CHAPTER 3: SOLD

Carla Christine POV

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“Carla Christine Zabala, you’re mine now.”

I looked straight into the pair of eyes of the man in front of me now. His brown eyes are looking at my black eyes that feel sure of what he told me.

I want to ask him what he is saying? But the fear I feel for him is still more dominant.

“Let’s go—what happened to your hand? Why is it bleeding?”

When he was about to touch my hand that has a blood, I took that opportunity to push him and stand up. He didn’t seem to expect me to push him, therefore he fell for my resemblance to him.

I gasped for breath, my knees weakened, and I toppled over from the lingering fear of that man.

“Carla Christine Zabala, comeback here!” I heard that man shout again.

I was about to touch the doorknob, but I was stunned by a mixture of fear and shock at the time he reached out to me and held one of my arms. I tried to remove his grip on my arm, but my hand felt like a weak wind with his strength.

He held both my arms, then he turned me to him. My fear of the man in front of me now increased even more, especially when I looked at his thin dry eyes.

“Why are you so naughty?” He emphatically asked.

“Please... Let me go...” I said between my sobs.

I walked backwards as he slowly brought his face closer to mine until I could feel my bed in the back.

When the man again brought his face close to mine, I could do nothing but sit on my bed so as not to just bring his face close to mine.

My heartbeat quickened with extreme nervousness as he tightened his grip on my arm. Even though I couldn’t stop crying, he still didn’t remove the grip on my arm.

“Remember this, from this day on, you are mine.”

Those were the words I heard from him before I fainted. But before I fainted, I saw his expression change. Changed into a worried face as if he was confused and did not know what to do.

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.

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When my spirit woke up and I tried to open my pair of eyes, I did not open it because it hurt.

I woke up, got up, and looked around. This is not my room and to my knowledge, I have never been to this room.

I looked at the clothes I was wearing. I wore a knitted dress that was below the knee in red. It bothers me that I don’t own this type of attire. I held my head as I felt the pain and then remembered what happened before I lost consciousness.

I came home after coming home from the cemetery. When I came home, I found nothing but a man I didn’t know and I was forced to take him with me. I was so scared I could do nothing but cry until I was fainted.

After I remembered what had happened earlier, my pair of eyes rolled. I jumped away from the bed I was lying on, then hurried out of this room. After I came out, I could not move during the time I saw the outside of the room.

When I came out, I came to a long hallway. Before I could get to the end, there were four doors to go through. The gold-colored tiles are glowing. This house is not familiar to me and I am sure I have never been to this house before? Then, where am I?

I just followed the road to the end of the hallway and at the end of its hallway again I can go through the right and left roads.

“Am I in a palace?” I asked myself, as I chose where I could go.

I just continued walking onto the right side road. As I walked, I wondered how rich the owner of this palace-like house was. This house seems to have a lot of air-con, because the longer I walk, I feel every cold air-con.

In the middle of my walk, I saw a wide staircase. I looked around. The second floor is round and has eight hallways. Out of curiosity, I wanted to explore every hallway, but I couldn’t because I was still lost and unable to return to this staircase immediately.

I go down so that I can’t make any noise even if I just step on it.

As I descended, I couldn’t help but marvel around it. This house is not only as big as a palace, if not even the furnishings and design are like a palace.

“Hey, be carefu–”

I froze after I almost fell to the floor. I didn’t realise that I was going to take the last step. Luckily, there was a fragrant hard object caught in me.

“You alright?”

As I heard a familiar voice, I looked at the man who had spoken and when I looked at him, my eyes rolled. I stepped away from him three times.

“You again?” I ask. “Where am I?” I added.

“To our house.”

“Our, what?”

I heard what he said, but I just wanted to ask if I heard what he said correctly.

“Follow me.”

What the? Why didn’t he even answer my question?

When he walked, I just looked at him. Why would I go with him? I didn’t even know him and most of all, what he’s doing to me is kidnapping.

“Did you know this kidnapping you’re doing to me?” While I asked, he stopped walking and looked at me. “So let me let’s forget about this and let’s forget each other.”

“Forget you?”

“Yes!”

“Forgetting you is the last thing I will do in my life. Now, follow me.”

What kind of man is this? He looked smart, a decent man, rich—he didn’t just look rich, he looks very rich. Then he kidnapped me? He will not benefit from me. I am rich, yes. But I think his wealth is less than half of my wealth.

