SOLD

SABRINA’s POV

I could only watch in horror as my art supplies were reduced to ash in the fireplace. The  flickering flames hungrily consumed my art supplies, one by one, leaving behind nothing but ashes and twisted metal. My precious paints, portraits, sketchbooks, and the box of pastels my father had given me were all turning to charred remnants. 

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I felt an anguish deep in my chest, like a part of me was being incinerated along with those cherished materials.

My scream pierced the air as my tears began to trickle down my face, mingling with the smoke that now filled the room. 

I heard footsteps coming down the stairs, and then my stepmother entered the room.

Her stern voice jolted me from my sad thoughts, "What on earth is going on in here, Sabrina? Your screeching is going to bring the whole house down."

I turned to face her, my vision blurred with tears, and cried, "Why did you do this? Why did you burn my art supplies?"

She looked at me with indifference, the same look she always wore when she regarded me. Her appearance was far from comforting; her eyes were cold and distant, and her gaunt face was framed by long, black hair mixed with a bit of grey. Her lips were set in a perpetual frown, like she resented my existence.

"Why?" I repeated, my voice quivering.

"You burnt my food yesterday, Sabrina," she said, her voice icy. "You almost burnt my whole kitchen down because of your constant drawing and painting nonsense. You should be grateful I'm burning your art supplies and not you."

"But, Wendy,I got a little carried away with painting yesterday and it was an accident. You knew how much these art supplies meant to me. My father gave them to me. It's all I have left of him," I pleaded.

“It's all gone now, just like your father. You'll never be an artist, just like you'll never see him again."

That was really low,even for her. I always knew she never married my dad because she loved him,but because she was simply hungry for money. And when he went bankrupt,she didn’t hesitate to show her true colors. I would have thought she killed him if I didn’t know who my dad’s actual killer was.

She turned and walked away, her disheveled, threadbare dress swaying as she moved. It was as though she wanted to leave me to stew in my misery. She had always been like that – indifferent, selfish, and cruel.

What was I even going to do at this point? I approached my stepmother, who was now rummaging through some food items in the kitchen. "Why would you do this? What did I ever do to you?" I asked, my voice trembling with anger and despair.

She turned to face me, and her beady eyes bore into mine. "You're delusional if you think your little artistic pursuits will ever amount to anything, Sabrina. You need to focus on having a new life now."

I was bewildered. "A new life? What do you mean?"

With a smirk that conveyed her malevolent intent, she explained, "Your father owed a lot of money, Sabrina. He couldn't pay his debts, and now you have to pay for his mistakes.”

I had never seen such a sinister smile on my stepmother's face. Wendy was not one to show remorse. She remained seated at the kitchen table, a wicked glint in her eyes as she casually stirred her coffee. 

Her phone pinged suddenly,interrupting our tense confrontation. She retrieved it from her pocket and read the message with a sly grin.

Without a word, she ordered me to start packing my things, in her cold voice.

My heart sank at her demand, my mind spinning with questions I was too afraid to ask. "Why? Where am I going?" I pleaded, hoping to gain some clarity. But Wendy just shook her head dismissively.

"Don't ask too many questions, Sabrina," she taunted, "You're old enough to take care of yourself now, aren't you? I mean,you are twenty three already. So get the hell out of my face and start packing your things while you still have the time.”

My father was dead for only a few days and now she was already kicking me out to God knows where?

“Wendy please,you know I have got no one,where am I supposed to go?”

“You would find out soon enough,” she rose to her feet,closing the space between us and continued,”Oh and I would be needing this,”

With a sudden movement, she snatched my  necklace from my neck, the heirloom that had been passed down through generations in my family. It was the last piece of my family that I had left, and she knew it. I watched in horror as she dangled it before me,a wicked satisfactory smile on her face.

“You know,maybe if I take this useless stuff to the pawn shop, it can fetch me some real money. If it is worth anything,at least that would be some compensation, am I right?”

I held my bare neck,suddenly feeling very empty. "Please, give it back," I sobbed. "It's all I have left of my family."

She ignored my pleas, tossing the necklace into her bag with an almost cruel glee, and then moving towards my room.

I followed her closely behind asking her a ton of questions which she gave no answers to.

She proceeded to rummage through my room, tossing some of my belongings into a small suitcase. I felt shocked and really couldn’t believe my eyes, unable to process what was happening. "Stop, Wendy, please," I begged, my voice shaky. "This isn't right. I have nowhere to go."

Wendy  had no intention of heeding my cries. She grabbed my arm, pulling me off the floor and pushing me towards the door. "Enough, Sabrina," she snapped. "Your presence here is no longer needed. It's time for you to leave,do not waste my time young lady!”

As I was forcibly dragged out of my room, my world seemed to spin out of control. I was shoved to the floor with a brutal force, the cold tiles pressing against my cheek. 

Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, the door swung open with a sudden, dramatic force. My tear-filled eyes darted towards the entrance, and my heart pounded with dread. 

There, standing in the doorway, was Luciano King, the infamous mafia lord and billionaire, with two imposing men dressed entirely in black.

His deep voice reverberated in the room as he said,”I’m here for my property,Sabrina.”

That was him,the same man who had killed my father.