001

~~Cecilia~~

The stench, which filled the whole room_ combination of sweat, urine and bad breaths_ would have been very nauseating, but I was already pretty used to it by now.

One month of being locked up, with several other ladies who were between the ages of 15 and 22, in one room could make you get used to things you never imagined you could endure.

And honestly, my concern was my baby, not me.

The first week had been the toughest. Throwing up every day, morning sickness or just the nauseating stink, or maybe both? I had no idea.

And right now, I am just struggling to keep a very straight face at the very disgusting stink coming out from the sweaty, bulky man beside me as he and three other thugs, led us down a hall.

God-damn it. Don't these men know what bathing is?

There were three of them, their faces etched in cruel indifference, as they led us all down a dimly lit corridor.

We were all dressed in white gowns like lambs about to be used for sacrifice.

Maybe we are. Perhaps we are about to be offered as sacrificial lambs.

The air was heavy with a chilling silence, broken only by the distant murmur of voices and muffled sobs of the girls as We walked past closed doors, dark tunnel until…for the first time in a month, I saw a light…a clear bright light, that wasn't dim candlelights.

A sense of impending doom clung to the atmosphere when we approached a set of double doors, which swung open as we approached

I was thrust into a room by the stinking man_ not that they didn't all stink.

The room_ which is actually a hall_ was decorated for a special event, and it was years of being in this lifestyle that made me realize what was about to happen.

They were going to auction us all.

“What do you think is happening?” One of the girls, who looked nothing older than seventeen, whispered, her hands grabbing mine as she stared up at me.

I stroked her hand to what? Console her? I was scared shitless myself.

“I have no idea. But I guess we have to wait and find out, right?”

She nodded, her green eyes still filled with fear

I smiled and ruffled her dark curly hair which was now all tangled. Something that weeks of no combing can do to your hair.

Mine were not in good shape themselves.

“Come on, move it, Barbie.” Another man growled, pushing my shoulder.

I turned to give him a glare, but he smirked, revealing an ugly as fuck set of yellow teeth.

“Come on, don't look like that. Being feisty doesn't suit a beauty like you.”

His hand brushed my check, but I swatted it away, and joined the others further into the room.

We were herded onto a stage, or backstage…because from here we could not see the audience, but experience told me what the audience must look like.

Old men in suits, eyes hungry as they bid for a hot girl to go home with.

Disgusting animals.

We all lined up backstage, the large purple curtain covering us from the audience.

A hoarse voice started speaking into the mic, addressing the audience.

“Welcome, ladies and gentlemen. I am glad to announce to you that the wait is over!

Today's auction will be one like you have never seen before. Why? Because we have the very finest ladies gathered from different parts of the world.

Please hold on to your cards well, and also, bear in mind that the lowest bid is 1 million.”

A quiet moment followed the grim introduction, and my thoughts drifted to the precious life growing within me.

I have no idea what would happen-apart from the fact that I would likely be bought by a mafia lord or something- I couldn't help but worry about the tiny heartbeat that pulsed beneath my skin.

My hand instinctively rested on my slightly swollen belly.

What will be of my baby? What will happen to it?

The memory of the pregnancy test, taken just before the nightmare began, flooded my mind, and at that moment, my family came to my mind too.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I thought of them.

Their faces, their laughter, their love—I clung to those memories, desperate to keep them alive within me. But the reality was cruel and unrelenting. They were gone, taken from me in a moment of brutal violence, leaving me alone to face the horrors that awaited.

“Okay, it's your turn Blondie,” one of the thugs called, interrupting my thoughts, “go out there and make this establishment some money.”

He grinned, revealing a set of disgustingly crooked yellow teeth.

Ugh.

The girl beside me shivered and stepped onto the stage.

I heard a cheer the moment she stepped out, and I winced. It would be my turn very soon, of course.

As if on cue, my heart started racing wildly, and I clenched my stomach, forcing air into my nostrils to calm my nerves.

What's the point of being scared? What will be will be and this is already my fate as it stands, so why be scared?

I just have to accept it.

But my baby…

I closed my eyes for a moment, seeking solace in the darkness behind my eyelids. But the voices of the hungry men in the audience, shouting out money figures for a human, made my stomach coil tighter and did nothing to soothe my nerves.

“5 million dollars!!” One screamed, and the room fell silent.

“Five million dollars going for Exhibit A. Do we have 5.5 million dollars?” No one responded, and the announcer continued, “No one. So Exhibit A going for Five million dollars to Don Rossi, in 3 seconds, 2…1. GONE!!! Congratulations!!”

The whole room erupted in a cheer.

