Chapter 4: Branded

ANGELA

As we stepped into the living room, I stopped and asked the muscular man, "Excuse me, sir. Who owns this house?"

"Master Richard," he replied tensely.

When I looked around the living room, where Richard strode toward the grand stairs, I saw him glaring at the driver with bloodshot eyes.

"Get out, Derek!" Richard ordered, and the driver quickly ran out.

I gritted my teeth, wondering how I'd ended up with my sister's boyfriend.

"Master Richard, please, let me go home," I begged him, trying to negotiate.

I knew it was futile negotiating with this ruthless man, and I blamed myself for accompanying Isabella to his birthday party.

"Don't call me that," Richard grunted, glaring at me.

"Huh, what do I call you then? My sister's boyfriend?" I asked him, and his eyes narrowed.

Richard came downstairs and strode to meet me.

The next moment, he was standing in front of me, his firm hands clasped around my neck.

"You are so stubborn, unlike the calm kitten I saw at my birthday party. What happened to you? Do you want to be punished?" he asked, his voice hot and rough as his fingers caressed my face.

Richard was taller than me, and I gulped hard. His masculine scent of tobacco invaded my nostrils and scattered my thoughts, before I could give him a direct answer.

"No. I don't want to have anything to do with you. Please, let me go home," I begged him once more.

"Hmm," Richard breathed out, hot and low.

"What will it take to make you believe you belong to me? Do you think it's a lie? Take a look at the receipt." Richard pulled out a receipt and showed it to my face.

My hands grasped it as I read the content.

"PRODUCT NAME: ANGELA MORAGA. SOLD: FIFTY MILLION DOLLARS," was written boldly on the receipt, signed by the Dark Realm Auction manager and by Richard himself.

"But I never agreed to be sold," I told him, tears welling up in my blue eyes.

"Please, I have a dream to become a surgeon. I don't want to become your sex slave. Please…" I cried, collapsing at his feet and clutching his legs to beg him.

"Please, let me go home. I will do anything you want. Just let me go." I pleaded. "I don't want any of this," I cried, begging him, but Richard crouched down and reached for my hands.

His fingers held mine and pulled me back up to my feet.

"You're not so dumb, are you? You're not going back home to your parents. You belong to me, and I want you," he said, his voice firm. His eyes glowing with desire and interest.

"No way. I don't want you. You can't rápe me. You'll go to jail if you force yourself on me!" I warned him, meeting his stare with a deadly one of my own, and he laughed, looking breathtakingly handsome.

"Haha! Who said I would force myself on you? I don't force myself on women. They offer themselves to me on a platter of gold, and I take pleasure in taunting them. You never asked your sister about me, did you?. She'll tell you I've never touched her pụssy, nor do I know the color of her lingerie," Richard said, moving away from me and striding to his bar.

His phone rang, and he pulled it out and glanced at the caller.

"Hello, Derek, what is it?" Richard asked, his cold voice making my heart skip a beat.

If he doesn't want sex, then why did he purchase me?

"Let her in," Richard ordered coldly, and I turned to see the living room door burst open.

A tall young woman wearing a black coat and black leather trousers and boots walked into the living room.

She carried a black bag strapped over her shoulder.

"Good evening, Master Richard," she greeted him with a bow of her head.

"Welcome, Agnes. Wait a minute in the dressing room. I'll send her to you now," Richard replied, dismissing her as Derek walked in next.

"Where's the dressing room?" the young woman asked, and Derek immediately chimed in.

"Follow me." Derek led her away, and I saw her eyes glow with interest as she looked at him.

"Alright," she replied, glancing away from me and smiling as she followed him.

"Please, Master, let me go," I said, recalling that Richard had warned me not to call him by his name. He hadn't told me what to call him instead.

Richard remained silent as he picked up a bottle of wine from his bar.

"Care for a drink? It's non-alcoholic," he asked with a smile, but I shook my head and replied, "No. I want to go home."

Richard smiled, took a sip, and looked at me.

"You're not going home. I'll inform your parents, and as for your schooling, you'll resume classes at Top Hills University, since you want to further your education. But I warn you, Princess—you're not allowed to have a boyfriend or get close to any man. If you dare break the rule, you'll be severely punished," Richard stated, drinking from his cup.

"Really? Thank you." I felt relieved and smiled.

"That's not all. Don't get too excited. The tattoo artist is here. Once she's branded you with my name—I want it at the top of your chest, close to your heart, so you'll always remember who you belong to—you'll sign the contract to abide by my rules. Understand?" Richard asked, and I frowned, not wanting his brand.

Richard finished his drink, set down his cup on the bar and marched up to me, where I stood hesitating to agree to his request.

His hand grasped my hair and tilted my face to look at him.

"Did you hear everything I said?" he demanded, looking at my face angrily.

I pressed my lips together, not wanting to reply.

Richard's gaze shifted from my eyes down to my lips.

He lifted his hand and caressed them, touching my pink lips with thumb covered in black gloves.

I smacked his hands away from my lips, but he held me firmly and lifted me off the ground, carrying me in his strong arms.

"Put me down!" I screamed, but it fell on deaf ears as Richard marched away.

He arrived at a room door, and a maid I hadn't seen earlier unlocked it for him.

Richard stepped into the room, and Agnes, the young woman from before sat in the room's chair and rose immediately to look at us. There was a full-length mirror in the room.

"Agnes, brand her chest with my full name. I want any man who looks at her to know she belongs to me," Richard stated, setting me in the chair.

"No! I don't want your brand. Please…" I tried to beg him, standing up, but Richard pulled out his gun and pointed it at my head.

"Sit properly and let her do the job. Then we move to the next step," he ordered coldly, and I knew he was out of his mind.

I hadn't expected Richard to have a gun.

Seeing the cold metal pointed at my head, I dared not push him further, and I gulped hard.

"Stay still, pretty. I'll tattoo Master Richard's name properly on your chest," Agnes said in a soft voice, but I glared at her.

I couldn't speak, with Richard standing there watching us.

He withdrew his gun once he saw me seated calmly, and stated, "Agnes, once you're through, let me know, and make sure you tattoo my name boldly—with italic font. Make it lovely and dark, like me." Richard smirked and left the room, and I frowned.

"Alright, Master Richard," Agnes replied, but Richard had already exited the room.