The auction hall thrummed with a dark kind of energy, the kind that made your skin crawl if you let yourself think about it too much. Golden animal masks glittered everywhere under the crimson lights—wolves laughing in low voices, lions leaning forward with greedy eyes, serpents whispering calculations.
Akshat sat like he belonged there, golden tiger mask hiding everything except that cocky tilt of his head. He had slipped fully into the Kurana Alexanderia persona now, and damn if he wasn't playing it to the hilt.
Every time a new lot of girls from AUMC University was paraded onto the stage, Akshat raised his paddle with a lazy, lust-filled smile visible beneath the mask's edge. He didn't just bid—he dominated. Millions flew by like pocket change. The platinum card burned a hole in his pocket, but his voice stayed smooth and arrogant whenever the auctioneer looked his way.
"Mine," he drawled loudly after securing another girl, his hand sliding possessively over Manya's hip, squeezing the soft curve through her red dress. She was still perched on his lap, warm and tense, her golden bee mask doing nothing to hide the flush creeping up her neck.
Manya shifted, trying to find a position that didn't press quite so intimately against him. That was when she felt it—hard, insistent, unmistakable. Akshat had been rock hard since the moment she sat down, and every little movement she made only made it worse. Her breath hitched. Part of her wanted to slap him across that stupid tiger mask. The other part, the one she refused to acknowledge too loudly, felt a twisted flicker of satisfaction that she could affect him like this even in the middle of all this nightmare.
"Akshat…" she whispered angrily under her breath, elbowing him lightly in the ribs.
He only chuckled, low and filthy, and licked a slow stripe along the back of her hand where it rested on his chest. Right there, in front of half the VIP section. A few masks turned their way, whispers exploding like sparks.
"Fucking hell, look at that bastard…"
"He's treating the auction like his personal playground."
Akshat grinned wider behind the mask and flipped them all off with his free hand, middle finger held high and proud while he nuzzled his face against Manya's cheek, licking another playful stripe there just to sell it. She squeaked, half in embarrassment, half in something hotter that made her thighs press together involuntarily.
"Stop that," she hissed, but her voice came out breathier than she intended. The sexual tension between them crackled like electricity. Every time his hard length twitched beneath her, she felt it. Every time his fingers dug into her waist, pulling her closer so her ass nestled perfectly against his erection, her stomach flipped. It was infuriating. It was distracting. And worst of all, in this sea of monsters, it was keeping them alive.
Alexander sat like a statue in his golden bear mask, radiating quiet power, but even he seemed slightly amused at the comedy unfolding beside him. The big man didn't say a word, but the way his shoulders shook once or twice suggested he was fighting back a laugh at how ridiculously over-the-top Akshat was going.
Another girl was brought up—Shintae Megami's younger sister. Akshat recognized her instantly from the files. She looked terrified under the lights, trying to cover herself with trembling arms. The bidding started high, but Akshat didn't even wait for it to climb.
"Ten million," he called out lazily, voice dripping with arrogance. His hand slipped lower on Manya's thigh, squeezing possessively while he licked the shell of her ear right there in public. Manya jolted, a tiny embarrassed moan escaping before she bit her lip hard. The contrast was almost comedic—deadly serious mission mixed with this absurdly horny theater.
"Fifteen million!" someone else shouted.
Akshat laughed loudly, the sound echoing. "Twenty-five. And I'll take the whole remaining batch of AUMC girls too. All of them. Cash." He waved the paddle like he was ordering another drink, then turned and blew a mocking kiss toward the wolf-masked bidder who had tried to compete. "Sorry, pup. These pretty little things are coming home with me tonight. I've got plans for them."
The hall erupted in jealous murmurs and dark chuckles. No one suspected rescue. They all assumed the infamous Kurana Alexanderia was simply a depraved billionaire about to indulge in the mother of all private parties. Exactly what Akshat wanted.
Manya was burning up on his lap now. His constant touching—fingers tracing circles on her hip, palm sliding up and down her waist, occasional not-so-subtle grind upward—kept her on edge. She was angry at how far he was taking the act. Angry at how her body was reacting anyway. And weirdly, a tiny, shameful part of her felt happy that in this nightmare, he still wanted her this badly. The erection pressing insistently against her ass wasn't exactly easy to ignore.
"You're enjoying this way too much," she muttered, shifting again and immediately regretting it when he groaned softly against her neck.
"Necessary evil, baby," he whispered back, licking her cheek once more with deliberate slowness. To everyone else it looked like pure lust. To Manya it felt like teasing wrapped in tension so thick she could choke on it. She wanted to kill him. She also wanted to kiss him. The mix was driving her insane.
The auctioneer banged the gavel repeatedly as Akshat swept lot after lot. Every AUMC girl. Every single one. By the end, the total had climbed into the hundreds of millions, but the platinum card didn't even blink. Staff moved efficiently, noting down transfers and preparing transport documents for his "new acquisitions."
Akshat leaned back in the luxurious seat, Manya still firmly planted on his throbbing lap, and raised his glass of expensive liquor in a mocking toast toward the rest of the VIPs.
"To good taste," he announced loudly, then flipped them off again with a bright, cocky smile visible under the tiger mask.
Manya buried her face against his shoulder, equal parts mortified and helplessly aroused by the whole ridiculous, dangerous performance. The sexual tension between them had never felt heavier, and the comedy of it all—deadly mission turned public foreplay—only made everything more chaotic.
The night was far from over, but for now, the girls were his. At least on paper.
End of ch 74
To be continue...
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