the aggressive villagers, not even turning his head.

Without a word, Tristan Sterling pulled Holly Sinclair and began to retreat.

"Aren’t... Aren’t we all leaving together? He’s by himself..."

Holly Sinclair was stunned, stammering with worry. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

’There were so many villagers. Even if Greg was an excellent fighter, he couldn’t possibly take on all of them by himself.’

’Especially since this savage mob was armed.’

Tristan Sterling said nothing, only tightening his grip on her wrist and quickening their pace.

’He had learned on the way here that the locals were hostile.’

’It was a place you could enter, but never leave.’

"Ah!"

Holly Sinclair suddenly cried out in pain.

She nearly collapsed.

Thankfully, he caught her just in time.

"Are you hurt?"

Tristan Sterling’s low, cold voice carried a murderous chill.