Page 140 of Morally Corrupt
The guard leading my leash passes me to last night's host, looking mightily disinterested until he hears my name uttered. Then his eyes widen, and his mouth curls up.
"This should be interesting," he says, and he takes the leash. I again do my best to look scared and intimidated by all the men around me. He pulls me towards the backstage, and without warning, he pushes me onto the stage.
I stumble in the process and fall precisely in the middle of the stage, where the light focuses on me.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the latest addition tonight. The daughter of the notorious Martin Ashby. Someone personally plucked the little bitch from her posh mansion and dropped her on your laps. Let's see how much you're willing to pay for her."
The crowd shout, and with my hair covering most of my face, I cower and furtively look around. I can see the VIP balconies, but the lighting makes it hard to discern who's inside.
At this point, the host's already raising my value, and people are clamoring for it.
It's all going so fast I can't keep track of who's bidding.
* * *
"Six million." My head snaps around at the number, and I hear the host again.
"Anyone else?…" No one dares to raise the number further, so he declares, "Sold! ToEl jefe." To the boss? Hope blossoms in my chest.
Two bouncers come and take my leash.
One walks behind me and one in front of me. They take me off the stage, and they lead me back to the tunnels.
Strange…
As I look around, I realize it's an entirely different area from where the cages are located. Even though this is still underground, the pathway is better lit, and instead of cells, there are doors on each side of the hallway. The bouncers stop in front of one of the doors and knock.
"Come in," a voice says from the other side. One of them opens the door and leads me inside. I have to blink twice to let my eyes accommodate to the blinding light.
The room is decorated in a Louis XIV style with a huge double poster bed full with gilded curtains. The furniture is just as ostentatious. At the back of the room, I can make out the figure of a man. His back is to us, in front of what looks to be a decanter.
The men push me inside the room and silently take their leave, closing the door.
I take a few steps inside to get a better look at the man. Something isn't right…
The host clearly said I was sold to the boss, but the man in front of me doesn't look old enough to be Jimenez. In fact, he seems to be around Adrian's age.
Carrying a glass in his hand, he slowly turns around, and his eyes look me up and down.
Yes, definitely not old.
"Who are you?" I ask, doing my best to memorize his face. His most distinctive feature is the scar that bisects his right cheek. He's not an unattractive man, but there's something about him…
There's a glint in his eyes that makes me instantly wary.
"Who am I?" He chuckles and casually goes towards the bed, where he makes himself comfortable and continues to watch me. I'm tempted to glare at him, but I need to remain in character.
"Yes…" I try to make my voice tremble.
"Your new master," he says simply, and I decide to prod a little further.
"You are… Jimenez?" My voice is small, and I square my shoulders so it looks like I'm intimidated.
"You could say so." He smirks.
"Jimenez is my father." His hand shoots up, and with a movement of his finger, he beckons me to him.
I obey—finally, some reliable information.