CHAPTER 2 : PATHS COLLIDE

CHAPTER TWO - PATHS COLLIDE

While the guests waited, Cassius emerged once again. The guests murmured and expressed their disappointment due to the delay.

"It's all fine, it's all good. I promise you all, we have something hot coming something delirious and one of them will be revealed now."

Some of the guest exchanged looks, wondering what could be hotter than having their sexual needs satisfied.

"Drum roll, please," Cassius smiled openly.

"Here comes The Slender Beauty. Incoming." His wide grin faded into a devious smile as he squinted his eyes and glanced toward the curtains at the side of the stage in the showroom.

He felt proud of himself for having gotten hold of such a high-status girl like her. He knew his guests would desire her once they recognized her face and more desire for Slender Beauty meant more money for him.

At the mention of Slender Beauty, she was dragged into the limelight of the showroom. She struggled against the bodyguards who were trying to strip off her robe, but she was fiercer than ever.

The code of conduct was this: whenever a girl was called out, she would strip off her robe, catwalk from left to right, and give a 360° turn twice. But Scarlet refused to play by the rules.

One of the bodyguards managed to undo her robe, but Scarlet bit his hand. Her teeth sank deep into his skin, making him scream. He had to let go of her immediately. Next, she spat into the eyes of the other guard, and the struggle continued while Cassius stood and watched in disgust and anger. The guests began whispering in low tones, which quickly spread throughout the room.

The talk among them was that the young lady was Scarlet Blackwood, the daughter of the late finance billionaire Bradley Blackwood. And it posed the question: What could she possibly be doing here?

The news tabloids had reported that she had been sent to a rehab facility due to drug addiction. And now, suddenly, she was here in front of them, struggling.

Some of the guests contemplated having her for themselves or not while others wondered how it would affect their reputation if it was revealed that they were involved with her illegally, without her consent. After all, she was from an affluent family.

But then again, she was a sexy young girl who was always making headlines for her fashion statements because of her dashing figure and for measuring up perfectly to the trending beauty standards. She was like a celebrity, and now, for once, they could at least get a hold of her.

Besides, they trusted the expertise of Cassius. He had run this secret bidding for years, it just couldn't flop.

While the bodyguards still struggled to keep her restrained, Scarlet insisted on her own path. By that time, it had become a mini-chaos, which the guests found amusing, but Cassius found it very disrespectful. She was indeed proving to be stubborn.

"That would be enough. Let her be."

A deep bass voice interrupted the chaos. It was smooth, sending a low rumble that commanded authority.

A sudden pause occurred, and everyone's eyes darted toward the direction of the command.

It was Leonardo Rutherford—one of the deadliest men in the room, a well-known drug lord and magnate. Immediately, the room went cold.

The boss silently signaled the bodyguards to release her.

"Let's hear your starting price," Leonardo said, his calm voice laced with keen interest.

At that moment, Scarlet snatched the rope that held her robe from the bodyguard, using it to hold her robe back.

"Starting price is five million dollars," Cassius said.

The majority of the guests expressed shock at the high rate of the starting price. It wasn't that they couldn't afford it, but it was extremely high compared to the girls they had purchased before. Yet they were desperate; therefore, the bidding began.

"Seven million," one of the guests said.

"Eight million," another guest staked.

"Nine million."

"Ten million," another said.

"Twelve million," Leonardo voiced, and the room went cold again, introducing a shrouded silence.

Scarlet was shocked, just like everyone else. She read Leonardo’s countenance and could swear that he was out to get her.

"Do we have any more bidders here?" Cassius asked, reeling with joy.

"Thirteen million," another guest replied.

"Fourteen million," another guest added.

Leonardo observed the room, remaining calm and waiting for the right time to strike.

"Fifteen million."

And the bidding continued.

"Eighteen million dollars," another guest staked.

Scarlet's heart was beating faster than she could keep up; she really felt like a product—just as Cassius had initially addressed her and the other girls. She couldn't believe that someone was willing to pay that much for her.

Suddenly, she couldn't control her eyes. She found herself glancing back toward Leonardo, hoping he would bid higher. Something about Leonardo felt genuine—soft and reassuring—as though she was magnetized to his being.

"Do we have more bidders?"

"No, we don't," the guest who bid last replied, already calculating his incoming fantasies.

As the tension in the room grew higher, an unexpected twist occurred.

"Thirty million dollars," Leonardo staked higher while scrolling through his tablet.

"Thirty million dollars it is!" Cassuis said happily. The former bidder glared at Leonardo angrily.

While Cassius proceeded to stamp Scarlet's name tag, Leonardo took a quick glance away from the headline news on his tablet.

The headline read: "Scarlet Blackwood, Heiress to the Blackwood Finance Conglomerate, Diagnosed with Substance-Induced Psychosis—What Does the Future Hold?"

He watched as she was being dragged away after getting stamped. Their eyes locked—for a reason they both couldn't understand—except for the fact that their paths were about to collide any moment from now.

She was finally his to have.