My flee was a failure.
The loan shark caught me. To be precise, they kidnapped me out of force. And no one in the world cares, even if I went missing all night.
They covered my eyes with a blindfold as they took me somewhere. I couldn’t ask where because they put duct tape on my mouth.
‘So, this is how I’m gonna die?’
I heard that illegal lenders used force and violence to scare the debtors. Will they bring me to the cliff's edge and kill me with a gun?
[“I don’t care if you don’t have money. Because I know a way you can pay me back. Use your body.”]
When I recalled the boss’s words, every hair on my skin stood up. I knew he had no plan of killing me. No businessman would like to kill his goods. And yes, I am the goods.
Waiting for what will going to happen, I clenched my fists above my lap and listened carefully to my surroundings.
‘The car stopped.’
“Get out!”
Followed by a loud voice; a firm grip pulled my arm and dragged me out of the car. I couldn’t see where I’d go, so I let them take me.
The ground was flat.
There was the smell of cigarettes, used boxes, thick dust, and rust around the place.
When I heard my steps echoing, I imagined I was inside a huge storage room or secret warehouse.Now that I am here, the anxiety kicked in.
I kept asking myself if I would die here as if dying wasn’t a big deal. But deep inside, I knew I was damn scared and that I was barely pulling my spirit from coming out of my body by diverting my mind.
“Sit down!”
‘Ack!’
Two men pushed me down on a chair.
‘That hurts.’
Sitting cluelessly, I began to hear conversation near my side.
“I am sure you will definitely like it.”
“I have high anticipation.”
Steps. Steps. Steps.
As the steps grew louder, my heart pounded for a one-second beat.
“Do you usually sell women?”
“No. This is my first time selling one. Her father died before paying his debts. Then, you approached me and asked me if I had a woman to sell. Since she had no money, I thought I could sell her to you.”
‘They were talking about me.
Raw anger shot through me as I swallowed the frustration.
How can they decide about my life just for money?!
“We’re here. That’s the woman, Sir.”
The steps stopped.
“The body is good. But I couldn’t see her face. Take off the blindfold and the duct tape.”
Someone untied the blindfold. I opened my eyes, but my sight was still blurry. I had to blink a few more times to adjust to the sudden light. Then, my eyes looked forward.
In front of me, I saw two men.
One was the loan shark boss.
The other, I have no idea.
He has droopy eyes, long blonde hair tied with a ponytail, a straight nose, a small face, and angelic looks. He might be the prettiest guy in the world.
But then again, I have no time to get mesmerized by a villain’s beauty.
‘He came here to buy a person. So, he is an assh*le too.’
“Ahhh!” I shouted when I felt the stinging pain around my mouth.
My eyes automatically glared at the person who pulled the duct tape without warning.
‘I thought I lost my mouth.’
“I like her,” the pretty man said, which pulled my gaze back to him.
He rubbed his chin while scrutinizing me from head to toe. That made me feel creepy.
“She’s perfect,” he added before clapping his hand as if he just finished watching a fabulous theater piece, and the red velvet curtain fell. “How old is she?”
“25.”
“Work?”
“Just finished college.”
“Has boyfriend?”
“Well, if she has, we can just beat her boyfriend and threaten him to break up with her.”
Weirdly, I heard something that makes sense. It’s unfortunate that Mikhail and I have broken already. I could have someone to take my revenge on him. What a waste.
"Ohhh. If that’s the case, then that’s good," the blonde man said. "I don't care how much the price is. So, give her to me."
“$5 million.”
“Five million dollars?”
“The lady has a good face.”
‘Wait. He will sell me for five million dollars?! My father’s debts are only $2.5 million!’
Hah!
Look at me worrying about how greedy this man is. 2.5 million or 5 million, the ending is still the same. I will be sold!
“All right. I’ll take her.”
“As expected from a man like you. When will you wire the money?”
The blonde man gestured toward the other man standing behind him. Then after seconds…
“Finally received,” the loan shark boss said with a wide smile while looking at his phone screen.
It was so fast.
With just one word and one click, I was sold.
I glared at the blonde man who paid my father’s debt and bought my whole body. He met my gaze and then smiled.
“Does she bite?” he asked, tilting his head. “She looks like a cat that will scratch me with claws.”
He walked closer to me and observed my face.
‘Disgusting rich brats!’
I trembled just by looking at evil men like them!
“Don’t worry,” the loan shark boss said. “If she even tried to escape or harm you, we will catch her and kill her immediately.”
Right.
No matter how angry I am, I have no power right now.
No family. No friends. No money.
Everyone left me.
Without knowing, I am already crying. I only realized that I was when I saw big drops of tears drizzling down my legs.
“Hush now,” a warm voice called me, and then I felt a hand touching my cheek.
Slowly, I looked up and met his brown eyes.
“Don’t cry. As long as you obey me, I won’t kill you,” he said.
Is he… comforting me?
The man who bought me for $5 million was giving me comfort?
‘What a load of b*llshit!’
“From today onwards,” He continued, “I am your master, and you are my slave. If you play nice, I'll treat you well."
Couldn’t contain the disgust any longer, I spit on his face.
‘Pwe!’
My saliva shot onto his cheek, which made him close his eyes.
‘I have no regrets. He deserves it!’
“Just kill me,” I said while gritting my teeth.
His trembling hand wiped the saliva off his face. He chuckled huskily before looking back at me. And then…
Pak!
He slapped my face.
