There will be Consequences

AURELIA

I walked slowly, taking steady breaths as I neared the room. Other bottle girls’ glanced at me, eyes widening as they whispered behind me

I didn’t need to hear them— I could already tell what they were saying. This was a reckless move but I couldn’t stop now. I needed to know what was happening in there because, for some reason, I felt it had something to do with me.

“Christ! Raven! What the fuck are you doing?” Darla’s voice made me jump out of my skin.

I pressed a finger to my lips. “Shush.”

She crossed her arms while looking at me like I was crazy. “Don’t tell me you’re trying to go in there.”

“Fine. I won’t.” Now, if you’ll excuse me?”

I stepped forward, but I was yanked back so hard that I nearly crashed into her.

“I’m not letting you go in there,” she whispered while looking around us. “Are you trying to get fired?”

“I just need a glimpse.”

“What if there’s some cannibalism shit going on in there?”

That irked me, but I shrugged it off. It couldn’t be that bad…whatever was in there.

I took a deep breath. “Only one way to find out.”

Darla rubbed her temple, clearly tired of me. “Whatever. You’re not dragging me into this one.”

She bit her bottom lip nervously, then added, “Whatever you find…tell me.”

A satisfied smirk tugged on my lips. Trust Darla to poke her nose where it didn’t belong.

Once she was gone, I descended the three-foot steps that led to the dark corridor where the entrance stood. With each step, My heart hammered and my breaths grew shallow.

Camouflaged completely in the darkness, I placed a shaky hand on the doorknob, my palm slick with sweat.

My mind screamed at me to turn back—If I got caught, I’d have to bear the consequences. But I couldn't… I’d already come this far.

I exhaled deeply and twisted the knob slowly, pushing the door slightly open to peek inside. Fortunately, the door opened without making a creak.

Peeping through the narrow gap. I couldn’t see the whole room, but I got a glimpse.

A stage. A podium at at the front.

I nudged the door open wider and my heart sank.

That’s when I saw them.

Women stood on the podium, completely naked. The only piece of clothing they had on was the blindfolds wrapped around their eyes. Their arms were stretched above their heads and shackled in chains fastened to a post, Their bodies displayed like meat in a slaughterhouse.

My brows furrowed.

What the fuck was going on here? Was this some kind of BDSM play?

A man in a suit walked onto the stage and yanked the chains of one of the women, making her yelp. From her facial expression, she was crying.

Mixed emotions of anger and confusion surged through me like a roaring wave as my fists clenched.

This wasn't fair. Why were they treating these women like animals?

I should've left at that point, but my feet remained glued to the ground, my eyes fixated on the woman being held.

“This one is going for 200,000$” the man announced.

A gasp escaped me when realization dawned on me. I suddenly felt someone’s gaze prickling at my skin. When I looked away from the stage, my eyes landed on a man.

It was the same man who had stopped me at the bar, and his eyes were fixated on mine.

Cold spikes shot down my spine as blood drained from my body.

Run!

I shut the door gently, careful not to draw attention, then bolted as fast as I could. By the time I got to the dressing room, my breath came out in sharp gasps.

Making sure to lock the door, I caught my horror-struck reflection in the mirror.

How long has this been going all along?

Women were being auctioned like objects. It wasn't new to me– I’d seen this before. The mafia thrived on it, and it disgusted me.

My mind was racing. Did that man recognize me?

I shook my head. He wouldn't have. He only saw my eyes.

Right?

Whatever it was, I only had one thing to do.

I had to get out of here, as far away as possible.

The one place I'd thought they wouldn't find me was still connected to the mafia. I was starting to believe they owned everything in the world.

A sudden knock on the door made my heart jump.

I grabbed the hairdryer on the dresser as a weapon and walked towards the door.

“Who’s there?” my voice came out shaky.

“It’s me. Open up.” Darla’s voice came from the other side of the door. “Are you okay? I saw you sprinting like you were being chased.”

