Chapter 2 Auction

Present

Ava

"How could you do this, Felix?" Mom growled at my father, and tears gathered in her eyes.

"Have I ever taken your damn permission before doing anything else, sweetheart?" Father snapped and turned his eyes to me. His dark and terrifying eyes met mine. "She will marry him whether she fucking wants it or not?"

"I won't marry him!" I growled as my nose flared with anger. How could he do this to his daughter?

"You will marry him. I'm not asking for your permission." Father retorted back as his eyes pierced into mine and a shiver passed down my spine. "Jennet out." He ordered Mother.

She looked at me, and her eyes were fearful. "No." She protested, shaking her head.

"Fucking out now!" Father shouted at her, making her tremble.

Mom watched me and pleaded in her eyes. I gave her a nod. "Mom go. I'll be fine."

She bit her lower lip as tears ran down her cheeks. After a protest, she dragged herself out of the room and left us alone. I forced a lump down my throat before meeting my father's gaze. His dark brown eyes ran down my body, and his lips curled into a cruel smile. "My daughter is beautiful. What is the use of this beauty if it doesn't work for me?" He shrugged off his suit jacket and hung around the chair before strolling towards me.

"I gave Beckham Walker a chance, but he lost it. He couldn't compete with Dave Francis," he said with a sneer.

Beckham Walker, my boyfriend I was supposed to marry before Dave Francis. Beckham was kind, honest, and funny. He cared for me, and my family. He respected me, willing to do anything for the sake of my happiness. He was even my biggest fan. I smiled sadly. He knew I would never love him despite this; he agreed to marry me. He was not a multi-millionaire, but not poor either. He owned a few restaurants in New York and I was happy about it. I like him and would happily accept him as my husband.

Everything went well until he showed up. Dave Francis. Who the fuck is he? And what does he want from me? Why does he want to marry me? And why does this name sound so familiar to me?

"Ava.." Father interrupted my thought and made me look at his cruel face. "I can't give up Miller's. It's the last gift from your grandfather. I have no idea what is happening in our textile industry for the last few years. It has been incurring huge losses and it is affecting my shareholders. No one is willing to invest in Miller's corporation now. That's why I chose this way to save our inheritance. Dave Francis is the richest banker in the country. He agreed to lend me money and would buy my share, but only on one condition. He wants you as his wife. He wants to marry you and make you his wife."

He moved back to his table and grabbed the cigarette box pulled out one and put it to his lips before lighting it up. "The condition I put between Dave and Beckham was that the person who would give me a large amount of money, I would give him you. In simple words, I auctioned you between the two of them and Dave won. He is filthy rich and you know your father very well. He loves money more than anything else." He smirked and sucked in the smoke.

I glared at him. "And what about me, father? This is my life and you have no right to decide my place! I won't marry Dave. I'll marry Beck. That's my final decision whether you accept it or not," I said through my teeth as angry tears rolled down my cheeks.

"Ava..." He gritted his teeth.

I shook my head. "I said I wouldn't marry him..."

"Ava..."

"I won't Father!!" I growled.

Before I could think of anything else, he grabbed my right hand and pressed his cigarette on my skin. He made me cry in pain. "Darling, just do what you said!!" He snarled and let go of my hand.

I watched my burned skin, a red spot. It was not new to me. He had always been like this. He tortured me since childhood. And his torture intensified since my brother, Vivian, left this house and wanted me to do the same. He even bought me an apartment in California so I could not stay in this house. But I chose to stay with my mother.

"You know your mother's mental condition. She is mentally weak and I will divorce her. Perhaps she will end her life," he said, and my eyes widened in realization.

My mother had anthropophobia. She suffered from this disease because of him. He had been treating her brutally for years. I had seen everything, how he hit her, brought mistresses into our house, and how he scared her. He made her suffer a lot.

And my brother hated my mother as much as my father. He loathed her. He urged her to fight back against her husband; he urged her to claim her right; he wanted her to raise her voice against violence; he wanted her to do everything a respected woman would do. But my mother was too weak to do all these things. She kept quiet and endured all this violence to maintain my father's status.

Bullshit.

"Do you want me to divorce her and leave her for dead?" Father growled out.

I wiped away my tears, shaking my head. I can't lose my mother. "I'm ready to marry him..."

He came closer to me and caressed my hair lovingly, like a real father. "Good. That's my baby girl." A look of pleasure crossed his face. "I can't hurt you, Ava, because your brother would kill me, but I could hurt your mother. You will do everything your husband asks you to do. If I hear anything about you in the future, remember your mother is here."

I curled my fingers into fists. "Why don't you ask Vivian?"

He scoffed. "Do you think he will ever help me? I disinherited him ten years ago. He would rather kill me than give me a penny."

I shook my head and opened my mouth to say something, but he cut me off.

