"You will face many defeats in life, but never let yourself be defeated."
-Maya Angelou-
***
Levana was walking back from her work like usual that evening. She had night shift that day so after cleaning up and everything, she returned at around midnight.
Usually, nothing really happened to her and she managed to get back home safely. However, she forgot that the street of London could be unpredictable at times.
When she was about to turn around, someone grabbed her and quickly placed an alcohol infused cloth over her mouth. She was struggling to fight back, but it was futile.
Whoever kidnapped her was far stronger than her. She was running out of oxygen and inhaling the alcohol only made things worse. In the end, she passed out and everything turned dark.
The next thing she knew, when she fluttered her eyes opened, she was already placed in a cell and they had changed her clothes as well into a white night gown which resembled a lingerie.
“Ah, Cinderella is awake.” She heard another woman’s voice and turned her head around. In the same cell, there were four other women.
They were all wearing the same clothes as she were and the one speaking earlier was this woman with bob cut black hair and blue streak.
“Who are you? Where am I?” Levana asked. She was panicking inside, but showing that she was panicked wouldn’t work in her favor, so she tried to maintain a calm composure and asked with a firm tone.
“You’re at the back of the auction house, just like the rest of us.”
“Auction house? No, I can’t be here. There has to be a mistake.”
“Oh, believe me, everything that’s happening here is a mistake. But just like us, you don’t really get to make the choice.” The woman said, there was despair in her voice.
Levana took a few more minutes to observed her surrounding better and realized that there were two guards guarding the door to the outside and they had their eyes on the women.
“Do you know why we are here?” She asked the woman again.
“I didn’t at first, but I shouted at the guard there, asking him some questions. Apparently we are going to be auctioned off to some wealthy folks.”
“Wait, are you telling me we are held hostage by human traffickers right now?” Levana was still in disbelief. Just a few hours earlier, she was a free woman who was living her normal life like usual.
“Yes, you can say that.” The woman replied casually. She was not sure if the woman was already hopeless on the inside or if she was naturally that chill. She believed no one could be so chill at this situation, so it must be the first option.
“Hey, no talking!” Looked like her conversation with this woman caught the attention of the guard and one of them shouted from the door, silencing them.
Levana had no choice but to remain silent since she didn’t want to find out the consequences of doing otherwise.
She was in an unknown territory, uncertain of the rules, she needed to play safe for the time being and not surrendered to her impulse to cry and scream.
As she waited in silence with the rest of the women, her mind started to wander around. How did things end up like this?
As an immigrant from Palermo, Italy who moved to London in hope for a better life, she was just trying to create a better life for herself by working as a retail sales associate and as a part time content writer and creator as well.
Her life couldn’t be more ordinary. Levana was a woman who already had her whole life planned out in advance. She loved her routine and structure.
To have all of those plans, dreams and hope shattered in a blink of an eye because she was kidnapped made her feel so frustrated.
She didn’t have anything to do, so she closed her eyes and before she realized it, she fell asleep. The next time she woke up, it was because she heard the sound of her cell being slammed with metals.
“Wake up, here’s your last meal here. In a few hours, each one of you will be auctioned off. You better pray whoever’s buying you has good intentions.”
The guard shoved a tray of bread and mineral water inside the cell. There were five of them yet he only gave three pieces of bread and three bottles of water.
“I’m hungry.” One of the woman slowly walked toward the bread and grabbed one of it along with the water bottle.
Two others followed and the two people who didn’t get their share was Levana and the woman from earlier.
“Looks like we will have to fast this time. If the guard’s words are true, it’s our last day here. What are you going to do once you’re out?” The woman from earlier asked her.
“I don’t know.” Levana answered truthfully.
“Well, I am not a religious person, but at this point, I am hoping for some kind of miracle.” The woman answered.
Although she looked a little scary at first, so far, this stranger was the friendliest person she met in that cell. The others weren’t really interested in talking to her at all, which was understandable considering the situation they were in.
“What’s your name?” Levana asked her.
“My name? Oh, it’s Morgan. Morgan Phills. What’s yours?”
“Levana, Levana La Rosa.” She replied.
