Chapter 5

"Not loud enough? Am I going too easy on you?" He bent down and grabbed my face, squeezing so hard it felt like my bones might crack.

"Damn it, I've been doing deliveries for years and almost screwed up today." He spat on my face, then jerked my head to the side and stood up. Those spiked boots pressed down on my face as he looked down at me with contempt. "Listen up - you stay put and behave, you'll suffer less. Try anything funny, and I'll throw you straight into the ocean to feed the sharks. Got it?"

As he spoke, he took a long drag from his cigar and blew the smoke in my face. The next second, he pressed the burning end hard against my left chest.

"I'm talking to you."

My throat was already raw. Looking at his cruel face, I pretended to be obedient and nodded, forcing out the words: "If... I can give you money, could you... Let me go?"

He laughed mockingly at his men. "At a time like this, you're trying to negotiate with me? Do you even know where you are? I could throw you in the ocean right now, and nobody would ever find your body. Of course, if you have money, it could make your journey more comfortable. So how much do you have?"

How much did I have?

The Brown Family was one of the top families in Emerald City. The company shares alone were worth billions of dollars. But me, their biological daughter - I only had a few tens of thousands saved up.

And even that money came from scholarships and software development prizes during college.

They used to give me a supplementary card. After they questioned me about buying the latest computer, I never touched that card again. Or maybe I'd already lost it somewhere.

"I... can... give you fifty thousand dollars." My throat was dry, and every word felt like a blade cutting through it.

Jeffrey pressed his foot harder on my face. "Are you kidding me? You're a goddamn Brown Family heiress - your ransom alone would be worth millions, wouldn't it? And you're offering me fifty grand? What am I, some street beggar you're trying to brush off with pocket change?"

More blood seemed to flow from my face. I felt the stickiness. "A Brown Family member?" I frowned. Would they pay millions for someone as unwelcome as me? "Fifty thousand dollars... that's all I have."

Jeffrey clearly didn't believe me. "Fifty thousand? You think I'm three years old? You, rich people, spend more than that on one meal, don't you?"

I smiled bitterly, pulling at the wounds on my face, but the pain had already numbed me. "I can show you the balance."

The foot on my face lifted. Jeffrey signaled his man to cut the ropes binding my hands.

I slowly sat up, slowly moving my numb wrists. Dark scabs on my right hand wound now oozed fresh red blood, staining my already unrecognizable wedding dress with another layer of red.

A phone was handed to me. Jeffrey said, "Don't try anything stupid. Now that you're here, even if you had wings, you couldn't escape. Just behave, and maybe you'll suffer less. Looking at your delicate skin, you can't take much abuse."

I knew all this. My fingers trembled as I opened my bank account - fifty thousand dollars inside. Every penny hard-earned - how could I not remember clearly?

I showed Jeffrey the balance, then transferred every last cent to his bank account.

"Fucking bad luck. Thought I caught a big fish, turns out it's just enough to break even. Whatever, you're pretty pitiful. Untie her feet, too. If we keep them tied too tight and she ends up crippled, she'll sell for even less." Jeffrey ordered his men.

His man seemed reluctant. "Jeffrey, she's more manageable tied up. What if she keeps trying to run once we let her loose?"

Jeffrey sneered. "Run? Run where? Jump in the ocean, and she's dead. She doesn't look like she wants to die. Just keep an eye on her. The auction happens once a month; there's still plenty of time. Don't let her get all banged up - damaged goods don't sell well."

After he said that, the man came over with a knife and cut the ropes on my feet.

I tried to stand, but the long hours of being tied up, plus all the wounds, made me collapse back down. I nodded slightly at Jeffrey. "Thank you, Jeffrey."

"Jeffrey, this girl knows her place," someone nearby laughed without restraint.

Jeffrey also looked at me with a mocking smile. "No need to thank me. Just don't cause trouble if you don't want to die."

I said hoarsely, "Don't worry, Jeffrey, I want to live."

"Smart girl. Ben, get her some antibiotics." Jeffrey bent down slightly, looking down at me. "You want to live, and I don't want you dying on my hands either. Auctioning you off might be your only chance to survive. Getting sold to an organ bank... You know what that means. So you'd better cooperate, and I can make these next few days easier for you."

I nodded seriously. What he said was exactly what I was thinking. If it were an auction, the people attending wouldn't be simple folks. As long as I could make contact with someone, I could show them my value.

I had this software I developed that got shelved - its value is beyond money. That's my ace in the hole, my last shot at survival.

I was taken to a cabin. Jeffrey not only threw me a pack of antibiotics but even had someone bring me food.

I couldn't remember how long it had been since I'd had anything to drink or eat. Even though the food was completely cold and clearly their leftovers, I still ate every bit with my trembling, injured hands, treating it like treasure.

Sitting in the cabin, I stopped thinking about escape. I used my teeth to bite and tear off the lining of my wedding dress, wrapping it around my hand layer by layer.

The pain was the least of my worries now. After taking the medicine, I could only lie half-prone, forcing myself to sleep quickly. I needed rest, plenty of rest, because ahead of me, there were still many unknowns waiting to be dealt with.