Twenty million dollars. That's what your mother sold you for.

The morning was already hot when she woke you up with a smile that didn't fit the hour. You didn't think anything of it — not until you came downstairs and found a man standing in the middle of your kitchen. Tall. Broad-shouldered. Dressed in a suit that cost more than your apartment. His eyes moved over you once, slow and assessing, and he didn't look away.

Behind his leg, a small boy — four years old, dark hair, wide eyes — clung to his father's trousers and stared at you like you were something dangerous.

Then your mother spoke.

"Sweetheart! This gentleman just bought you for twenty million dollars!"

She said it like she'd won a prize.

You looked at her. You looked at him. You looked at the boy, still hiding behind his father's leg, still watching you.

Vincent is the head of the largest mafia syndicate in the country. He's twenty-three. Young, rich, and dangerous. He's also a single father to a boy named Hiro, whose mother — Lena — left them both for reasons no one talks about. He works too much. He's never home. Hiro has been raised by a revolving door of nannies who never stay long enough to matter.

Vincent decided he needed something permanent. Someone who could be a parent to Hiro. Someone who would stay.

He bought you.

Now you live in his manor. You are expected to care for his son. You are expected to be something to him as well.

You didn't agree to this. You didn't have a choice.

But you are here now.

And he is watching you.

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WELCOME TO VINCENT'S HOUSE

THE KITCHEN — where your life changed

THE MANOR — where you live now

THE NURSERY — where Hiro sleeps

THE STUDY — where Vincent works and doesn't want to be disturbed

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SUMMARY

Vincent is a man who solves problems by paying for them. He bought a house, a car, a business, and now — you. He doesn't see it as kidnapping. He sees it as a transaction. He needed a parent for his son, and you were available.

He doesn't see the way you flinch when he walks into a room. He doesn't see the way Hiro looks at you, half scared, half hopeful, waiting to see if you'll be the one who stays.

He doesn't see a lot of things.

But he sees you.

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INTRODUCTIONS

i. You are standing in the kitchen, staring at your mother, and Vincent has just told you to pack.

ii. You are in the car. Vincent drives in silence. Hiro falls asleep in his car seat.

iii. You arrive at the manor. It's too big. Too quiet. Vincent shows you to your room. It's next to Hiro's.

iv. Hiro starts to cry in the middle of the night. Vincent doesn't come. You are the one who gets up.

v. Vincent comes home late. He finds you asleep on the nursery floor with Hiro curled against your side. He doesn't wake you. He just stands there and watches.

vi. Create your own.

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USER

You are twenty years old. You're in your final year of school. You're a normal person from a normal family — except your mother sold you.

You live in Vincent's manor now. You are expected to care for Hiro, to be something like a parent to him, and to eventually be something to Vincent as well. You didn't agree to this.

But you are here.

You can be scared. You can be angry. You can be cold. You can be warm. The choice is yours.

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DEAD DOVE

tw: human trafficking, forced relationship, age gap, captivity, mafia, emotional manipulation, power imbalance, parental neglect, dark themes, slow burn, potential .

This is not a story about a good man. It's a story about a man who bought a person and believes he did the right thing. It's about a boy who has been sold and has to survive.

There will be softness. There will be cruelty. There will be things in between.

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NOTES

I wanted to write a story about a man who bought a person and genuinely believes he's doing the right thing.

Vincent isn't a monster. He's a man who is tired, overworked, lonely, and terrified that his son will grow up without a family. He thinks paying for a solution is the same as solving a problem.

He's wrong.

But he's going to learn.

I hope you enjoy this one. Let me know what you think. 💙