The Bride's Auction
1687 Words
The black SUV drove through the city in complete silence.
Amelia sat pressed against the door, her wrists trembling in her lap. Tears had dried on her cheeks, leaving behind faint streaks that she no longer bothered to wipe away.
She had cried enough.
Begging hadn't worked.
Screaming hadn't worked.
Even calling Richard "Dad" one last time hadn't changed his mind.
He had sold her.
Like she was nothing more than an object.
She swallowed the lump in her throat and looked out the tinted window.
The familiar streets slowly disappeared.
The busy markets...
The cafés...
The apartment buildings...
Everything she had ever known was left behind.
Soon, the SUV entered an unfamiliar part of the city.
Tall trees lined both sides of the road.
Luxury mansions stood behind towering iron gates.
The deeper they drove, the quieter it became.
Finally, the vehicle slowed to a stop.
Amelia looked outside.
Her eyes widened.
In front of her stood an enormous black mansion unlike anything she had ever seen.
It looked less like a home...
...and more like a palace built for monsters.
Several expensive cars were already parked outside.
Men dressed in tailored suits stepped out one after another.
Some wore expensive watches that probably cost more than Amelia could earn in ten years.
Others were surrounded by heavily armed bodyguards.
Everyone looked rich.
Everyone looked dangerous.
The rear door opened.
"Out."
Amelia didn't move.
One of the guards sighed impatiently.
"Don't make this difficult."
"I don't even know why I'm here," Amelia whispered.
"You'll find out soon enough."
The guard grabbed her arm and led her toward the mansion.
As soon as they stepped inside, Amelia froze.
Crystal chandeliers sparkled overhead.
Marble floors reflected the golden lights.
Soft classical music floated through the air.
Champagne glasses clinked together as elegantly dressed guests laughed and chatted.
It looked like the grandest party she had ever seen.
Until she noticed the girls.
They stood silently along one side of the hall.
Each wore a beautiful white gown.
Each had a number pinned to the dress.
Some were crying.
Others stared blankly at the floor.
A few looked completely defeated.
Amelia's heart sank.
"What... is this place?"
No one answered.
A woman wearing a black dress approached her with a polite smile.
"This way."
Before Amelia could protest, the woman led her through a long hallway into a luxurious dressing room.
Several makeup artists immediately surrounded her.
"What are you doing?" Amelia demanded.
"Please stay still."
"I said what are you doing?"
One of the women gently brushed Amelia's hair.
Another removed her old clothes.
"No!"
Amelia stepped backward.
"Don't touch me!"
The woman in black sighed.
"You'll only make things harder for yourself."
"I don't care!"
"I'm leaving."
She turned toward the door.
A guard blocked her path before she could take two steps.
His expression remained emotionless.
"There is no leaving."
Fear tightened around Amelia's chest.
Within minutes...
Her worn clothes had been replaced with an elegant white evening gown.
Her hair fell in soft waves over her shoulders.
Light makeup highlighted her natural beauty.
When someone placed a mirror in front of her...
She barely recognized the girl staring back.
She looked beautiful.
Beautiful enough to be displayed.
The realization sent chills down her spine.
A young woman standing nearby quietly wiped away her tears.
"What... is this?" Amelia asked again, her voice barely above a whisper.
The girl looked at her with pity.
"You really don't know?"
Amelia slowly shook her head.
The girl's lips trembled.
"This is a bride auction."
Amelia blinked.
"...What?"
"We're being sold."
"No..."
"The highest bidder takes you home."
The room suddenly spun around Amelia.
"No..."
"This can't be real."
"It is."
"I won't let anyone buy me."
The girl smiled sadly.
"I said the same thing."
A loud bell echoed through the mansion.
The girls instantly lowered their heads.
"The auction is about to begin," one of the attendants announced.
One by one...
The girls were escorted out of the dressing room.
Amelia's breathing became uneven.
She wasn't going.
She couldn't.
As soon as the guard reached for her arm, she shoved him with all her strength and ran.
Her bare feet slapped against the polished marble floor.
She ignored the shouting behind her.
She ignored the guards chasing her.
Freedom.
She only needed freedom.
Just a little farther—
A strong hand suddenly grabbed her wrist.
She gasped.
Another guard blocked the hallway in front of her.
There was nowhere left to run.
"I'm begging you..." she whispered between sobs.
"Please let me go."
The older guard looked at her with something that almost resembled sympathy.
"If I could..."
He paused.
"...I would."
Then he nodded toward the others.
"Take her."
Moments later...
Amelia stood behind a large velvet curtain overlooking the magnificent auction hall.
Rows of wealthy guests filled the room.
Some sipped expensive wine.
Others casually flipped through a catalogue containing photographs of the women being auctioned tonight.
The auctioneer stepped onto the stage.
"Ladies and gentlemen..."
His voice echoed confidently through the hall.
"Welcome to tonight's exclusive bride auction."
A round of applause followed.