"Get out." He ordered, and I spun around, running towards the door. "And yes, you won't mention Vivian to anyone. You won't tell Dave that you have a brother who is the mafia leader and you won't mention your arranged marriage to Vivian either."

I dashed to my room and slammed the door shut. I walked to my bed jumped on it, and hugged my knees together. I could not take advantage of Vivian. This is because I knew if I told him about my auction, he would not think twice about slamming his bullet into my father's head. Vivian never got the love of her parents, nor did he love them. He lived his life alone. And he wanted me to do the same. He wanted me to leave my parents and live my own life. He always wanted my best. I hated my father, but I always had the love of my brother and my mother.

My phone rang, tearing up my thoughts. I glanced at the screen and it was my brother's number. I picked it up. "Hey, bro," I said over the phone.

"Why are you not here?" His deep voice came through the phone.

Oh! His Christmas party. Kiara, his wife, planned a Christmas party in their mansion.

I cleared my throat. "I don't feel well. Sorry, I forgot to inform you."

"But an hour ago you were good. How can you feel sick?" He asked, not believing me.

An hour ago I didn't know my father had arranged my marriage. An hour ago I didn't know I was being auctioned off. Now everything has changed. I was going to marry a stranger who had me as a prize. I wanted to tell Vivian that our father had sold me to someone. I just wanted to hug my brother and sob loudly. I hoped to have him here, but now he had his wife and daughter. He had a beautiful life. Now his priority is his daughter and wife.

"Ava." His voice rang out.

"B-Bro, I'll call you later..." I hung up and sobbed silently.

Oh, Ava, why are you crying? No one will come to you. No one can stop this from happening. No one can stop this marriage.

I got off the bed and walked out. I needed to talk to Mom. Father might have left for his mistress. That fucking old man. Why does she love him? Love? Does she know what love is? Oh, I know what love is. If I knew that, I would never fall in love with Henry Robinson.

I knocked on the door and waited for her reply. No reply. "Mom..."

No reply.

I sighed and pushed the door open and there she was, lying on the bed. I walked over to her bed and looked down. Her golden hair spread across the pillow and her face appeared relaxed. It was difficult for her to fall asleep but whenever she was, she looked so beautiful. The two of us inherited her beauty. I had her blonde hair and blue eyes and Vivian had her blue eyes, but he had my father's brown hair.

Everyone thought she was an arrogant, manipulative, and selfish woman, but no one knew the story behind these four walls. No one knew how her husband treated her. She might be unkind to others, but she was the best mother. She was my mother. My eyes fell on her left arm. She had a long, ugly scar on her forearm.

I remember that night.

"I've sent her there. She was missing him..." Mom spoke slowly as she shielded me with her body.

Vivian had always been stubborn in the house. He had been making his own decisions; he had been living his own life. He never bowed his head down in front of my father, unlike me and my mother. He chose the Mafia world over our father's business. He chose his love, Isabella. And my father disinherited him from our property and kicked him out of our life. When Vivian left this house, he hardly returned to us. He never looked back. My father did not let me meet him either. He left this house, but it didn't change our love. I loved my brother and always missed him. I decided to see him and went to him. What did I do wrong?

"I told you no one can meet him..!!" My father growled as his eyes burned. "Come here." He told me and Mom's grip tightened around my hand.

"Leave her alone, Felix!" Mom sputtered. I could feel her body trembling in fear.

But I was not a child and I couldn't hide behind my mother like a coward.

"Mom, let me talk to him..." I said, swallowing hard, and pushed her aside and stepped towards him.

Fear twisted my gut as I stepped towards him.

"What did I tell you, sweetheart?" Father asked me through the teeth.

"I missed him, and you don't even allow him here. Why can't I go there to meet my brother? I'm eighteen and I have every right to make my own decisions. You can't order me around because I won't obey anymore and I'm not your pet!" I snapped at him angrily and let my anger out.

He stood up aggressively from the sofa advanced on me and stopped right in front of me. "What did you say?!" He fisted my hair, tearing it from the scalp. "Don't use this tone with me ever again!!"

"So what? What will you do? Beat me? Kill me? Just do it! Just do it! I dare you!" Before I could finish it, my head slammed against the bar counter, and my vision blurred for a moment.

"Ava..." I heard Mom's scream.

Pain shot through my head as I gasped.

"Bitch!" Father hissed and got ready to blow me again but before he could do this, Mom came between us and stopped him.

"Felix, no!" She screamed.

"Oh, darling, get out of my way!!!" He yelled at her and grabbed her hand before pushing her away as hard as he could.

The glass shattered into pieces. "Ahh!!" Mom cried out, and my heart jumped into my throat when I found blood. The long glass shard sliced through her arm.

I could not act. I couldn't move, and I couldn't speak, just watched my mother groan and bleed.

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