Chapter Twenty-Five
Olivia
One brick at a time, I built a wall around myself, one that kept me safe and devoid of emotion.
The world continued to turn, day slipping into night, but it felt like a switch had been turned off inside me.
So much had happened, but the final act that had broken me was realising that Maximus would never love me.
I finally understood the change in Mama’s eyes in family photographs, why they were vacant when they were once so full of life and love.
“Ready?” Maximus asked, his hip propped on the doorframe.
Since the night of Poppy’s disappearance, we had fallen into a pattern. Every night, Maximus ensured I screamed his name as orgasm after orgasm tore through my body. Every day, we were virtual strangers. I missed talking to him about everything and anything, our friendship far from my reach.
“Yes. What is this event tonight?” I asked, smoothing my dress down over my hips.
“It’s an auction,” he replied. “None of us know what is being auctioned until we get there.”
An alarm bell rang in my head. “What sort of auction?”
He shrugged one shoulder. “All of our names are in one bowl, and then what we have to donate in the other.”
I had heard Mama talk to Aunt Sylvia in hushed tones about an auction in which women were forced to perform in extra curricula activities. She started crying, and I couldn’t hear all the details.
“I think I’ll stay home,” I said, my hand shaking as I touched my mouth.
“We can’t do that. The auction is for the head of family and their wife,” Maximus replied. “What’s the worst that can happen? That they ask for my car?”
“They could ask you to hand me over to someone else,” I said in a low tone. “I’ve heard rumours.”
“Dad would never have agreed to be included in that,” Maximus replied.
“What has he told you?”
“Not much. It’s meant to be private, all he said was that what happened there, stayed there. It promotes loyalty between the families.”
My eyes met his, and for the first time I saw apprehension there.
“I refuse to sleep with another man,” I said.
“It won’t happen,” Maximus replied. “I have the ability to bid, so no matter what happens, it’ll be fine.”
A dark shiver rippled down my spine, and dread churned deep in my stomach. A thundercloud seemed to be moving toward me at a rapid rate, and a storm was inevitable. I lifted my bag, opening it to check the contents mentally, before snapping it shut.
“I’d rather we stayed at home,” I said, releasing a deep sigh.
“Dad wouldn’t allow me to walk into a situation that would put a family member at risk.”
I locked gaze with Maximus. “There is something rotten in your organisation, a rancid and decomposing corpse in the corner that everyone refuses to acknowledge or talk about, like Uncle Bob who died a few years ago.”
He didn’t comment, and the tightening around his lips showed his displeasure. Maximus trailed his fingers through his hair. “This world was created by our fathers to keep our families safe. Men like them don’t like to share, especially their wives.”
“Nothing creates a bond like dark secrets that no one wants revealed,” I replied, spinning to walk toward the door.
Maximus grabbed my arm to turn me toward him. “No one will be touching you but me,” he said, his tone deep and possessive. “You’re mine.”
I nodded once, unable to form words since terror was washing over me in nauseating tidal waves.
Every time we stopped at a red light, Maximus was texting on his phone, stopping just before the gates guarding a curved driveway which hid the house.
“Ready?” he asked, and I nodded since my ability to speak seemed to be inhibited.
Security was higher than normal for the event, a sign in the foyer of the house saying that all mobile phone signals had been blocked. My hand slipped through Maximus’ arm as my body hairs raised in awareness.
I didn’t know if it was my imagination, or if some of the older, arrogant men were watching the women with a predatory gaze. I leaned closer to Maximus, and felt him staring down at me, his arm tightened to hold my hand.
I felt the persona I had created over the years falling into place, a stranger taking over my body as a neutral expression appeared on my face. My engagement photoshoot with Dale showed this Olivia. I lifted my head, and no one in the room would ever know I was quaking inside.
“Good evening, Maximus,” Tobias said, stopping close to us. “This is your first time as head of your family, isn’t it?”
I swear his gaze swept over me.
“That’s correct,” Maximus replied. “Dad retired a few months ago.”
“You’ll enjoy tonight,” Tobias said, his lips formed a grotesque grin. “You both will.” He winked and walked on, and sick burned a trail up my throat. Only my knees were locked in place, I would fall over.
“Okay, you might have been right,” Maximus said in a low tone. “No wandering off, and if anyone comes anywhere near you, remember what Caine taught you.”
