In the bustling streets of Victorian London, where fog blanketed the city and the clatter of carriages echoed over cobbled roads, a tall man stood before a slave auction. It was not his habit to frequent such places, but he was chasing a lead that could guide him to a dangerous gang.

He was about to leave when his eyes fell upon her. For a moment, the noise around him faded, as if time itself had stopped. There, on the platform, among the shackled women, she stood… pale, fragile, yet unmistakable. His heart pounded violently. He had thought she was gone forever, vanished without a farewell, leaving him to wrestle with his confusion and pain for all these years. But he had been wrong.

She lifted her head slowly, and when their eyes met, hers widened in shock. It was as if she had seen a ghost.

"You…" Her voice was barely a whisper, yet it struck him to his core.

The auctioneer’s voice rang out: “This girl is a rare beauty! Who will bid?”

His body tensed as he looked around, seeing the hungry gazes of men appraising her like a mere commodity. Rage surged through him, and before he could think, he shouted, “Five times the current bid!”