(Late night_Auction house)
The auction house reeked of desperation and perfume. Alessio stepped inside with Enzo and Theo flanking him, all three dressed in tailored suits like they owned the damn place. In a way, they did. The mafia's money flowed in every direction in this city—even the filthiest corners.
The chandeliers sparkled above as laughter and hushed murmurs filled the thick air. Girls stood behind display glasses, trembling, barely dressed, some already teary-eyed. Eyes followed them like predators in a den.
"Fucking disgusting," Alessio muttered under his breath, his jaw tense.
"You don't have to stay long," Theo whispered, guiding him to a seat in the front row. "Just scan the options. Who knows, maybe one will pass your unrealistic standards."
Alessio grunted. Enzo leaned in with a smirk. "Just close your eyes and point, bro. Sign the contract and get it over with."
Alessio didn't reply. He sat down reluctantly, eyes flicking to the stage where the next girl was brought out, trembling in a sheer white veil. Her legs shook with every step. Another one who'd probably faint if he merely raised his voice.
He wanted a partner who didn't crumble at the first sign of pressure. Someone with some backbone. And so far, all he'd seen were broken dolls.
Thirty minutes passed. His patience was wearing thin.
"I'm done," he snapped, pushing up from his seat.
Theo grabbed his arm. "Wait just five more minutes. The next batch is premium stock—trained and groomed. Might be more your type."
"I'm not here for a pet. I'm looking for a woman who can play the role, not break down on day one," Alessio growled.
But then the lights dimmed slightly, a soft silver hue bathing the stage.
"And now," the auctioneer said, voice sliding like oil over velvet, "we present something... truly rare. A boy—pale-skinned, honey-eyed, defiant. A collector's dream. Lot 73. Noah."
Alessio stopped mid-turn. Something in the crowd shifted. A ripple of attention. Hunger.
And then he saw him.
Noah stepped out, draped in a sheer, smoky gray gown that shimmered like mist under the lights. Thin golden chains clung to his hips and thighs, outlining every inch of his slender body. The garment teased more than it covered—his delicate collarbones, the soft curve of his waist, the flash of gold beneath the fabric. He moved with hesitant grace, but his eyes—
Honey. Big, wet, and glowing with fire.
Noah didn't flinch. Didn't bow. He stared directly at the audience.
And when his gaze locked with Alessio's, the world went still.
Those eyes—brave, bold, and filled with something dangerous—latched onto Alessio's. Unmoving. Unblinking. No fear.
Alessio felt heat crawl up his throat. His hands curled into fists. The boy didn't look away.
"I think I found my wife," he murmured.
"What?!" Enzo snapped, half-rising from his seat. "Bro, are you—he's a dude. You're straight. What the hell are you saying?"
"Don't do anything stupid, Alessio," Theo warned, staring hard at him.
But the auctioneer was already starting the bid. "We begin at 10,000 credits."
"Twenty," Alessio said, voice calm but sharp.
Enzo nearly choked. "Are you fucking kidding me?"
A bidder across the room raised his paddle. "Twenty-five!"
Alessio's jaw twitched. "Thirty."
"No way," Theo hissed. "You're serious?"
Alessio didn't answer. He was watching Noah, who was still staring at him like he saw straight into Alessio's blood-soaked soul. And he didn't flinch.
"Forty!"
"Sixty," Alessio snapped, before the man could breathe.
Whispers spread through the hall. Eyes turned. Even the auctioneer paused. This wasn't normal.
Noah's mouth parted slightly, his gaze softening just enough. His chest rose and fell slower now, but he never broke the eye contact. Like he already knew.
"Alessio," Enzo said slowly, "You do know what you're doing, right?"
He didn't.
Not fully.
But he knew one thing—he wanted this boy. Not as a possession. Not as an act.
Noah didn't beg. Didn't lower himself. Even in that translucent gown, surrounded by wolves, he didn't look afraid.
He looked like a fucking challenge.
"Seventy thousand. Going once, going twice…"
"Eighty," Alessio said.
And with that, the hammer fell.
Sold.
Noah blinked. Alessio breathed.
The moment broke.
The boy was quickly led off the stage, back through the curtains, and Alessio finally leaned back in his chair, heart beating like he'd just survived a war.
"Bro," Enzo muttered, stunned, "You just bought a dude."
"No," Alessio murmured, eyes still fixed on the space where Noah had stood, "I just bought the only person in this room who looked at me like he wasn't afraid to burn."
Theo stared at him. "And what the fuck are you gonna do with him?"
Alessio's lips twitched into a rare smile.
"Find out what he's made of."
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