Chapter 3 The auction

ELLA

My life had always been a dance on the edge of uncertainty. I came from a modest background, where every dollar earned was a small victory, and every setback felt like a mountain too steep to climb.

I had shared that life with my parents until tragedy struck and stole them from me when I was just 16 years old.

They got hurt while doing a job and needed surgery, desperate and left with no option, I got $10,000 from the loan sharks since I was underage and couldn't borrow from anywhere legal.

Imagine how broken I was when the surgery was unsuccessful and I lost them both.

Leaving me broken and I'm debt.

Their loss left a void that could never be filled, a darkness that lingered heavily over our humble home.

The world outside seemed harsh and unforgiving. My grandparents, who became my guardians, had done their best to protect me from its cruelties. I knew they tried. I knew they loved me. But it felt like the dangers surrounding us went far beyond anything they could shield me from.

Their intentions had been good, but their overprotectiveness became a prison. They kept me close, rarely allowing me beyond the safety of our small house. I had been homeschooled, so nothing about my life had ever felt normal.

It was a miracle I even had a boyfriend. I loved him. He was a constant reminder of what a normal life could be. I clung to the hope that once all of this was over, he and I would leave this sorry excuse of a town for good.

I cherished the warmth of my grandparents' love, but I couldn't help the sense that I was doing nothing with my life.

Especially not when we were constantly mocked and harassed for the money we owed. We had to change our homes five times. But somehow they always found us.

When I woke up, it was to a disorienting haze.

My surroundings were unfamiliar, and the air reeked of dampness and decay. My head throbbed, and I realized, with a sinking feeling, that I had been drugged.

As the fog in my mind cleared, reality struck like a whip. I was in an auction joint, a place where human lives were bought and sold.

The clothes I wore were skimpy, a mockery of modesty, and I was surrounded by others who shared my fate.

We stood in a line, like cattle waiting for slaughter, as bidders moved among us, their eyes cold, appraising. I felt their gazes rake across me, dissecting me piece by piece, and I knew that my life had taken a dark and irreversible turn.

"If you want to live, be good girls. Remember, many lives are in your hands. I will kill everyone you've ever met if you fuck up tonight. Do you understand?" the man I didn't know growled.

He had a creepy face and reeked of fish, making him even more repulsive to think about.

His threat curled around my heart like a snake, tightening with every word. I thought of my poor grandparents, who would probably die of heart attacks at the sight of this man.

"Everyone on stage now! If no one buys you, I'll kill you." The sick man threatened as we were pushed to the stage on shaking feet.

"We start at one million dollars," the host's voice rang out.

"Two million," one voice called.

"Three million," another shouted.

Each bid sliced through my composure. With every rise in the stakes, my heart pounded harder.

Tears welled up in my eyes, tears of fear, disbelief, and a hint of stoic resentment.

I stood frozen, trembling under the weight of so many eyes. I was no longer a person, just a prize.

A commodity to be sold.

Would I ever see my grandparents ever again? Would they tell them I was dead?

My heart shatters as I imagine all the horrible things I'll be made to do.

I was owing 10,000 now it seems like I'll be owing much more and will be made to pay back each dime.

I was in the men's world after all.

"Interesting," A deep voice murmured, his voice brushing against the back of my neck like cold silk.

He was standing so close I could smell his expensive perfume.

My gaze snapped to him, and I locked eyes with a man who radiated unshakable power.

He stood cloaked in shadow, but the gleam of his steel-grey eyes caught the light and held it, pinning me in place.

His chiseled features, strong jawline, high cheekbones, and perfectly styled black hair should've belonged to a man in a magazine, but there was nothing comforting about his beauty. It was dangerous, like a blade wrapped in silk.

He didn't speak again, but he smiled.

Not the kind that warmed you. No. It was the kind of smile that promised ruin.

"She looks like a kitten who just wants to bite her master," he said, the words dripping with possession.

"3.5 Million? Anyone?" The bidder announced.

"Going once, going twice! If there are no more bids-"

The strange man kept his eyes on me, then, with agonizing calm, he raised his bidding card.

"Fifty million."

The room fell into stunned silence.

Fifty million dollars for me?

Was this a prank where they would put me to shame?

I waited for the plot twist. The laughter and the powder.

But none of it came.

The room was as silent as the graveyard.

My stomach dropped like a stone. I bit my trembling lower lip, blinking rapidly as the weight of that number crashed over me.

But why?

He didn't strike me as the type who bought women for comfort or affection. Everything about him screamed control, danger, and shadows that stretched far beyond the walls of this auction house.

As he stood and left the room, his entourage trailing behind like obedient shadows, the curtains fell.

A woman stepped forward, waiting for me backstage. Her expression was soft but filled with pity as she handed me a bundle of clothes.

"How did the worst one of them pick you?" she muttered, more to herself than to me. "He rarely chooses anyone... but when he does, it's hell from the very first day."

My stomach twisted violently.

"Uh... thanks?" I replied, unsure what else to say. My voice sounded hollow. I wasn't sure if it was the shock, the fear, or both.

"If you think you've experienced hardship..." she paused, her eyes scanning mine, "it's nothing compared to what you're about to go through. Especially if you owe him."

"Owe him?" I echoed, my heart thudding harder. "I don't even know him."

She gave a short, almost sorrowful nod.

"I see."

Before I could demand what she meant, a man entered the room. He was tall and broad, his expression carved from stone. Cold, but not as cold as the one who had just purchased me.

"Let's go," he said, his voice clipped.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked, my voice barely more than a whisper.

He glanced at me, his eyes dark. "You don't get to ask questions. Just obey. I don't hit women so don't be the first."

That shut me up.

Wordlessly, I followed him into the unknown, every step echoing with fear.