Chapter 2 - Ten columns, ten men

Her identity was a mystery to all

For she didn't fit into a single mold

The world judged her for her strange ways

But she stood tall, unfazed by their gaze

The whole place, Victor's mansion, looked like a temple. It stretched so distantly that it was hard to tell where the beginning and end were.

But you couldn’t overlook the front entrance.

A big black crow with spread wings was on the golden door - one wing on the left part, the other one on the right. It made you think it was the entrance to another mysterious world. So visible even at night - the golden light lit it up from the back. It seemed to be burning with vivid flames of eternal destruction. 

The gate opened, and the very first thing Bianca saw on this dark evening was the door with a burning crow. When the limousine drove on a long driveway, and the gate closed, she felt thirsty, her mouth completely dried out, and something like a scorching heat wave flooded her body. Bianca thought she would turn into steam or smoke, powerless, submissive and without control. 

They drove along the alley lined with stony statues of characters Bianca didn’t know. Their eyes remained hidden in the cold gloom of the night. 

Finally, Bianca restored contact with her own body and realised the door had been opened. The driver was already outside waiting for her move. 

"Ha! You must be joking! You let the damn villager shoot the bird down first. What a loser!", a young man just over twenty shouted over a big room where ten columns supported the high white ceiling. The guests gathered in the circle like teenagers at school during a break. 

"Shot up, Michael! If I needed any of your stupid remarks, I would ask you!", another man replied with fury. His eyes were lit, and he was ready to punch Michael just to quiet him. Because he didn’t want them to see his hand trembling, so he drank all the wine from his glass in one go. His mouth took up the red colour. 

"Oh, Jay got angry!", Michael rubbed his eyes like a crying baby to mock Jay’s behaviour.

"Call your mom! She will surely hide you under her skirt!"

Everybody burst out laughing, and just because someone grabbed Jay by his suit, the fight didn’t start. Then an older man in elegant black clothes majestically entered the place of congregation. He was clean-shaven, and his sharp facial features gave him a look of a rigorous man. No one would dare to mess with him. No one even moved - their eyes dropped, avoiding eye contact with the house host. 

Soon after, the older man greeted everybody with his silence, they heard some steps. The lads followed the host’s gaze. Some of the men looked through their arms. A young girl was standing right next to the door. Even though she didn’t have any makeup, her skin was spotless. She was as white as snow from the highest cloud. Bianca wore nothing elegant - just a blue jumper, black jeans and trainers. 

Her clothes stood out entirely from the rest, but no one cared about it. Instead, they all dived into her beautiful dark eyes, in which anyone could drown like in the ocean. Another thing that drew their attention was the perfect proportion of Bianca’s body, including tempting but at the same time innocent lips. 

"Come closer, my child.", a hoarse and a bit muffled voice interrupted the moment of awe. Mr Victor sensed the tension, which like lightning, electrified everyone in the room. But he remained completely calm, not showing any sign of excitement. 

Bianca trembled at the metallic sound of her granddad’s voice. She took a small step, but then she froze. So Victor crossed the space between them and took her hand. 

"Don’t be afraid, Bianca. Let’s stand together in the middle."

Victor pulled her hand a bit, so she had to follow him. When they finally reached the centre of the surrounded by columns space, she felt petite, like a doll put up for an auction. She sensed every single look of these men piercing her from her toes to the tip of her head. Bianca didn’t have enough courage to lift her eyes. Instead, she stared at the shiny floor, where she saw her reflection. 

"Boys! Quickly take up your places. Pick your column and stand right next to it.", Victor clapped, and each of them was already on his spot. Coincidentally, Jay and Michael took place right next to each other.

The old but still showing a sign of strength man looked around. Every column was taken. The candidates were all dressed in black. They stood full of themselves with their heads up and eyes fixed on Bianca. 

Victor smiled unnoticeably, filled with satisfaction. Finally, his plan was about to come true after such a long time. 

Complete silence fell all around. Everybody was waiting for the next point of the whole congregation. And that was up to Bianca. Victor gently touched her chin and lifted it a bit higher. In front of her eyes appeared the first candidate. 

"Take your time, my dear.", Victor whispered into her ear, which caused shivers to go down her spine. Bianca wanted badly to run away, but his hand still held hers. 

"Don’t feel intimidated. Just look around and pick your match. Look into their eyes. As you might know, eyes reflect one’s heart." 

For a moment, Bianca forgot that Victor’s mischievous plan was to lock her in a golden cage. The tone of his voice was in no way overwhelming or patronising - it made her feel even a bit safer and taken care of. She didn’t expect that from a person who treated Melany, her own daughter, in such a cruel way. 

"And don’t rush.", he continued with his soothing voice. "You’ve got the whole night to make a choice."

Victor put his hand on her back. Bianca trembled as if suddenly the warm shower turned icy cold. The old man sensed that. He just looked at her from the corner of his eye and smirked discreetly. 