“What do you want to happen?” I asked again, stopping him from walking. “You want money from me?”

I stared at him when suddenly he laughed out loud. His laughter resonated so loudly where we were that I think it could be heard throughout the entire mansion.

After he laughed, he faced me.

“Money from you?” He laughed a little after he asked that.

“Yes. I think you are richer than me but, I also know that I have enough money to redeem myself and set me free from you. How much do you want? One hundred thousand dollars? Five hundred thousand dollars? One million dollars? Two hundred million dollars? Just tell me and right now I will send the money right here to your house in cash.”

This man’s face reveals his desire to laugh, but he restrains himself from doing so.

I’m already frustrated with what he’s up to. Does he think I don’t have that much money? If he kidnapped me, maybe he knew about me somehow. Like, how rich I am.

“Are you hungry?” He asked.

To this man’s question, it was like one magic: my stomach rang because of hunger. How many hours did I sleep? And to my recollection, I haven’t eaten dinner yet.

“Let’s go to the dining area first.”

The two of us just stared at each other for a few seconds before I spoke.

“Why will you feed me?”

“You haven’t eaten since last night.”

“How can I make sure you don’t poison me?”

“Why should I poison my fiancee?”

“Can you please stop calling me a fiancée, because I am not your fiancée and I will never marry you?”

As he approached me, I felt devastated. Every step he takes towards me is heavy. When I was nervous about him, I could not move from where I was standing.

After he approached me, I was swallowed. I could hear her every heavy break and her eyes were sharp, staring at me. I couldn’t keep up with the edge of his gaze on me, so what I did was I just bend down and closed my eyes. I hugged myself, too. I also felt my whole body shaking.

“Dammit, stop crying!” He shouted.

I almost jumped at the strength of his voice. In my fear, I stopped breathing every five seconds so that I could not make any noise by crying.

“Follow me.” He says gently.

I opened my eyes and nodded while my gaze was still on the floor.

“Dammit, look at me!”

After he shouted again, I almost jumped again that I feel my heart came out of my body in great excitement.

I wiped my cheeks and eyes full of tears, first. I don’t want him to see me cry. It might even cause him to irritate and look at me sharply again.

I swallowed first before looking at him.

“Why are you crying?”

I quickly shook my head in response. I don’t want to talk to him. I was scared of him.

“Fine. If you don’t want to tell me, just follow me, if you don’t want the two of us to get into trouble.”

“O...kay.” I answered weakly, but enough for him to hear my voice.

When he started walking, I just followed him on foot. We walked only one straight way to the outside of his house. When we left his house, we went straight to a black car. I looked at him after he opened the passenger seat door.

“Get in.”

That’s why I went in here. As I got inside the car, the nervousness I felt in my body vanished. I don’t know why, maybe it’s because I’m just used to situations that I didn’t expect to happen to me.

..

..

After we arrived at a basement parking lot in a very wide and tall building, the two of us were getting out of his car.

As I followed him, I took a deep breath before daring to call him.

“Uh, excuse me?”

He stopped walking, so I also stopped walking. Then he looked at me.

“What time is it?” I ask.

He looked at his wristwatch. “It’s already ten in the morning.”

I close my eyes and my forehead rubs against me. I was late to H.I.S. After all, I haven’t called my faculty colleagues so that I might not be able to come in today. Fortunately, my new life problem happened on Friday, because I have two days to rest somehow.

“Let’s go.” He said coldly.

I pursued him.the cold of the cement here in the basement parking lot. How come it’s also air-conditioned? The wealth is the owner of this company or building.

As I watched the man walk, I thought of a plan. What if, while he was walking, I ran away from him and out of this building? After all, he didn’t seem to notice me.

I stopped walking first. I’m sure this man can’t even hear my breathing. But, when I was about to turn in the other direction to run, I stopped when the man spoke and said, “faster.” Without even looking at me.

What the? How many eyes does he have? How did he see me stop walking when he did not look at me for a moment?

I just sighed and followed him. I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to run away from him because I brought nothing other than my clothes, not even a cellphone.

When we entered the elevator, I just went to the side. It’s cold here, and I don’t even have slippers.

I smiled when the man faced me. He just looked at my eyes and then he looked straight at my feet, which were getting cold.

“What the hell?” He blurted.

“Which?” I ask.

I looked at my feet. My forefinger, they were clean except for my feet, which were soiled because I stepped on the cement floor.