Relief washed over me as I unlocked the door.

I froze.

Darla stood at the entrance, with the man who'd caught me earlier behind her. He pressed his gun at her skull while wrapping his free hand around her neck. The hairs on my neck stood on alert as my heart thudded violently against my chest.

“Let her go,” I pleaded, my voice trembling.

“And why should I take up your offer, Raven?” he sneered, his smile mocking.

“I won’t tell anyone what I saw… so please, just let her go.”

He pressed his gun deeper into her skin and Darla shut her eyes, her lips quivering in fear. “I’m getting impatient.”

Panic burned through me. This was all my fault. If I’d just minded my business, I and Darla wouldn’t be in this mess.

“Take me instead. You want me, right?” I challenged, trying hard to mask my fear.

Darla’s eyes widened in shock.

He scanned me from head to toe, danger and lust lurking in his empty eyes.

“You’ll make a good price.”

I lifted my chin defiantly. “Of course.”

He shoved Darla aside, and I surrendered.

“Raven! Wait,” Darla held my hands, tears streaking down her face. It was the first time I saw her cry and it broke me.

“Whatever you do, don’t tell anyone about this,” I told her, and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, “I'll be fine.”

A tear slid down my eyes as I was dragged away. That'll be the last time probably see her again.

I planned to run away–I was good at that. And when I succeed, I won’t come back here. I wasn’t going to risk anyone’s life again.

The man dragged me until we got to the auction room, then took me backstage.

“Undress,” he ordered and I obeyed. I didn’t have a choice. I peeled off my clothes with trembling hands while holding his gaze. I wasn’t going to show an ounce of fear or defeat. I wouldn’t let him break me.

His eyes swept down my naked body and the corner of his lips tugged in satisfaction. He moved behind me and wrapped a blindfold over my eyes, blocking my vision.

When he was done, he grabbed my arm and pulled me until we stopped. I tried to see through the blindfold but all I saw was darkness. A pair of hands suddenly grabbed my wrists and bound them in chains, then yanked them hard until my arms were stretched above my head.

I stood on my tiptoes to lessen the pain in my joints, as my gut wrenched.

The auction went on, till it finally got to my turn.

The commentator placed a hand on my shoulder. “I heard this one is a fighter. She’ll go at 800,000$.”

My heart sank. This was really happening.

Voices filled the hall, auctioning their prices till they stopped at two million dollars.

Bile rose in my throat. How sick were these people that they would spend that much to buy a woman?

Silence lingered in the hall until a voice broke it off.

“Ten million dollars.”

I gasped.

My pulse quickened as I tried to struggle to free myself from the chains, but it was useless.

“Sold,” the commentator rang. “Thank you all for coming tonight, gentlemen.”

The chains loosened from the post and my arms came free. Without thinking twice, I bolted but was yanked back immediately, falling to the ground. My body was wrapped with cloth and my blindfold came off.

My gaze focused on the pair of expensive polished shoes in front of me.

“Look up,” the man ordered, his voice eerily familiar.

I clenched my jaw, trying to resist.

“Look up, Aurelia.”

Ice shot through my veins. How did he know my name?

The moment I lifted my eyes to meet his, all the fear I'd buried came crashing down in suffocating waves.

Vincenzo Vittore.

My father’s sworn enemy. The man responsible for my brother’s death.

Panic exploded in my chest and my instincts screamed at me. I rose to my feet and dashed, but I’d forgotten the chains clamped around my wrists until he pulled me back like an animal.

I crashed into him, breathing heavily as tears rolled down my eyes. He wrapped his arm around my waist, locking me in place. Pounding my fists against his chest, I tried to free myself from his death grip.

Without saying a word, he leaned in. Before I could react, he pressed a piece of cloth against my nose.

A thick, suffocating smell filled my lungs.

I thrashed, my body fighting to stay awake but the darkness grew. My limbs went numb, and my vision blurred.

My body fell, but I never hit the ground.