Chapter 1

1

Sabby

My eyes widened as numbers flashed on a digital screen. They glowed in red after a series of loud buzzers sounded. I even felt colder now that I finally realized that the bidding was almost over.

Somebody just won a virgin. God, please help me. I think I just want to die right this moment.

The noise was deafening, and I almost covered myself with my arms. I was nearly naked—wearing a thin, golden-colored pair of panty shorts, paired with a gold-colored bra. Everything on me was gold, right down to my shoes.

Gold confetti showered down from the ceiling, a signal that they had chosen me—a virgin woman lusted after by men. What's so special about a virgin? It’s bewildering.

I glanced around, crying. The stage was intensely bright, enclosed in glass. It felt like I was in a cylinder, unable to see anything but the red buttons lighting up each time a man placed a bid on me. As for the people, there was nothing but darkness outside this cage.

I looked up at the numbers displayed above the stage.

15,000,000.00

That was the final bid placed by the man who would now own me, head to toe. The most painful part of this was knowing that my father would collect a commission. Once I reached a million, my recruiter would earn. And in this case, my own father was my recruiter.

The thought tore my heart. Many praised my beauty at Mrs. Villagracia’s house, calling me beautiful. But that so-called beauty had become my own father’s way of making money. If it had been for my twin siblings, I might feel slightly relieved—but it wasn’t. That’s what hurt the most. How could Papa do this to me? Tears spilled over again as I bowed my head.

My trembling hands held the mask I had worn earlier.

"We will now proceed to the last and final stage of the bidding, the trade," a soft voice over the speakers made me look up.

Suddenly, women dressed in red appeared, draping a golden robe over me. I looked at them, dazed, my face soaked with tears. I didn’t care if the mascara they were dabbing on me smeared, making me look like Dracula.

They pulled me along, and though I tripped over my high heels, I followed them. I had no right to resist, and even feel less of the courage I needed. Where would I even run if I didn’t want to go with them?

They led me into a room after a long walk down a corridor, where the women left me with Mrs. Villagracia.

The woman looked at me immediately, holding her cigarette.

"Get yourself together, Sabiana. There’s nothing you can do. Look at this. Who would have thought you’d be bought for 15 million? You’re incredibly expensive. Your father must be thrilled. He has more money for his gambling habit," she told me.

"M-Mrs...c-couldn’t the commission at least go to my siblings?" I asked her tearfully.

She took another drag from her cigarette, filling the room with a strawberry scent.

"I’m not obliged to take care of your siblings. Your father is there; let him handle it," she replied, and I bowed my head, crying again.

"Oh, stop it!" She scratched her head irritably. "Stop crying already. It won’t change a thing. Now get dressed! Your clothes are over there," she said sharply, pointing to the bed. On it lay another set of underwear, shoes, and a white robe.

I walked over slowly and picked them up.

"Are these what I have to wear? Isn’t there something...more decent?"

"Decent?" Rebecca raised her brows at me mockingly. "What do you want, a Filipiana or a tradional dress? That’ll be gone in seconds once the buyer has you, so what’s the point? If you ask me, don’t bother putting that on at all. It’s pointless. And don’t drag your feet; the man who bought you values his time. You’re lucky—this is his first time he joined, and he dropped a huge amount to get you," she rambled on.

I lowered my head, slowly changing into the new underwear. I put on the shoes and robe. As soon as I was ready, Rebecca grabbed my arm and practically dragged me out of the room like I was a toy.

I nearly tripped from the speed, and I was startled to see two men dressed in black waiting outside the room.

"Careful. The boss doesn’t want any scratches on her," one of the men said, making me look up at him.

They were both extremely tall, over six feet. The boss didn’t want me with a scratch. I wasn’t sure if I should be relieved or even more terrified.

No saint buys a virgin woman, that was something I needed to remember. All the men here bidding were agents of darkness. Most of them probably had wives but were still looking for young, inexperienced girls to use for their sexual pleasure.

“You’ll be in trouble if she gets hurt, Rebecca,” one of the men said, “Instead of a commission, you might end up getting a coffin instead.”

A chill ran down my spine at the man’s words. He was smiling, but it wasn’t a good joke. It sounded all too real to me.

“I-I’m sorry. Please don’t tell the boss. I’m just in a hurry to... to deliver the girl to him. I know his time is precious,” Rebecca replied, pretending to fix my hair, “Just look at her, her mascara is all over her eyes. What will the boss say? That’s why I’m upset.”

“The boss has already seen her looking like she has a black eye, yet he still bought her. So just stop it, we’ll take her. I’ll bring back the fifteen million. Just wait here.”

Rebecca nodded like a docile sheep. I wanted to resist and throw a fit, but I didn’t. How could I escape from here? Even if I exhausted all my strength in crying and fighting, it would do me no good.

Papa. Papa was to blame for all of this. I was afraid that the moment might come when my younger siblings would end up like this. I couldn’t allow that. At that moment, I might end up killing my own father, something I didn’t want to happen.

When would Papa ever change? I asked myself as I fought back tears. My feet kept moving even though I felt that I drained all my strength. I didn’t know if there was still a future waiting for me. So much was happening in the world right now, so many people were being killed. I was terrified that this might be my last moment and that the man who bought me wasn’t just lustful but also a sadist who would kill me after he was done with me.

I would plead for my life with that man. No matter what he did to me in exchange for the fifteen million he spent, I just hoped he wouldn’t kill me, for the sake of my siblings who were waiting for me to come home.

I didn’t expect we would go up to the rooftop. I felt like I was drowning when the vast top of the building greeted me, and I was welcomed by the cold wind. I could almost see the entirety of the sea and the surrounding greenery that looked too dark because it's already midnight. I couldn’t see any lights except for those that were far away from where I stood. It only meant one thing.

I was not in the city. I was far from Manila. I didn’t know where I was. In the middle of the rooftop was a red helicopter that suddenly started to whirl its blades, making me almost step back. A man immediately grabbed my arm.

“You’ll get stuck in the elevator door,” he said to me, and I looked up at his face.

They led me to the helicopter. I didn’t know what I felt now; all I knew was that I was nervous. How did Miss V bring me here? Miss V, but in real life, she was a Mrs. I assumed they must have put me to sleep before I arrived here because I would have surely freaked out from my fear of the helicopter.

But now, I had no time to panic. My body felt utterly exhausted. As we approached the aircraft, my anxiety surged as I thought about seeing the man who bought me. He must have been incredibly wealthy since he owned a private plane. This helicopter was not old either. Its shiny red paint looked brand new to my eyes. I could see it because we're surrounded by lights.

They opened the door, and I gasped for breath. A man who was surely much older than me would greet me, possibly around the same age as my father. They say wealthy old men are fond of young girls.