Sold Off
1459 Words
Her leather boots stamped silently across watery and muddy potholes and splashed all over her black coat, but she cared less.
The surrounding walls looked rough and had patches, but not as much as the walls of her life.
Those were crumbling.
“So miss Charlotte, we will have to relieve you of your duties here. We cannot continue working with you at this time.
It felt like a hollow space. Her mind must've been playing games because how did she lose seven jobs in the space of two weeks?
That was the last job, her only hope.
She heard the sound of a tickling glass cup.
“Ah, look who's back early enough?”
Florence, her step-sister, was at it again, but she wouldn't give her the ambiance.
Her mouth twitched in curiosity when she saw her dad and stepmother walking down the staircase with similar glasses in their hands.
They looked prepared for a gala or party.
“You're just in time to be moved too,” Florence added with a wicked smirk.
‘Move’. ‘Just in time’.
“What do you…”
Then her eyes moved to her mother's crib.
The wheelchair was empty.
Empty?
“Amà?” She whispered softly. Uncertainty clouding her throat like fog.
“Charlotte darling, we have great news for you, your husband is coming over today!” Her dad said excitedly, raising a toast to Sarah, her stepmother.
She scoffed.
“Where's my mother? What have you done to her?”
“Ohh, she's been moved to a public care home.”
Charlotte's chest tightened.
They didn't even look a bit concerned.
“The public care? That's very expensive. You know this!” She was more concerned about her mother than any other thing they had to say.
“Oh, that's why you're getting married to Derrick Stone. He'll be paying for all of that from now on.”
She scoffed tears.
“This is the best thing you can do for us right now. Just marry him and all our worries would be over.”
Sarah added, as it was supposed to be a compliment.
She felt her heart sink right into her stomach when she heard the car honk from outside.
“So this is it? You're just going to sell me off like I'm a piece of trash?”
Felix walked closer and placed a hand on her shoulders.
“You're not doing this for me, my dear. You're doing it for us. All of us. Especially your mother.
“Nonsense!” She barked and flung his hands off her shoulders.
“I cleaned floors, mopped walls, washed toilets, served tables, sent deliveries, did all manner of dirty jobs just to fend for myself and mum because you literally disowned us.
Is this how you choose to punish us further? Separating us?!”
Florence scoffed loudly.
“She was sick. No kind of treatment was working on her. Did you expect us to keep allowing you to suffer and to fend for her when you could be out there, useful as a wife to some rich man?”
Felix added dryly. He didn't care. He never did.
“Don't be an ingrate, Charlotte. It's either you marry Derrick or we throw you out too,” Sarah added, carefully observing her nails as it was the most important thing at the moment.
“I will never do such a thing!”
“Then get ready to never set eyes on your mother again!” Felix barked.
Her tears kept flowing.
“You're nothing but a selfish and gruesome man. You're doing this for you. For the money!!”
A slap that sent her crashing to the ground landed on her face.
“How dare you, ungrateful bastard!”
“I have been keeping you under my roof for the longest time now. Is this how I get paid for being kind?”
“You’re just going to sell me off?” she added in a whisper. “You're supposed to be my father.”
“And that's why you must do what I say!!” He barked back and pulled her up roughly.
“Now get inside quickly, and get dressed before it's late.
Florence will send for you in a few days,” he said, and walked towards the door to probably welcome their visitors.
She dragged her weary self to the little basement under the staircase. The one that served as her room.
She saw the dress kept for her on the bed.
It looked expensive. She was sure they got it from what she was sold for.
Staying with her estranged family would mean she would have to continue living in torture and she would never get to see her mother again.
She knew Sarah would make sure of that.
Doing the latter would mean being with a random cruel man she was sure would mistreat her.
Rumors had it that he disliked women and treated them like trash. She could only wonder what he wanted to achieve by marrying her.
‘What if he kills me? Oh death. I'd love you to have me all to yourself’.
She felt her heart sink into her stomach when she walked into the sitting room, with her palms sweaty and her breath hitched.
Better to die in a stranger's hands, than to remain in her hell of a home.
“Better clean your face up. You don't want him changing his mind, do you?” Florence whispered as she passed, and she sucked in a deep breath.
It was rumored that she had already gotten engaged to the son of a wealthy politician, an engagement she was never welcomed at.
Her breath took an abrupt break once she set her eyes on him that she had to pinch herself to remember she had to breathe.
The man was beautiful.
His carved brows, pointed nose, and sharp jawline highlighted his handsome features even more. He also looked dangerous with his leather suit, black gloves and long boots.
His arched brows did nothing to help how dangerously hot he looked.
He didn't look like anything she had envisioned.
She was obviously not the only one he was having an effect on, because Florence had her mouth hanging as well.
His eyes scanned through the building as though he was reading them, then his eyes scanned through their faces till he got to Charlotte, then he looked through her with disgust etched on his face.
“Derrick! It's good you came,” Felix stated happily, but Derrick had no smile on his face.
“Where's she?”
Charlotte scoffed in disgust. It sounded like some kind of p**********n bargain to her.
“You should sit down and let's talk for a while. We'll soon be family, don't you think?”
Derrick seemed to be uninterested in whatever Felix had to say and didn't respond again, so Felix beckoned on Charlotte, who walked forward like a remote-controlled machine.
“Here she is.”
His eyes glistened with amusement for a while and then he scoffed.
If they were going to play with him, they had better ask questions first.
The petite coffee brown head in front of him was looking nothing like what he would deal with in his lifetime.
She looked so dull and quiet for his liking and not only did he dislike women, he disliked very soft women.
The other blonde head looked nothing like what he would ever want in his lifetime, but this brown head looked nothing short of a bag of bones.
“This what I paid half a million dollars for?" This?”
“Well, she's beautiful. Isn't she?” Felix said shamelessly.
“You can just ask for a refund,” Charlotte spoke rudely, hoping he could reconsider.
Sarah rushed to stand in front of her and chuckled awkwardly.
“You, silly girl, haha. She didn't mean that, I assure you”.
Derrick rubbed his forehead tiredly.
“If you don't like what you spent your money on, you will ask for a refund and return the product. Isn't that how it's done?”
Her courage amused him.
Never had any woman spoken to him with such wits.
He walked closer to her and stood facing her. She didn't even blink, and it was even more amusing.
His hand traced from her cheek and his fingers cupped her chin up, making her stare at him directly.
“Ask for a refund,” her voice sounded a little more firm this time, hoping it would get him to change his mind.
His hands slowly left her face, and he started walking towards the door.
“Meet me in the car.”
- Writer