“You have a beautiful name and a beautiful face, I am sure you will be bid at a higher price. Who knows, maybe some wealthy old man out there falls for you and you can have a better life than you did before.”
Levana was not sure if this woman was being sincere or sarcastic, but she thanked her either way.
Around an hour later, the guards returned back again and opened the cell.
“It’s time for the auction, you’ll be going first.” He said as he grabbed one of the woman on the cell. That woman was fighting back and tried to free herself by kicking the guard in the balls.
However, the other guard came inside and quickly punched her, causing her to fall to the ground.
“Shit! You punched her face!? Now she’s not going to sell well.” The guard who was recovering from the ball kick said as he pulled the woman from the ground.
“See, you made some bruises on her face!” The guard said angrily.
“Well, what do you want me to do!? She was kicking you at the balls and tried to escape, if anything you should be thanking me. Just put some makeup on to cover the bruises and we should be good.” The woman who got punched was sobbing uncontrollably before she was dragged out of sight.
Levana’s heart nearly dropped when she saw what happened to that woman. These people were violent. She could only imagine what would happen to her if she dared to resist like that woman did.
“Are you shocked? Well, that’s a normal reaction. This is why we shouldn’t fight back. These people are way stronger than us. We need to keep our composure and do what they want us to do.” She paused for a moment before smirking.
“At least for now.” Levana didn’t understand why this woman could be so casual and chill about it. She could only imagine what kind of life she must have been through.
Within an hour, the other two women were dragged out to be auctioned off. It was only her and Morgan left in the cell.
“You know, Levana. We only know each other for a short while, but I think you’re a good girl. One day if we ever meet again in one piece, I’ll treat you a drink.” She said before the guard came back and opened the cell door.
“Now it’s your turn.” He came inside and pulled Levana’s hand. She learnt from the first woman not to resist and she turned her head around to glance at Morgan one last time.
Not sure why, but she had a feeling she would see her again in the future.
After she walked pass by the door, she walked upstairs and was led through the hallway. What surprised her was how different the rest of the building was compared to her cell room earlier.
It was like two completely world. The ceiling was high and adorned with several crystal chandeliers, the floor was made out of marble and the interior could only be described as luxurious.
While walking, she could see all kinds of expensive and antique looking things on display. It was a world she had never seen before.
They finally stopped in a backstage room and she saw this large round cage which reminded her of a bird’s cage.
“Get inside.” The guard from earlier pushed her and she had no choice but to enter. The moment the door was locked. The floor underneath her suddenly opened and she was going down ever so slowly.
“Dear Lord, what’s going to happen to me now!?”
"No one expects the rug to be yanked out from underneath them. Life changing events don't usually announce themselves."-Slash-***Kilian was seated on the VVIP seat of the auction house. He couldn’t believe he had spent two hours sitting there, watching as the women got auctioned off. Truthfully, it made him sick to his stomach. He was no saint, that was for sure. However, he had his own code of honor, he never abused or exploit women and children.If it wasn’t because of his association with the Black Skull, he would never come there to begin with.The women who got sold off, most of them would probably be used for some type of high end sex work. Even though all of the guests were wearing mask that evening, Kilian could still recognize some of them just by their attire and build alone.The people who purchased these women owned high end bars and clubs. God knew that drinks were not the only things served at these kind of places.Most of the women came from relatively low income ba
"Every single second is an opportunity to change your life because at any moment you can change the way you feel."-Rhonda Byrne-***“You will be much safer back in my place than here.” Kilian withdrew himself and reach out his hand to her to take. He reached out his hand to her.Even though Levana knew deep down she couldn't trust this man just yet, what other choice did she have at the moment?They left the room and headed to the parking area. He was riding one of his Bentley that day and there was a chauffeur already waiting for them.The chauffeur opened the door for her and she entered the car.Levana who always rode public transport or walked everywhere she went was not used to this sight. She already knew Kilian was not an ordinary man as he just spent fifty million pounds on her. To have this kind of comfort and luxury, it didn't feel too bad.Levana was naturally a quiet woman. She was not shy, but she was quiet, so she remained silent and Kilian didn’t like the silence bet