The tingling sensation spread on my cheek. My widened eyes slowly peered back at him, and my whole system quivered when I saw the cold expression on his face.
He looks like an ax executioner who was about to sentence me right now.
“Don’t test my patience, my dear slave. I am crazier than I look,” he said before smiling sweetly at me.
‘Crazy!’Third Person’s POVBrett had spent the entire day cleaning his younger sister's room. Now that the whole Olive mystery was finally solved and he was free from its clutches, he felt a sense of relief. He neatly packed all of his sister's belongings into boxes and stored them in the cabinet. The only thing he left out was the picture frame of him and Olive.Exhausted from the day's cleaning, Brett lay down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling."Man, that was exhausting," he grumbled, pretending to wipe sweat off his forehead.As he turned his head, his gaze fell upon the picture frame on the table. Sitting up, he leaned against the headboard."So, is this really the end?" he pondered.He had brought justice to his family's tragedy and Ian Grim had been punished. He no longer needed to keep Agatha by his side since their slave contract had ended. Soon, Agatha would be going to Argentina.It felt like the climax had passed and a happy ending was on its way."A happy ending," Brett thou
Agatha’s POVIt's been a whole month since everything went down. Today, I hung out with my friend, Sebastian."Agatha," he said in a serious tone. "Are you really sure about your decision?""Hmmm?""That," he murmured."Ahhh," I nodded, understanding what he was referring to. "Yes, I'm pretty sure."I saw him nod his head before he kicked a small rock that was lying in the middle of the road."Hmmm," he whispered.I looked up and saw the inviting blue sky, urging me to have some more fun today."There are so many bad memories in this place," I said. "So it's better for me to leave."Exactly.Even though I'm gazing at this beautiful sky above me, the horrifying scenes keep replaying in my mind over and over again. Sleeping at night is the worst, as nightmares never fail to haunt me. It's hard to breathe and even harder to cry when my tears have run dry.The only solution I can think of is to go somewhere else.Will it help me forget my past?Maybe yes, maybe not. Who knows if I don’t t
Third Person’s POVIn the afternoon, Vincent made his way to the prison to visit his father. Without any visible emotion, he entered the visiting room and took a seat.He slowly raised his head and saw his father sitting across from him, his wrists bound by handcuffs. Between them stood a rectangular glass door with small holes in the center and a larger hole at the bottom, allowing for hand placement.His father, who had always carried an air of arrogance and elegance, now appeared weathered by the sun. Dark circles lingered beneath his eyes, and his lips were dry and cracked, as if he hadn't tasted water in days. It seemed as though he had aged rapidly.As Vincent gazed at his father in this state, he felt nothing. There was no emotional response to seeing the old man before him."I thought I would be left alone until the end," Ian remarked.Vincent kept his slanted eyes cast downward."But it seems you, out of all my sons, cared for your parent the most. If only I had known, I woul
Agatha’s POVAs I stared at the termination contract, the goal I had set for myself to escape slavery suddenly felt within reach.Brett explained, "This contract means you're free from working for me."I glanced at Brett, noticing his tired and puffy eyes. I wondered if he had been crying all night.The reason Brett had asked me to seduce Lanceil Grim was to uncover the truth behind his sister's death by investigating the Grim family.And now, the mystery was finally solved. Olive, Lanceil's former wife, had died after discovering a secret place beneath the mansion where she saw Mrs. Susan Grim, who was supposed to be dead. Ian Grim had killed his daughter-in-law to keep the truth hidden.The crumpled paper in my hands brought back memories of all the terrible things he had done. Not only did he hide his wife, but he also caused the deaths of hundreds of people on that plane, stole a corpse, killed Olive, my dad, and ultimately, murdered Mikhail.He was sentenced to death by the court
Third Person’s POVInside the ambulance, a sense of claustrophobia always lingers. The confined space is filled with activity, from the paramedics tending to Maxine's wound to the police officer urgently demanding that she survive.Despite the chaos around her, Maxine remains calm, feeling the chill of the ambulance seeping into her body. As time ticks by, the pain in her wound subsides, leaving her with goosebumps and a pallid complexion. Her eyes grow heavy, her breaths shallow, amidst the cacophony of urgent voices.“It is Code 3. Code 3!”A life threatening emergency code 3, her faint vital signs and sirens rang on her ears.‘Ahhhh, I am going to die,’ Maxine realized, and by the time she did, she could not stop the grin spread on her bloody lips.They say time is like a tissue. With every minute that passes before treatment, more body parts that should be pink will turn white or blue, and white or blue equals to dead. Maxine could feel that in any moment she can be at Code 4, the
Third Person’s POVA few days later, the trial against Mr. Ian Grim commenced. Surprisingly, Jake Dawson, despite his deep sorrow over the loss of his son, received a lifetime sentence. The trial concluded smoothly, but it was evident that Mikhail's demise was a result of Ian's deceitful plan. Jake, harboring no sympathy for his acquaintance, saw no reason to protect Ian's reputation. In fact, he desired a more severe punishment for him. Consequently, Jake bravely disclosed the truth in court, leaving Ian with little opportunity to refute the allegations.Nevertheless, Ian remained seated in the courtroom, delusionally believing that he still had a chance to escape his fate. With an unsettling lack of remorse etched on his face, he anxiously awaited his verdict, his wrists bound by handcuffs.The prosecutor declared, "I intend to summon Wayne Jetts as a witness, your Honor."Sebastian took his place on the witness stand and glanced at the spectators. Among them, he locked eyes with Ag