She staggered backwards; the news hit like a flash.
Russian mafia?
Slave establishment?
"No, no, this couldn't be," she shook her head in denial. Her father wouldn't do this to her.
Why would he? She hadn't asked to be born into this world. Why treat her with such cruelty?
By the time her eyes flew back to the iron bars, he was gone, the sound of clicking shoes fading in the background.
"Yhuan!!!!!!!" she yelled with all her might, but all she got back was the silent echo of her own voice.
She slumped to the floor, her tears rushing endlessly. She hugged her knees to herself, her back resting on the cold wall.
"Shut up!"
The voice had her jolting, and that was when she realized she wasn't the only one in the cell.
She rushed to the iron bars, leaning her back on it. Her eyes darted to the dark space of the cell where a figure had begun to emerge from.
And then a frail lady stepped out of it, her skin clinging to bones, her hair in a tattered mess, her eyes sunken.
Lilian's heart accelerated. This woman looked nothing less than a walking corpse.
"Seems like you want your death to come quickly," the lady eyed her. "One more display of foolishness and you'll have your tongue cut out and fed to you."
Lilian trembled, reality sinking faster than ever. She sat on the bare floor, hugging her knees.
She could no longer cry. Her eyes felt too heavy and swollen.
"How long have you been here, ma'am?" she managed to ask, her voice barely audible.
She felt so weak now. Her head hurt, no, everything hurt so damn much.
The lady didn't reply immediately. Instead, she sat on the bare floor, picking her nails.
"Seven years," she answered.
Lilian's eyes widened, dread filling her fast. She imagined being locked up in here for seven whole years.
"This is wrong," Lilian croaked. "We are humans too. Why should we be sold for money? This is a violation of human rights, and we must confront whoever is in charge about it."
The woman burst into a loud fit of laughter. "Oh dear, I haven't heard something this hilarious in years," she said between laughs.
Lilian stared at her puzzled. What was funny?
"Everyone comes here as strong-spirited as you at first. I'll give you a week; you'll blend in just fine."
She didn't want to blend in; she wanted to get out of here. They had no right to lock her in here to begin with.
"Is there a way to escape from here?" Lilian asked the lady.
The lady eyed her once more, her eyes falling on the necklace she wore. "Give me your necklace and maybe I'll give you the information you need."
Lilian didn't hesitate. She took off her necklace and then handed it to her.
The woman smiled crookedly. "No, there's no escape from here."
Lilian's face fell.
"Change your clothes to the slave attire first. If a guard comes here and sees you like this, it would put you in a situation you wouldn't like."
The older lady stared at the younger woman, her eyes taking note of her rich honey-brown hair and big brown eyes. The woman was beautiful, and if she wasn't careful, she might attract attention that would put her in serious danger.
Lilian hesitated, but then she picked up the slave attire from the floor, which was an old worn-out brown gown with dull fabric.
She got into the darker side of the cell and then wore it, leaving her own clothes behind.
"The only escape from here is getting sold out."
That wasn't the news Lilian wanted to hear. Her getting sold? To a human like herself? She would rather die first.
Her mind raced to her father, a devil in human form. She bit down on her lips to stop the tears, knowing the headache it would cost.
As the day passed, the guards came in to inspect, and each time, Lilian would yell and demand her release, but it all resulted in her getting beaten up.
The last time she attempted it again, she was locked up in a small room, alone in the darkness with no food or water. She was left there for two days and saw death face to face.
It was then she realized that it was truly over for her. She was done for.
There was no way out of here.
She sat still in the darker part of the cell, afraid of getting beaten or manhandled again.
If that happened, she would die, and she knew it.
Every day she regretted pushing through with the divorce. She had craved freedom and ironically landed here. She's sure Xavier must've forgotten her existence. By now he must be pushing through the marriage plans with her sister.
She didn't speak for days. She prayed for death, and as if her prayers had been answered.
A guard stepped into her cell, roughly pulling her out. She stared at the older lady, who wasn't even looking at her, and then she was led out there and into a brighter part of the slave establishment.
It was a bathhouse, and other girls around her age or older were present. Why were they suddenly giving her the privilege of a bath? Or else…
No. Her body became rigid as her mind settled on the only possible answer.
Her eyes widened as she watched the other girls strip right in front of the male guards while they watched.
Her body swayed, and she wanted to faint on the spot.
"Join them," a guard pushed her forward.
Her hands clutched the dress she wore. How would she strip right in front of these men?
Her mind and body remembered the torture and beatings she had been subjected to for disobedience.
Her eyes burned with tears. Her hands trembled as she took off the pieces of cloth she wore, stripping her dignity together with it.
She hurried to bathe, but only ended up bathing herself with more tears than water.
By the time she finished her bath, it felt like a part of her had died.
They were all given fresh clothes, different from the usual slave attire, skimpy and revealing.
And then they bound their hands with cuffs.
They were taken outside.
Lilian winced at the bright lights. It had been days since she last felt the sun on her skin.
They were harshly pushed into a bus and then, they drove them away.
She stared at the window, thinking of escape, but she stared down at her legs. They were all bound together by the chains that harshly bit through her flesh, wounding it.
Her eyes appeared lifeless as she stared at the road ahead.
This was it. She would get sold off to someone, a mafia. The image of an old man touching her body made her nauseous instantly.
She prayed for time to stop. She prayed for something to happen to stop this, anything.
The bus stopped in front of a large building made of gray walls.
Her hopes fell and were destroyed to bits as they were dragged inside like animals and then made to kneel on a wooden platform.
She looked up, her eyes taking in the large crowd filled with men, staring at them with hungry eyes.
"Ready to satisfy your deepest desires with our new finest products?" a man who held a microphone said, rising approval sounds from the crowd.
Her guts twisted, and then one of the guards dragged out a girl.
"Look at her," the conductor said, his eyes gleaming. "Skin so pale, her flesh tender."
And then the sound of tearing fabric echoed through the hall, making Lilian's stomach twist violently.
"Just look at how good she looks. She'll definitely have you craving for more."
The girl burst into tears instantly, which had the crowd cheering and laughing.
Lilian felt sick instantly. This was madness.
"One thousand dollars."
"Ten thousand dollars."
Just like that, the crowd bid for the girl, and the conductor shouted, "Sold," once it went up to one hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
Just like that, the girl was taken back where she would be handed to her new owner.
Lilian turned cold with fear when the same process was repeated with the other girls, and now it was her turn.
She was harshly pulled up and led to the center of the platform.
Her feet turned cold, her heart in her throat.
"Beautiful honey-brown hair, and look at those succulent lips."
The man's gaze swept over her slowly, his smile widening as the crowd reacted eagerly.
The bidding started from a million dollars. Her eyes stretched; her heart raced even faster.
"Ten million dollars," a man shouted.
Her head swayed. Everything seemed like a terrifying nightmare she prayed to wake up from, but it was all dreadfully real.
The guard tore the front of her shirt, ready to rip it off to excite the crowd further, when a voice halted him.
"One billion dollars."
Her eyes widened, and then she heard the sound of clicking shoes, ripping through the silence.
Her heart drummed in her ears, trailing her gaze up to stare at the person who had bought her for such an enormous amount.
The gray orbs stared hard at her.
Her breath seized.
Xavier.
"Sold!!"