"Each of the boys represents a distinguished family from all over the world whose roots reach the XVI century, which is uncommon today. Some of their ancestors took part in the most significant moments in human history and changed the course of events. Now they all belong to a secret association whose purpose is to work on making them even more potent than they are now. 

Victor continued silently, almost whispering with his eyes squinted. 

"When you marry one of them, you will gain a high status for yourself and all of us, having offspring with the same blood circulating in veins."

Bianca listened to her granddad with her eyes wide open. After Victor’s explanation, an intriguing thought came to her: What do they need me for? 

She didn’t even realise that she had just whispered that question, hypnotised by the full of intensity gazes of the men. Victor’s ears caught it, and putting his finger on the wrinkled lips, he resumed his lecture:

"That’s an excellent question, my child. I’m glad it didn’t escape your attention. You must be aware that every family, even the most distinguished one, needs fresh blood from time to time to conceive a new generation. And it is more complicated than you think. They can’t admit into the family a random person. It must be someone who can be trusted. There are enough conspiracy theories circulating the world. They don’t need those so-called crazy people to be proven right."

Victor paused for a second and looked closely at Bianca. She seemed lost, but her smart eyes indicated she didn’t miss a single word of his speech. Having made sure that she understood him, he carried on:

"Thanks to me, my dear, and the invaluable connections I’ve been working on all my life, you’ve got a chance to get closer to the top of the pyramid of power and open the way to your children for a bright future. Who knows where it might lead them?"

Bianca’s eyes grew bigger at the mere sound of the word children. Of course, she had realised the responsibilities of a wife long before the meeting, but then it became so dangerously real. She felt so scared that she wanted to run away. ,

Instead, Bianca managed to pull herself together. An image of her sick mom appeared in her head. That’s for you, mom. I’m doing it just for you. 

Victor believed his explanation was sufficient to proceed with the next stage. He still had some doubts if his granddaughter didn’t have any suspicions. Before she could gather her thoughts, he clapped and said, turning around to see everybody:

"OK, guys. Do us a favour and introduce yourselves."

Then it started. The first one stood right in front of Victor and Bianca. 

"I’m Jeff Rutenrod. I am 21 years old." His strong voice echoed throughout the whole place. He didn’t show any fear. Instead, his square jaw made it clear that he was a go-and-get man. 

"I come from a family whose roots date back to Henry VIII, the king of England."

A moment of profound silence fell once again. Bianca swallowed her saliva, and she did it so loud that she thought it was heard all over the place. 

"Excuse me, gentlemen. I haven’t set the order. Let’s go clockwise.", Victor broke the silence. 

The next well-built man with a red signet on his finger cleared his throat. 

"I’m Augustin, 22 years old. My great-great-grandfather made a career as a bookkeeper under the rule of the King of Sardin, Emanuel IV…"

And then the other one. 

"I’m Samuel, 19 years old…"

"I’m Thiage, 25 years old…"

"I’m Philip, 23 years old…"

"I’m Dave, 24 years old…"

"I’m Bruno, 18 years old…"

"I’m Ethan, 27 years old…"

And with a bit nervous voice: 

"I’m Jay, 23 years old…"

The last one to introduce himself was Michael, also 23.

He seemed to be cheerful or even amused by the whole situation. Having finished a quick summary of his family line, he smiled at Bianca, showing the whitest teeth Bianca had ever seen. She blushed, not knowing whether he was making fun of her or wanting to give her some comfort. 

But Bianca was far from it. 

After the whole round of many various male voices and a variety of intensive gazes at her, an awkward silence took over the space. Then, finally, it was Bianca’s turn to make another step. 

Although it was she, who was supposed to pick the one, she felt like prey surrounded by blood-thirsty wild beasts. She was about to pass her own life over into the hands of her future lord. It was like selling herself on the market with animals. 

Victor! You’re a ruthless monster! I will never treat you as a part of my family. You’re mine and my mom’s worst curse! , Bianca shouted to herself, feeling fury burning a hole inside her. But she had to resist - she could not forget that her mom’s life was at stake. 

  Everybody’s eyes were fixed on her. Then all of a sudden, she felt dizzy. Everything around started to spin. Her legs became so soft that she fell to the ground. 

"Bianca!", a worried voice shouted her name. Suddenly so many heads appeared above her lying on the glossy floor. The last image she remembered was one of the guys’ faces. She saw an illuminating spark which moved in a circle around his iris. It could have been her imagination, but she had an impression that those eyes belonged to a wild animal. 

With that feeling, Bianca lost consciousness.

Victor didn’t come across as being moved by it. Instead, he let the guys care for her and take her to the sofa, standing under a big green flower. Watching the whole fuss, he checked the inside pocket of his jacket. The contract was ready. It awaited just two signatures: Bianca’s and her chosen one. 

Victor wasn’t worried or anxious by any means. There was still much time to place these signatures before sunrise.