Chapter 03

ALICE'S POV

“ What are you doing, Alice? ” I murmured to myself standing in front of the dressing mirror of one of the most expensive suites of Castillo Hotel.

Just as I agreed upon doing this shitty thing, Melissa dragged me to the top floor of the hotel, to this suite and many people were already waiting for us. A girl dragged me to the huge Italian style Bathroom and stripped me naked in a spur of moment, that I was unable to understand what they were doing.

Then another girl made me take a bath adding God Know's what kind of expensive products in the water of the bath.

Then I was dragged to the dressing room completely naked in front of three women in which Melissa was not present, giving me a hint that she was not there anymore.

After that, I went through the drying up process and dressed up in a red lingerie. Yes. A lingerie. They refused to give me clothes. In a moment that passed just too fast, those women painted my face in exotic makeup that made me wonder if the girl staring back at me in the mirror was really...Me.

Now when all those women were gone telling me that someone would come to take me to the auction, I was staring at myself blankly in the reflection of the mirror.

I felt weird and disgusted but my rational - desperate mind was telling me to just kill those emotions and proceed with whatever it was. It was only one night anyway right?

Suddenly, I recalled all the rules that Melissa had made me memorize. There were only three rules.

Number one. Do not talk during the auction no matter what happens.

Number two. My hands were going to be handcuffed to the bed, after I was going to be sold so I do not try to run away. I should not scream or get afraid at any cost because of that.

Number Three. My eyes were going to be blindfolded too so I could not see the face of the person who bought me and with whom I spent that night. It was a rule, so the identity of the people attending the auction stayed hidden.

Recalling those rules, I heaved a heavy breath. It was pure helplessness once again.

Not being able to talk, move or see was going to be a state of pure helplessness. I hated feeling helpless but what could I do when it was about money?

There was nothing to hate about money. During these last eleven months, I have only started to care about money, given that everyone was by my side when I was well off. The moment I lost all the money, everyone made it sure to stay far away from me.

That was how this world worked. If you had money, everyone was by your side. Coaxing you and pretending to love you.

The moment that money was gone. Those same people disappeared in thin air. Like poof. Like they were never there with you to begin with.

' Run, Alice! ' My subconscious mind screamed and for once I heard what it was saying.

Sprinting to the bathroom, I grabbed a bathrob to tie around myself. It was not really funny to run around in the hotel with just a lingerie, that was not helping in covering anything.

Wrapping the bathrob around myself, I pushed my hair that were curled neatly to my back and marched to the door.

Pulling it open, I peeked outside to see if someone was there. Finding no one, I stepped outside and made my way to the lift in a hurry.

I needed to be away. I needed to be far away. It was suffocating here. I did not want to experience helplessness again. It was just too much. Too much to be able for me to breath anymore.

When the lift came in sight, I almost ended up crying in delight. I stopped in front of it and pressed the button instantly. My feet were not stopping at one place, as I jumped around waiting for the damned lift which was taking too much time to my liking.

The lift made a ding sound and the doors opened revealing a man standing inside already. I did not care to look at his face and ran inside, before pressing the Ground Floor's button. Sighing in relief, I closed my eyes and rested my back against the lift's wall.

Opening my eyes after a while, I sneaked a glance at the man beside me. My eyes went wide looking at him.

He was tall. Very tall. Six-one something perhaps. He was well built. The fitting of his expensive black suit outlined the defined muscles.

His face was attractive but screamed danger at the same time. It was quite alarming.

Sharp features.

His nose, jaw, cheekbones were well defined and well sculptured. His jet black hair were defined but a little tousled. They only added to his already good looks.

And the most mesmerising feature on his face were his eyes.

Sharp and captivating steely grey eyes. Their intensity could render anyone immobile just like me.

Well. How was I able to look in his eyes? I gulped realizing it.

Those same steely grey eyes were staring back at me with coldness radiating off them.

Well. Shit. Looks like he caught me staring rudely. Fear and embarassment crawled up my spine and pulled me back to reality.

“ I-I am Sorry. ” I shook my head and averted my eyes away, not knowing what I was apologizing for.

The intensity of his eyes was just too much to keep looking in them. It was like his eyes were pulling me in.

“ Running from someone? ” The deep velvety voice made my body jolt up in surprise.

Slowly, I looked at him with a blush creeping up my face and neck. “ N-No. ” Stammering out, I cursed at myself in my mind.

What was happening to me?

“ That was an obvious lie. ” His voice was more like a cold hiss.

A frown etched upon my flawless forehead and I kept staring at him. “ I am not running away from someone. Rather myself. I am running away from myself. ” I whispered in a low voice, not understanding why I was saying this to a stranger and a one who screamed danger with red alarm on top of everything.

