Chapter 1: THE AUCTION

"You should get married soon, Zeke." Marahang sabi ni Mr. Devereaux while his hazy eyes inspected every strand of hair on his son who is sitting on the sofa across him.

Zeke Devereaux—ang nag-iisang anak at tagapagmana ng Insight Company. A mystery-shrouded insurance company who only accepts the top 1% of people from the society.

"There's no need to be afraid of those rumors Dad, hindi nila tayo kayang galawin." Zeke lowered his tea cup as he leaned his back on the couch.

"It's better to avoid getting suspected Zeke." Zeke scoffed at his father's words.

"The government can't touch us Dad, 'yan ay kung gusto nilang mawala ang biggest conglomerate na sumusuporta sa funding ng armory nila." He said proudly.

"You don't know how far the government can go in terms of rooting out all the Westarian spies lurking here in Estria." May tono ng pagbabanta sa kanyang boses habang hindi tinatanggal ang mariing titig sa anak.

Zeke inhaled deeply as irritation began growing on his chest.

"Siguro'y hindi mo alam dahil limang taon kang wala dito sa syudad..." Mr. Devereaux paused as he took a deep breath."but EEA agents are more active and rampant here in Noirville. They knock on the suspected spies' houses and drag them without showing any warrant." He said seriously with the hint of fear escaping from his every words.

"So natatakot kang bigla nalang silang pumunta dito at kaladkarin ako patungong headquarters?" The built-up annoyance is slowly pouring out from his words.

"Will they really arrest me just because I'm already 27 and not married? That's bullcrap!" Singhal nito at minasahe ang kanyang noo.

"Hindi mo naiintindihan..." Nagsimula ng tumaas ang boses ng ama."the point is matagal kang nawala sa Noirville and you came back exactly when a possible war is about to break between Westaria and Estria." Saad ni Mr. Devereaux habang dinuduro ang anak.

"So you're telling me I'm a spy sent by Westaria?" Zeke sarcastically said as he laughed bitterly.

"All the descriptions fit you Zeke, unmarried and—"

"How does my marital status be a factor in determining if I'm a spy or not? That's nonsense!" He interrupted as darkness loomed over his face.

"Spies are always alone, they move individually. That's where our government based their judgement on." Mr. Devereaux said calmly and picked up his fountain pen to scribble some figures on the flat piece of paper lying on top of his desk.

"What a nonsense." Zeke scoffed, "Alone or not, anyone can be a spy. Most of the times, those who unlikely seemed to be one were actually the spies blending in society." He hissed insisting his point.

"It doesn't matter. I want you to get married at the end of the month. Wala akong pakialam kung sino o saan ka kukuha ng babae. I want to see you wed a woman before this month's end, before the people and the government start to get suspicious of you." Mr. Devereaux said with the tone of authority.

"What!" Gulat na tanong ni Zeke. "Anong kinalaman ng succession ko ng kompanya sa pag-aasawa ko?" Singhal nya nang napabulalas siyang tayo sa kanyang kinauupuan.

"I don't need an heir who's under suspicion of being an Estrian spy! Palalagpakin mo lang ang stocks ng kumpanya!" Sigaw ng ama nang itinaas nito ang ulo upang tumingin sa anak na kanina pa naiinis sa mga pinagsasalita niya.

"At least set me up with someone kung gusto mong makahanap ako ng mapapangasawa agad", reklamo nito.

"Kapag hinahanapan umaayaw ka, ngayong ikaw na ang pinapahanap ko nagrereklamo ka pa rin. Ano nalang bang gagawin ko sa'yong lalake ka!" Sumbat ni Mr. Devereaux as he stares directly at his son.

"Matanda ka na, ikaw na'ng bahala sa buhay mo. I don't care kung saan kang lupalop hahanap ng papakasalan." His father said indifferently. "Get married or lose the position. I can find many eligible executives na kaya akong palitan sa pwesto." Banta ng ama.

"Ponder through it careful—

Natigil nalang sa pagsasalita si Mr. Devereaux nang marinig niya ang paglagabog ng pinto sa kanyang opisina. Zeke left him even before he could finish his last sentence. He was left there standing and dumbfounded.

"That insolent bastard never changes." Mr. Devereaux cussed as he sat back and resumed what he was doing.

--------------------

"Are you sure about this sir?" Jomer asked me as soon as I exited my black Mercedes.

"He said he doesn't care." I shrugged and looked up at the high-rise building standing in front of me.

Just like what the rumors say, the darkness looming in this street will mask all of the secret identities and underlying activities of anyone who will come here.

"This is a perfect place for bride-hunting." Sabi ko sa sarili ko as a smirk crawled into my lips.

I entered the hall where I'm supposed to procure a 'bride' that I'll wed based purely on convenience.

I fastened the golden mask given to me by one of the guards from the entrance. The mask obscures the upper part of my face while exposing the lower regions of my cheeks, and my lips.

A golden mask to symbolize my position as a VIP of this auction. Matagal ko nang kakilala ang nag-o-organize ng auction na'to. They only hold this once every month, at masuwerte ko itong nataymingan.

After minutes of waiting, the event finally started. The first batch of ladies went up the stage—all of them on their bikinis to give the clients an 'overview' of the 'products' they're selling.

Nakaguhit sa mga mukha ng mga babae ang hindi masabing takot, hiya, pangamba, at galit sa mga taong bumenta at kasalukuyang nakatingin sa kanila.

Our country have a long history of human trafficking long before the Great War happened between Estria and Westaria fifty years ago. It became rampant since then as many crime organizations profited from it.

Runaway girls, divorcees, foreigners, even minors, and girls who have nowhere to go to and led astray.

"VIP 2 raises the bid to 5 million solaries" The emcee shouted as the bidding for item three started.

I paid no attention. Wala sa mga babeng nakatayo sa stage ang hinahanap ko. Yes, they have good figures, but I'm finding for something that I don't even know what's it really about. Maybe an attribute that will keep me bidding for her no matter how high the cost have already reached.

After an hour, the first batch of women were already sold at sumalang na nga ang second batch.

Not long after, I found what I was looking for in a woman labeled 'Item 10' who stood in front of the crowd with her head held high up, paying no attention to the glowing eyes that seemed to engulf the every inch of skin showing from her slim body.

"You're going to be mine." I whispered beneath my breath as I raised my paddle and started bidding for her.