The thug from earlier came backstage and approached me, with a smile, “Hello Barbie, it's your turn. Go out there and shine. You are the prettiest in the Lot.”

I stepped through the curtains into the stage, and my breathing paused momentarily as I took in the sight before me.

The audience was way bigger than I expected, and although I thought I was ready, my palms grew sweaty and knees shaky as I stepped to my podium.

The room crackled with tension as the auctioneer, a man shrouded in a dark cloak, took his place at the podium.

His voice, cold and detached, echoed through the room, sending shivers down my spine.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he began, “we have our second offering.”

I swallowed hard, my heart pounding in my chest as I watched the faces in the audience. Men whose evil and intentions were masked with the suits they all had on.

None of them seemed at least over fifty years of age.

The auctioneer turned toward me, then nodded as if pleased by what he saw, "Our second offering,” he announced, “is a delicate flower, ripe for the plucking.”

A hushed murmur swept through the room, but he continued.

“We are starting with three million dollars!”

Oh My God.

I stood still, frozen and feeling like some sort of burnt offering.

The tears didn't stop falling, although I was trying my best to hold them back.

“Such a rare beauty.” One of the men murmured.

“She'll fetch a high price.”

I clenched my fists, my anger, and disgust bubbling up within me, but what could I do?

Nothing!

The room suddenly fell silent, as if a wind of chilled water blew past.

I noticed people turning towards the west door and I followed my gaze and then….

Gosh.

Yeah, if anyone could command immediate silence with just their entrance, it would be this man.

A young man, younger than everyone else in the room, and certainly different, strode into the room with an air of undeniable authority. His presence was magnetic, commanding the attention of everyone in the room, including mine. It was as though time itself slowed as I took in his form.

He was tall and dressed in just a black singlet that emphasized his broad shoulders and showed a glimpse of a tattoo on his arms and chest.

Dark, wavy hair framed a face that held rugged handsomeness, sharp cheekbones, and piercing, steel-gray eyes that seemed to see through the whole room.

Who is this?

And why did the entire atmosphere change?

His gaze fell on me for a second, swept over me and my heart beat sped up under his heated stare, before he looked away so fast as he walked to an empty chair at the very back of the hall.

He didn't look like these men here. He looked different, apart from the cold look and domineering appearance, he looked more at ease, with his attire which was a contrast to all the suits in the room, and definitely made him noticeable.

I couldn't tear my gaze away from him, even as he was joined by a woman, whose sharp beauty only served to emphasize the man's own magnetic allure.

She looked like she could be in her mid-twenties and her curly long hair bounced with each powerful step she took.

As he took a seat, Our eyes locked for a fleeting moment, and in that instant, I felt a chill run down my spine. His gaze was like ice, cold and unyielding.

My heart raced, and a shiver of both fear and fascination coursed through me.

Everyone in the room started talking in a hushed tone, shock evident in their faces.

“Wow! It is a very great honor to be graced with the presence of the most powerful boss in the country,” the auctioneer said.

He's a boss? As in a Don?

“But let's get down to business. So… Exhibit B is going, bidding price starts at 3 million. Let me hear your bids, gentlemen!”

“Five million!” one voice declared.

“Six million!” another countered.

“Eight! Eight million,”

Oh wow, they are really going crazy for me.

But then a bid came that shut the whole room up.

“Fifty million,” the voice declared.

My heart seized, and for a moment, I thought I had misheard. Fifty million dollars for me?

As I tried to make sense of it, my eyes were drawn to the man who had placed the bid, the same man whose presence had captivated me moments earlier as he raised his hand and whispered something in his lady friend's ear.

Nobody spoke or moved as all eyes fell on him, as if he was crazy.

Shock froze me to the floor, too.

Fifty million dollars?

“W. Wow!,” The auctioneer said, laughing nervously because who bids fifty million for a slave, “I am not sure if I heard you correctly. You are bidding what?”

“Fifty million dollars, for the girl.” The lady companion said.

“Oh my God. So we have Fifty million dollars. Do I hear a higher bid? Of course not! Exhibit B going in 3 seconds .2…1. Congratulations, Don Ivan Petrov, you have your prize.”

A sudden chill ran through me at the mention of his name as recognition dawned on me suddenly.

I staggered backwards, my hands trembling as fear warred within me.

Don Ivan Petrov?

The name kept ringing in my ears.

“Your greediness cost us lots of lives man, now you have to pay. You know what happens when you cross Don Petrov."

That's what the man had said, before they killed my parents.

That name.

This is the man responsible for my family's murder.

I clenched my fists.

And I'm now his damn property too.