When the elevator indicated to open, I was taken aback as this man lifted me up in a bridal style.

After we got out of the elevator, the employees were just staring at us but also bowed their heads, so did the employees we passed. They bowed. It wasn’t too awkward for me to lift this guy up.

Arriving at a large office, he took me down on the sofa and told me not to come down here until he told me, then he went to a big office table.

I looked around this office. For an office, it’s overwhelming. He was stationed in a large space. The towering building stood out prominently, making it impossible to miss behind the man’s back. My seat is like a mini living room, with a sofa and a TV attached to the wall.

I just lay down on this long sofa until a food arrived. After I eat I felt sleepy until I couldn’t stop my sleepiness and fell asleep.

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When I woke up I still to sit here on the sofa while staring at my reflection on the 62 inch flat-screen tv.

I sighed and looked again at the man, who was now still at his table. “Aren’t we going?” I asked. I don’t want to interrupt him also I want to go out to this place.

It’s already ten in the evening and we still haven’t come home and he still doesn’t answer my question.

I just sighed and scratched the tip of my nose in annoyance. If I only had money with me and if I hadn’t left my cellphone at his big house, I would have run away earlier.

“Can I turn on the tv?!” My voice was loud when asked that question but I didn’t hear any answer whatsoever. “Then don’t.” I whispered.

When I felt like peeing, I stood up. “Where’s your bathroom here?” I asked the man, but he did not answer me again. I hesitantly rise, anticipating his anger towards my decision to stand. “I will go to your bathroom?”

Enraged by his lack of anger towards my intentions, I began my search.

I first entered the first door I saw. There are three more doors here. One was almost just next to the tv, which I first opened. After opening it, it was a walking closet. But the next door I opened was the bathroom. When I entered here, I urinated and washed my feet. I dried my hand first before coming out.

After I came out of the bathroom, my heart almost jumped with shock when as I see him—then the man who kidnapped me. “You surprised me.” he took one of my hands and wore a, “Is this a wedding ring?” I asked as he put a gold ring on me.

I was about to remove the ring, but he grabbed my hand and pulled me to the sofa where he had pulled me earlier. I was surprised when I saw an old man and another man who seemed to be the same age as this man.

“Hello, my name is Edward Fernandez. And, you are?” Introduce the man, then he extends his hand to shake hands.

“I’m Carla Christine Zabala, but you can call me Christine.” I also introduced myself and I was about to touch Edward’s hand, but the man grabbed my hand.

Then, I realised I had been with this man before, but I did not know his name yet.

Instead of being annoyed, Edward laughed as he stood up and the old man then informed the two of us they we will leave.

When Edward and the older man left, the man went with me to his table again. And I looked at the papers that were on the table. I shouldn’t have ignored this paperwork but, after I saw this marriage contract and my sight struck the name and my signature, I took it and read it.

“What... What is this?!” I asked in disbelief as I scanned these documents. “Who signed it?! Are these legal documents?”

I looked at the man who had taken the brown envelope from his table. I didn’t wait for him to come to me, but I came to his table. And, when I reached his table, I found myself getting distracted by the many bond papers on his desk, where my signature was written several times.

I looked at the man again. “You signed this marriage contract? I’m married to you? I don’t even know your name.”

“You are my wife now.”

“What? No.”

He was handing me the brown envelope he had taken from the table. “What’s that again? A divorce paper?”

“I will never give you those documents. Read on.”

I first laid the marriage contract on the table and then took the brown envelope he gave me and then opened it and looked at its contents.

“What is this?” I frowned as I asked. I’m confused about what is stated in this documentation. My brain can’t process what I’m reading right now.

“Your Auntie and uncle sold you to me, as well as your company and house.”

I glanced at this man. “What? Me, sold? I don’t get it. Why would I sell my company to you?”

“The Auntie and uncle who took care of you have a gambling addiction.” They always lose until they owe me and have nothing to pay.”

“How much do they owe you?”

“Ten billion dollars.”

“What?!”

I threw the papers in this man’s face. “I don’t believe in this thing!” I shouted at him.

“Don’t worry, I have an offer for you to pay off their debt and get rid of me in your life.”

“What?” I stuttered and asked.

“You.”

I frowned at his answer.

I was just surprised when I pulled my body closer to him. I was stunned because I could see more how perfect his physical features were.

“By the way, my name is Yuichi Yamamoto.” He said in a lower husky voice, then kissed me on my lips.