CHAPTER 1

HERA

I was seated at the far end of my room, my back resting on the wall as I stared out of the window. Today was the day the brothel was auctioning off girls. And I was part of the girls to be auctioned off.

I wasn’t as ecstatic as the majority of the other girls were. They were excited to leave this place. And I couldn’t exactly blame them for it. I, on the other hand, wasn’t ready to leave here at all.

Let me explain.

Girls like us – the girls whose parents probably sold them off to Madam Viviane, or the orphan girls who were just unfortunate, or fortunate, to be brought here, were taken care of excellently, and given the best quality of education till we were eighteen and we could pass as university graduates. Then we would be sold to the highest bidder.

And the highest bidder, are usually the extremely rich guys. Those filthy rich billionaires,- note that I didn’t mean that as an insult – who were looking for a helpless girl to warm their beds.

The auction contract includes the signing of a court marriage paper, which Madame Viviane included, just to guarantee the safety of the girls. I didn’t think it guaranteed our safety in any way. It just meant that we were stuck to some obnoxious rich guy who would probably not look our way again after they’ve gotten what they wanted.

Unfortunately, any girl that didn’t get bought would remain at the brothel as a prostitute.

And I might just be part of them.

Everyone said I had the brains. I knew I had. I was smarter than every other girl here, which turned me into an enemy of the other girls except my two best friends, Arina and Hestia.

But at an event like this, the brains were not enough. I had to be beautiful too. Attractive. And that was where the problem lay.

Arina, was the prettiest and curviest girl among us all. She wasn’t too tall. She has blond hair, cream-colored skin, and a clear, glowing face that would make anyone do a double take. Arina was the perfect definition of shorties with the attitude. Arina was the sauciest in this brothel. She had never been scared to open her mouth and talk before. Probably because she knew Madame Viviane wouldn’t hurt her.

Hestia was taller than both Arina and me. She is slender with a very tiny, curvy waist. She was black-haired, with tan skin. She was an exceptional beauty, next to Arina.

And then there is me, Hera.

I had cream-colored skin and tiny dots of freckles around my nose and cheeks. The freckles weren’t easy to notice unless you were closer to me. I had red hair which reached my hips. It was full and always got tangled up in its curls. I wasn’t curvy that much. I had medium-sized breasts, for a girl my age, and slightly wide hips, which made me hate wearing tight clothes because of all the perverted looks the men would give me. I was an inch taller than Arina, and…well…I had the brains.

I doubted any man will look my way at all.

I considered it funny that my friends and I had the names of one Greek goddess or the other.

Hestia; the goddess of the hearth, Arina; the goddess of peace, and I, Hera; the Queen of the gods. The goddess of the heavens.

I sometimes wonder if our future husbands would have the name of Greek gods too. That would be funny as fuck.

The girls were chatting excitedly, and I wasn’t paying any attention to what they were saying until one of them snickered. We called her Dee, shortened for Dorothea. And she wasn’t a fan of mine.

“I don’t know why she keeps acting like she isn’t glad to be getting out of here,” she said to the girls surrounding her bed. “Idiotic ‘Goody two shoes’.”

“I know, right!” Another one chirped in. “I don’t know why Madame Viviane likes her so much. She isn’t worth it. Annoying redhead. It’s not like she’s pretty, anyway.”

Subconsciously, my hand flew to my hair, touching the tangled curls as I felt water gather in my eyes. Unfortunately, I’ve always been like this. Getting emotional every damn time. Even over little insults. Like this.

“She isn’t,” Dorothea added. Oh, how I’d love to strangle this girl or give her a piece of my mind. “And-”

“And you are?” Hestia interrupted, flipping the pages of a book with deep concentration.

I looked just as Dorothea turned her head towards Hestia. “Excuse me?” she asked as if wondering who dared to interrupt her.

I was surprised Hestia was even talking at all.

“Are you pretty?” Hestia asked, slamming the book shut as she finally looked at Dorothea.

“I’m sorry, are you referring to me?” Dorothea asked. She looked taken aback. Probably because Hestia has never uttered a word to her.

“Oh, dear gods,” Arian muttered with a dramatic sigh as she lay on her back, covering her face with a hand while the other lay on her stomach. I dreaded how this would turn out. I wasn’t ready to make more enemies. “Not only is she ugly, but she also lacks the brains too!” She lamented, shaking her head slightly.

“Arina, I sincerely hope you’re not referring to me,” Dorothea snapped, a scowl on her face as she stared at her.

“She is,” I surprised myself by speaking up. Honestly, I was just frustrated by thinking about how today will turn out. If today was going to be my last day here, I might as well stand up to these girls. “She’s talking to you, Dorothea. And it would be nice if you kept quiet for once. You can’t be so sure you’ll leave here tonight. You might end up working permanently at this brothel.”

Dorothea stared at me for a minute and scoffed, a look of disbelief on her face. “Pathetic!” she spat.

Arina gagged as she finally sat up on her bed, locking gazes with Dorothea. “Even your voice makes me want to puke.”

Dorothea stood up, charging towards her when madame Viviane walked in. Dorothea froze where she was, slowly turning to the door as she saw every one of us stand up. The murderous look on her face turned pleasant.

Madame Viviane was dressed in an elegant evening dress, her hair pulled back into a tight, glossy bun on top of her head. Her face was full of makeup. And it made her even more pretty. She had a hand fan in her hand as she looked at each of us.

“Ladies, it’s time,” she announced, then landed her gaze on me. “Hera, I’ll dress you myself.”