"Your naked body should only belong to those who fall in love with your naked soul."-Charlie Chaplin-***Levana finished the last bite of the steak and felt satisfied. For the first time in a while, she was eating a delicious meal like this.Before, she always had to budget and cooked mostly at home, but her cooking skill was just mediocre, so the food always turned out okay, but not the best.Never in her life did she ever think her best meal would be given to her by a man who just purchased her off an auction home.“Now that’s done, what should I do next?” She wondered. She rose from the seat and placed the tray of empty plates outside just like people did in the hotel and then looked around the room.Apparently, she didn’t just get her own room, but also her own bathroom with a personal bathtub. She had not showered for a whole day and was starting to feel uncomfortable.“I should take a bath. I’ve never tried it before.” She told herself before removing the white lingerie dress
"You can't fake creativity, competence or sexual arousal." -Douglas Coupland- *** Kilian headed back to his room after the chaos earlier. Levana had only arrived for a few hours yet so many things happened with her. It made Kilian wonder if bringing her back to his place was a good idea. She was not a troublesome woman, but he was a little afraid that Maximus or the other men would give her trouble. She didn’t know anything about his true background yet. If she knew, she would probably end up hating him and feared him. He didn’t want that. So, Kilian planned to keep her in the dark for as long as possible. He removed his clothes and revealed his well-sculpted body. Being an active man both in sport and business, he always maintained a good physique. There were a few scars he got from his days in the military and the days of rebellion. He didn’t think there was anything from with them, though. If anything, he was proud of the scars. They made him who he was and he would never ex
"Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change."-Stephen Hawking-***The next morning, Levana woke up and did her usual morning routine. She brushed her teeth, washed her face, took a quick shower and got ready for the day.Only this time, she didn’t know what she was supposed to do for the day. She was someone who liked structure and schedule. To have nothing to do felt wrong to her.“I guess I should just grab a meal first.” She got out of the room and headed to the elevator and pressed the first floor button and it brought her to the ground floor.When the elevator door opened, she saw a few staff in the living room, cleaning up the space for the day.“Hi, do you mind telling me where the dining room is?” The place was huge and she knew she would end up getting lost if she wandered off on her own.“Sure, please follow me.” The young maid answered and she
"The greater the contrast, the greater the potential. Great energy only comes from a correspondingly great tension of opposites."-Carl Jung-***Levana got the key to the library and unlocked it. The library was not as huge as some of the rooms in the house and it was a little dusty.Looked like the space has not been used in a while, which was understandable considering no one in the house seemed to be into reading.She walked through the book aisle and realized the collections they had there were really great. Whoever gathered these books together must have a passion for them.From fictions to self-development books, everything was curated in perfect order. If only members of the family such as Maximus would spend time and read these, he might have a better character.She took one of the book which caught her attention. It was a book on dark psychology.Even though Levana was working in retail befor
"Do not be lured by the need to be liked, better to be respected, even feared. Victory over your enemies will bring you a more lasting popularity."-Robert Greene-***It has been one week since Levana started living in the Osborne manor. Her daily routine almost looked the same.She would wake up, got ready, had breakfast with the Osborne brothers in the morning while keeping her distance with Maximus.Then, after Kilian left for work, she would clean his room and office, which looked surprisingly normal.She was not going through his stuff, but from what she could see on the surface, there were nothing suspicious.However, that day was a little different. Kilian didn’t come home alone. He came with three men in suit who looked like they belonged to a gang or something.All of them had fierce look on their faces, they were not particularly huge or anything, but they didn’t seem friendly at
"Betray a friend and you'll often find you have ruined yourself."-Aesop-***Half an hour later, the door to Kilian office opened and two men dragged the maid who tried to poison him earlier and threw her to the ground.“She was trying to run away, we found her climbing the gate but got her before she could.” Emmett, the younger one of the two men told him.“Good job, thank you.” He said and the man nodded before guarding the door to make sure the woman wouldn’t be able to escape.Kilian rose from her seat and saw the maid who was already crying and pleading for her life. She still looked relatively young, maybe in her late thirties or so.“Please, spare me. I was just taking order. Please, I still have a daughter. I can’t die yet!” She pleaded. If the situation was different, maybe Kilian would have spared her.But if there was one thing he couldn&rsquo