Amelia's heart pounded so loudly she could barely hear anything else.
Then...
The massive double doors at the back of the hall slowly opened.
Every conversation stopped.
Every guest turned.
Even the auctioneer fell silent.
Someone important had just arrived.
The massive double doors swung open without a sound.
A tall man stepped inside.
His black tailored suit fit him perfectly, every movement calm and controlled. His expression was unreadable, his dark eyes as cold as winter, and the expensive watch on his wrist caught the glow of the crystal chandeliers.
He didn't need an introduction.
His presence spoke for itself.
The room, moments ago filled with laughter and conversation, fell into complete silence.
Several guests immediately stood.
Others lowered their heads respectfully.
Even the auctioneer straightened his posture.
"Mr. De Luca," he greeted with a respectful nod.
Damien De Luca acknowledged no one.
Not the wealthy businessmen.
Not the politicians.
Not the mafia leaders who ruled cities with fear.
He simply walked to the private seat reserved for him in the front row.
Luca Moretti followed closely behind.
Leaning slightly toward his friend, Luca whispered with a grin,
"I still don't understand why you came tonight."
Damien calmly adjusted the cuff of his sleeve.
"I didn't."
Luca blinked.
"You've been sitting here for five seconds."
"I came because you insisted."
Luca chuckled.
"You've rejected every invitation to this auction for the last three years. I thought it was time you stopped hiding from the world."
Damien's jaw tightened.
"I'm not hiding."
"No?"
Luca poured himself a glass of whiskey.
"Then why have you ignored every woman who's crossed your path since Sophia died?"
For the first time that evening, Damien's expression hardened.
"Don't mention her."
Luca sighed.
"Fine."
The lights dimmed.
The auctioneer smiled brightly.
"Ladies and gentlemen... tonight, we present only the finest selections."
One by one, the women were led onto the stage.
The bidding began immediately.
"Two million."
"Three million."
"Five million."
The auctioneer's hammer struck the podium again and again as each woman was sold.
Damien never looked up.
He casually sipped his whiskey as though none of it interested him.
To him, it didn't.
Until...
"And now..."
The auctioneer's voice echoed through the hall.
"Lot Number Twenty-Seven."
Behind the velvet curtain, Amelia's heart pounded violently.
Two guards stepped beside her.
"It's your turn."
"I'm not going."
One guard gently took her arm.
"You don't have a choice."
"I won't do it!"
She struggled, but they calmly guided her forward.
The bright stage lights blinded her for a moment.
Then...
Silence.
The entire hall stared at her.
Amelia's breathing became uneven.
She felt like an animal on display.
The auctioneer smiled at the crowd.
"Twenty-one years old."
"Educated."
"Healthy."
"And..."
He paused dramatically.
"Exceptionally beautiful."
Laughter spread through the audience.
Amelia clenched her fists.
"I'm not for sale!" she shouted.
Several guests laughed harder.
One man smirked.
"I like this one."
Another raised his bidding paddle before the auction had even begun.
"Three million."
"Five million."
"Seven million."
The numbers rose so quickly Amelia could barely understand them.
She looked desperately around the room.
Please...
Someone...
Help me.
Her gaze drifted across the front row.
A man sat there with a glass of whiskey in his hand.
Unlike everyone else...
He wasn't looking at her body.
He was staring directly into her face.
His expression had completely changed.
The whiskey glass slipped slightly in his fingers.
His heartbeat slowed.
Then raced.
Impossible...
His eyes never left hers.
The curve of her lips.
The shape of her eyes.
The softness of her features.
For one impossible second...
It felt as though time itself had stopped.
Luca frowned.
"Boss?"
No response.
"Damien?"
Still nothing.
Luca followed his friend's gaze toward the young woman on the stage.
His own eyes widened slightly.
She...
She looked...
No.
It couldn't be.
Damien slowly rose to his feet.
The movement alone silenced the remaining whispers in the hall.
His cold voice finally broke the silence.
"Fifty million."
Gasps echoed through the room.
The bidding stopped instantly.
The auctioneer blinked in disbelief.
"F... fifty million?"
A wealthy businessman immediately raised his paddle.
"Sixty million!"
Damien didn't even glance at him.
"One hundred million."
The room exploded with shock.
"What?"
"Has he lost his mind?"
"For one woman?"
"No bride has ever sold for that much."
Even Amelia stared at him in stunned silence.
Who was this man?
Why would he spend such an unbelievable amount of money on someone he had never met?
The businessman slowly lowered his paddle.
No one else dared compete.
The auctioneer swallowed nervously before lifting his hammer.
"One hundred million..."
He looked around the hall.
"Going once..."
Silence.
"Going twice..."
No one spoke.
The hammer slammed down.
"Sold..."
The sound echoed through the hall.
"...to Mr. Damien De Luca."
Amelia's knees weakened.
Her fate had just been decided.
And somewhere deep inside Damien's heart...
A wound he had buried three years ago had just been torn open again.
- Writer