I glanced up at Maximus, and his face was a handsome mask, his professional persona in place. This was when Maximus was at his most dangerous. He had worn this expression when he killed two men without breaking a sweat.
We walked further into the house.
“All weapons to be checked before entering the bidding area,” Enzo said from a table to the side of the doorway.
I felt the muscles in Maximus’ arm tighten. “Is there a problem?” Maximus asked.
“Not at all, it’s just the rules,” Enzo replied.
“My gun is registered to me. What if someone uses it in a crime and then returns it to you?” Maximus asked. “I’ll remove the rounds from my gun and put the piece of metal back in my jacket.”
Enzo looked at those gathering.
“I had never contemplated that before,” said a man I had never seen before. “That would be acceptable if all ammunition is left outside, and the gun is nothing more than an ornament.”
Another man moved forward to recover his gun, leaving the ammunition on the table.
Maximus took his gun from the back of his belt and removed the magazine, making a show of ensuring the barrel was clear before returning it to his holster.
“Do you have any weapons?” Enzo asked me, his right eyebrow raised.
I held up my small clutch bag, and deliberately feigned shock. “In this bag?” I asked. “I barely have room for my lip gloss!”
He smiled indulgently, obviously convinced that women in this world were to be protected, and did nothing more than have manicures and pedicures.
The inside of the ballroom shocked me. I was used to eloquence and glamour at these events.
Instead, this reminded me of a scene from Phantom of the Opera.
Lit candles adorned the walls and candelabra, the walls decorated in black and red.
A grand piano sat in front of a black marble fireplace, a massive gold-framed mirror hanging on the wall to illuminate all the candles.
“I’m going to strangle Dad,” Maximus muttered, walking further into the room.
I declined a tray of glasses with a shake of my head, having learnt not to consume anything I hadn’t witnessed being poured.
“There you are,” Papa appeared beside us. “Roberto is pissed that he isn’t allowed to come tonight.”
“He could have had our ticket,” Maximus replied.
“Nonsense,” Papa answered. “This is a privilege saved for the head of the families. It is not often that we can enjoy ourselves, without looking over our shoulders.” Papa slapped Maximus on the back as he moved on to talk to someone else.
I noticed another women standing beside her husband, her face tight, and her eyes filled with disgust. Her expression made the fear in my stomach start to crawl up my spine. I squeezed Maximus’ arm to stabilise myself since this man had always given me strength.
“Good evening, everyone.” The man from the hallway earlier, who made the decision about the guns stepped in front of the piano. “Could I ask that everyone enters the room so we can seal the door?”
I suffered from claustrophobia, but I had never had an attack in the middle of a room this size before. The air caught in my lungs and I struggled to breathe.
“Deep breaths,” Maximus said beside me, the deep timber of his voice steadying me. “You are not trapped.”
He was wrong.
We were both trapped as they were currently closing the large wooden door, and pulling a crimson curtain over it. Right now, I wouldn’t be surprised if a vampire appeared from the fireplace to murder us all.
“It is my greatest pleasure to welcome you all back to this yearly event,” the man continued. “For those who are new this year, my name is Eli, and I am the auctioneer for the evening. My ruling is final, all debts settled by midnight, and prizes claimed before you leave the property.”
I suddenly felt the urge to pee.
“Now, for your own pleasure, some of the gentlemen gathered have donated the entertainment this evening. Each of the lovely ladies is available to take home, or if you prefer, there are rooms upstairs.” A doorway in a wall panel opened, and several women were paraded out, some of them I recognised as daughters belonging to the families standing here tonight.
They were selling their family members, and I witnessed a resigned resolution in their eyes.
“There is my daughter,” Alexander Marino said from beside Maximus. “She visited you when you ascended to the head of your household. She had a lot of good things to say about you, if you want to take her home to share with your new wife.”
A look of disgust flashed across Maximus’ face. “How heavy is thirty pieces of silver in this era, Alexander? You should cherish and protect your daughter, not prostitute her out.”
If he had slapped him, Alexander couldn’t have looked more shocked. Maximus tightened his arm against mine, and moved us away from the other man.
I was about to ask him about what was said, but he shook his head. “We’ll discuss it later,” Maximus said.