10. The Bargain

“Then we shall proceed with the preparations as planned,” the woman sitting next to Mrs. Carlos said, her voice calm and composed, as if nothing had just happened. I watched Ivan walk away, leaving me to drown in the weight of it all. Everything was starting to suffocate me, and the worst part was that I couldn’t do anything about it.

“What if I don’t want any of this?” I asked, dropping my hands to my sides in frustration.

Mrs. Carlos clicked her tongue, rising from her seat with an air of ownership. “Veronica, it doesn’t seem like you can back out now,” she said, her tone almost mocking. “It’s no longer a favor. I’ve paid the six million dollars your mother and I agreed upon, not to mention the money Ivan gave your friends. You owe us more than what we’re asking of you.”

The floor seemed to fall out from beneath me, the weight of her words sinking deeper into my chest. Six million dollars? My mother had sold me into this? And my friends… they had taken money too? Betrayal flooded my