Chapter 4: The Auction

ISABELLA

"Damn it, I have to escape. There's no way I'm letting myself be sold at an auction! I'm not that cheap." I muttered to myself, staring at my reflection in the mirror—my curves emphasized by the shimmering, silk of the nude, form-fitting gown. I shook my head, a tremor running through me. "Absolutely not. I'm not going into that auction."

A knock sounded on the door. My eyes widened as I recognized the man's voice—Caspian's bodyguard.

"Miss Isabella, are you ready?" he asked.

I bit my lip, anxiety twisting in my gut, and glanced at the window. Damn. No escape. Was jumping my only way out of this hell?

Before I could decide, the door burst open. Danica's mother, Jessica, stood there, her face contorted with rage, but a flicker of something else—fear?—in her eyes. "How could you cremate your father without giving him a proper funeral? How could you do this to him?"

I clasped my hands together, trying to remain calm. "Jessica, I did hold a proper funeral for my father..."

"And he wasn't there! He wasn't in the casket. What kind of funeral is that?"

"After everyone betrayed us—after they stripped him of his titles and left him to die in disgrace—why would I leave my father's body in a casket for them to gawk at and mock? No way. Cremating him and keeping his remains at his home was the only respectable thing to do," I said calmly without blinking my eyes.

Jessica stumbled back, her hand fluttering to her chest as if she'd been struck. Then she scoffed as she stared at me, "You're so full of yourself, Isabella," she spat, her eyes raking over my gown with undisguised contempt. "Look at you now—dressed like some cheap entertainer, ready to be paraded around like livestock." The words dripped with nastiness, a cruel satisfaction in her tone. "If I were you, I'd learn to keep that arrogant mouth shut. No one in this building will lift a finger to help you. They'll watch you fall, and they'll enjoy it."

"I know." I replied with a smile.

Her grip tightened on my shoulder, her fingers digging into my skin. "Someone might buy you tonight," she hissed, her voice low and threatening, "but expect to be treated like a dog, nothing more than a plaything. Your father is dead, Isabella. Face it Stop acting like you're above everyone else!" 

Then I pushed her away, "My father never loved you, Jessica. Face it." 

"No! Where is his urn? I want it now! It belongs to me!" She shook me, her eyes wild, a desperate, almost frantic need in her gaze.

I just smiled at her and raised an eyebrow, "Do you hear yourself right now, Jessica? You sound like a desperate mistress." 

The bodyguard stepped forward, pulling Jessica away. "Escort Miss Jessica out," he instructed the other guards.

Jessica glared at me. "We're not finished, you little brat!"

The guards dragged her away, but my focus had already shifted. Escape. That was the only option.

"Wait here," I said, a plan forming.

"And where are you going?" he asked, his voice flat.

"Is that a serious question?"

"Yes, Miss Isabella."

"To the washroom. Do you want to come?" I asked, my tone dripping with sarcasm.

"It's on the ground floor. We can't return to your room and time is running out, Miss Isabella. The auction starts in ten minutes."

I walked toward the elevator. "Fine."

The elevator doors opened onto the ground floor. This was it. My chance.

I spent a few frustrating minutes in the washroom, struggling to open that small window up high. It just wouldn't budge. It was so easy in the movies, wasn't it? I'd always thought escaping was a piece of cake. That is, until the door burst open, and three guards stormed in, looking for me.

Find her, now!" the chief guard barked.

"If we don't find her, the boss will skin us alive!" the other guard said, his eyes wide.

"Miss Isabella! The auction is about to begin! Where are you?" the guard called out, his voice filled with worry.

I sighed. Damn it. I was out of options. I had to face this living hell. I wanted to break down and scream for help, but Jessica's words echoed in my mind: "If you do that, no one will lift a finger."

Damn it.

Forcing myself, I stepped out of the washroom. The guards immediately grabbed me and dragged me to a room where everyone was waiting. I gasped as I was pushed into a massive stadium packed with people, many of them familiar faces from the elite industry.

Someone put the blindfold on my eyes and whispered, "It's time to shine, my dear cousin." Then I heard her laughter, mocking me.

"I'm gonna tear you apart, Danica," I whispered back.

The auction's atmosphere pressed down on me, a suffocating weight of dread threatening to drown me in fear. I yearned to escape this personal hell but trapped as I was, I had no choice but to endure, clinging to the fragile hope that someone, anyone, would rescue me!

A shockingly high bid ripped through the tense silence as the auction began. "One hundred thousand dollars," a deep, intriguing voice declared. 

A collective gasp rippled through the room when a man of undeniable power and terrifying reputation countered, "One million dollars."

Then I heard someone say, “That’s Dante Belluci!”

I gasped, tearing off my blindfold, my gaze locking onto the man at the center of the room.

Heads swiveled, eyes wide with shock, as everyone turned to the man who dared to bid such an exorbitant sum without hesitation.

He radiated an aura of raw power, a dangerous smirk playing on his lips as he stared directly at me.

Well, he's not bald, not old, and definitely not a dirty old man. I should be grateful, right? But why is my stomach doing flips while I stare at his undeniably handsome face?

Caspian's face flushed with anger, and then he snapped, "Going once, going twice?!" Before he could finish, another elderly man's voice boomed, "Thirty million dollars!"

The man was unfazed, smirked, and calmly stated, "Five hundred million dollars. She's mine." And with that, it was over. 

My heart shattered, knowing a stranger now owned me. But even as despair threatened to consume me, a plan began to form, a grand, audacious plan….

But who is this man? Why does he look so familiar?