He smirked arrogantly to my surprise and leaned close, until his enchanting face was hovering above mine. I could feel his hot minty breath hitting my face that had me feeling some weird kind of emotions. “ You won't be able to go far, Kitten ” A shiver ran down my spine hearing his words.

Smirking devilishly, he leaned back and looked away, but I was still caught up in his word. My eyes refused to move anywhere else other than his face.

The lift dinged and the doors opened. My eyes followed his movement, as he stepped outside without even turning to glance in my way. Why would he? He looked like a prince charming. No. No. He looked like a Villian of the story and Villians never cared about anyone.

They just liked to mess with other's heads. They messed them up so bad, that all others could think about was them. All day and all night. Captivated by the darkness those Villians carried with them.

The doors closed on my face and I broke out of my trance. Shaking my head, I pressed the top floor button once again.

' You won't be able to go far, Kitten. ' I thought about his words once more.

He was right. I will not be able to go far. I never managed to do it before. And I will not be able to do it now.

I always ran to come back later.

When the lift started going back up again, I forced myself to not let any thought penetrate my mind again.

All I needed was money.

All I wanted was money.

No matter what I had to do.

This was what I have become. No. This was what people turned me into and now, I should not run away from it. From myself.

When the doors of the lift opened, Melissa's serious face met me and I sighed out.

“ Done trying to run? ” Sarcastically, Melissa scoffed and I nodded my head shamelessly.

“ I am done as of now. You should really render me helpless now so I don't try to run again. ” I blurted out chuckling. I felt mad. Completely out of my mind.

I was asking for something that I hated. But I needed things I hated because those things held me in place.

“ Come. We don't have much time. ” Melissa grabbed my wrist in a tight hold and started pulling me back to the suite.

Fear was making its way in my heart. Alot of men were going to look at my almost bare body. They all were going to bid their price on me like I was an animal to be sold. I still have not managed to wrap my head around how all of this worked, but Melissa have told me that I will understand everything when I was going to be presented in the auction.

Even the terms she used, sounded so absurd to me that made me sick to my stomach, but Melissa used all of those words with ease like she was used to it for years now. That must be true, because Melissa had been working here for five years and she was aware of the auction that happened in the basement's grand hall.

Getting to the suite, Melissa introduced me to a man dressed in black, that looked like a guard. His features were too perfect to be just a guard though. Dark brown hair accompanied by a broad forehead, the same dark brown set of eyes, a straight nose and thick lips that were pressed together tightly. His height was impressive too and his expressions gave off an eery vibe, but it was nothing compared to that man's dark aura whom I met in the lift.

“ Alice. This is Alder. ” I turned to look at the man who had stern expressions and sighed out, not bothering to greet him at all.

“ He will take you to the auction. You will be safe so don't worry. ” Melissa tried to reassure me, but my nerves were jiggly. All I could do was nod my head in a trance.

“ We need to leave now. ” Alder pointed towards the door and I forced myself to walk out. I did not turn around to look at Melissa, afraid, that I will end up trying to run away again. I have left my cellphone with Melissa too.

When we made our way to the lift, Alder pushed me inside first before stepping inside. I did not mind it either. If I was in his place, I would not have trusted myself either.

“ Melissa have told you about the three rules right? ” Alder's cold voice echoed in my ears

“ Ofcourse. ” I replied in a robotic tone.

I could not help but ask the question that was bugging my mind. “ How many girls have you taken to the auction like me? ”

Alder did not turn around to look at me and did not answer for the longest time, letting an awkward silence hang between us. Just as I was about to give up on waiting for an answer, Alder finally decided to provide it “ You are the second one. ”

Hearing this, my eyes went wide in confusion. I was the second one?

“ What happened to the first one?... ” The question was out of my mouth before I could even understand why I was asking this.

With this question, I finally managed to grab Alder's undivided attention. Surprised, he turned to look at me with weird expressions. His eyes roamed around my face and traced the outline of my body, making me uncomfortable “ This is awful. ” I was sure that I heard these words from Alder, but when I looked at him, he seemed like, he had not said anything to me.

Before I could ask anything else, the lift's doors dinged open and Alder stepped outside in what seemed like the basement.

Instinctively, he grabbed my wrist and started dragging me to God Knows where. He came to a halt in front of a door that was closed. I peeked at it from above his broad shoulders by raising myself on my toes. He was swiping a card in the lock. My mouth formed an O shape and I stood straight just as Alder pushed the door open.

Pushing me inside first, Alder closed the door and turned to me. His hand reached to the ties of my bathrob, making my heart beat faster. He untied it from around my body and it fell down beside my feet, leaving me almost exposed in front of his prying eyes.

“ She died. ” Alder whispered staring at my feet and I frowned “ Hmm? ”

“ The first girl... ” Alder looked up from my feet in slow motion, until his eyes were boring into my light brown orbs.

“ She died. ”