Ch. 2: Sold

Third person's point of view

Astrella’s heart pounded in her chest as the auctioneer’s voice echoed in the vast, dimly lit hall. The room, filled with wealthy bidders and dangerous criminals, had become a tense battlefield. She had been expecting the usual roster of ruthless men and women, all eager to claim the night's prize. Her.

After all, the debt her father owed to the underworld is now being repaid in flesh and blood. But what she hadn’t expected, what she could never have prepared for, was the familiar, deep voice that echoed through the crowd as the bidding reached its peak.

“one hundred million,” Dax Donomie Martinelli’s voice rang out, calm and cold, unmistakable despite the years.

A knot formed in Astrella's throat. It was that voice that she was familiar with. No matter how pleasant or horrible her dreams were, this voice would follow her. Yet this was no dream.

The room seemed to fall silent as every head turned toward the man who had just spoken. She couldn't see him, but she could feel his presence. The air grew heavier; the world seemed to pause for a fraction of a second.

"I—" the auctioneer stumbled out, obviously taken aback by the sudden and massive bid.

"With all due respect, sir, but the current offer—"

“What? Do you want it higher? Three hundred billion,” Dax interrupted, trailing off, "dollars," his tone unwavering. Everyone gasps in response to Dax's intense trail off.

"Whoa. Is that Dax Donomie Martinelli?"

"Yeah."

"What is he doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious? He bid for a mere girl."

The whisper grew louder and louder.

Astrella’s mind spun. Her vision blurred as she fought to breathe, her heart racing uncontrollably. She recognized the name, really. Dax Donomie Martinelli, the feared mafia don. He was supposed to be dead. Years ago, the rumors quickly spread, claiming that Dax had died in a brutal underground war, his body never found, and his disappearance signaled the end of the infamous Martinelli family's reign.

But here he was, alive, as though he had risen from the ashes of his past. "After this kind of auction, there's another sealed-bid auction announcement later."

"You think he'll be here?" The man shrugs, doesn't say a single word, and focuses in front.

The weight of Dax's presence in the room became unbearable. She looked around; the murmurs died, and she could see no one moving as if they were afraid to act.

And then, she saw him. The legendary Dax Donomie Martinelli.

Dax, cloaked in darkness, stood in the room's far rear. He had grown taller and more menacing than she recalled, but now he exuded an icy gloom that buried the man she had known before. It was true that he was older, but it wasn't the only thing that had altered him. Her once-loving and longing gaze met his now-icy, unforgiving stare. His lips had hardened into a sinister line.

"He's here for me?" Astrella questioned her clouded mind.

The auctioneer hesitated, his voice trembling. "Three hundred billion dollars once. Three hundred billion dollars twice. Sold!"

The crowd clapped, but it was a hollow, mechanical sound. She hadn’t moved. Couldn’t. It felt like the ground beneath her was crumbling away. As the memories of the past surged up, flooding her mind, the world seemed to tilt.

Everything had fallen apart now. Her father's betrayal caused her life to unravel. Where the heck is her father, by the way? That is a stupid question. She knows that he's busy with his vices at this moment while she is in a life-and-death situation.

Astrella's expecting that Dax bidding for her is to help her escape. But what role does she now play in his life? He's not here to rescue her but to claim her as payment for her father’s sins.

“Dax.” Astrella's voice dipped lower, a whisper.

His gaze snapped to her, locking onto her with the intensity of a predator.

He didn’t respond. His mere presence conveyed a powerful message.

The room was too quiet, and she felt they were the only person in the room. She could hear the blood rushing in her ears as she fought to swallow the lump in her throat.

She managed to mumble a word, "You're supposed to be dead," even though it felt like she was losing the ability to speak.

Dax's lips formed a smile if one could call it that. It was more of a sneer, an expression devoid of warmth, a reminder that whatever humanity had once existed in him had long been buried beneath layers of betrayal and rage.

“I was dead,” he said, his voice a cold rasp. “But I’ve come back. For you. For your father.”

Astrella flinched, instinctively stepping back as if she could somehow retreat from the man who had once been her world. But there was nowhere to go. She found herself imprisoned. There was only the weight of his stare, pinning her in place like a fly in a spider's web.

Astrella's voice quivered with a blend of terror as she demanded, "What do you want from me?" Dax chuckled with amusement, "Oh, you're deaf now? Didn't you hear what I said?" He took a slow step forward, his gaze never leaving hers. The crowd parted, giving him space, but it wasn’t out of respect. It was fear.

“Your father took everything from me, Astrella,” he grumbled. “And you, you are going to help me take it back.”

Astrella’s mind raced. “My father? What does this have to do with me? I have nothing to do with—”

“You have everything to do with it,” Dax cut her off, his voice sharp.

“Your family’s sins are buried in the blood of people like me. People who never had a chance because of your father’s greed.” His eyes narrowed. “And now, you’ll pay for it. Just like everyone else.”

Astrella's father's debts had always been a dark, lingering shadow in her life, but this was something far worse.

“You think I’m just some pawn for you to play with?” Astrella’s voice was stronger now, her fear turning into defiance.

"You think this is going to break me, Dax?" Astrella tilted her head, a sharp smile tugging at her lips. "Spoiler alert: I'm not the same girl you knew. But hey, points for trying. You almost had me shaking, almost."

Dax tilted his head slightly, his cold eyes narrowing as a faint smirk played on his lips. "Oh, I know. You're not the same. But guess what? Neither am I. Gone is the boy who dreamed of running away with you, who foolishly believed in love. Now? I believe in something far sharper."

Dax had loved Astrella once. But she had abandoned him. Indeed, the cost of that abandonment was everything.

Dax took another step closer, his voice lowering to a dangerous whisper. “You’ll learn, Astrella. You’ll learn just how far I’m willing to go to make your father’s debts disappear.”

Astrella’s eyes met his, and for the first time, she saw the truth in his gaze. There was no saving him now. He's really here to burn everything she had left to the ground.

The quiver in her voice vanished as she straightened up. "Try your hardest," she urged, her voice tinged with bitterness. "Yet, I will remain unbreakable. I will never be yours again.

Dax’s smile widened, a glint of danger flickering in his eyes. "Careful, sweetheart. I play hard, and I love harder. Let’s see if you can keep up."