Chapter 17
Zenia
To my surprise, when I returned to my parents’ house there wasn’t a slew of armed guards waiting to snatch me up and deliver me to my father. One of his guards walked me to my bedroom and stood guard at the door until he showed up a few hours later.
“Thank God you came to your senses,” he said, not bothering to look at me as he walked over to stand in front of the window.
“I didn’t come back for you. Where are the twins?” I asked him.
“They’re safe. The St. Thomases held them as collateral in exchange for your swift delivery. I was able to convince them that you weren’t running and that you simply had cold feet.”
“So, they still want to go through with the wedding? The date has already passed.”
“You know damn well you won’t pass that examination. We have come to another resolution.”
“What kind of resolution?”
“Just because you’ve been ruined doesn’t mean you won’t be a good companion for someone. You’ll enter the auction.”
“Auction! What the fuck?”
“You know the rules, Zenia. Just because you don’t agree with them doesn’t mean that they will change overnight. You’ve cost this family a shit ton of money with your shenanigans.”
“I didn’t cost the family shit. You tried to pawn me off like a piece of cheap jewelry. Did you ever expect me to go for that eagerly?”
“Not only have you defied my orders, but you have poisoned your sister’s mind as well. Luckily, we found her before she made the same mistakes you made.”
Zara.
“Where is she?” I asked, almost holding my breath as I waited for his response.
“She’s just fine, no thanks to you. I know damn well you knew exactly where she was. I half expected to find you two somewhere holed up together.”
“You can’t expect us to lay down and let you use us as bargaining chips for your business. That’s insane.”
“There was a time when you knew how important you were to this business. Back then, you were more than willing to do just that and anything else I asked of you. I don’t know what the hell has gotten into you, but I hope and pray that whatever man you end up with is able to get it out of you.”
“By any means necessary, right?”
“Mind your fucking tone, Zenia. The only reason that I didn’t have my men beat you within an inch of your life for your insubordination was because we need you in top condition for tomorrow night’s auction.”
“Tomorrow night? Why so soon? I just got back.”
“You think I’m crazy enough to give you another chance to make a fool of me? You don’t understand what you’ve cost me. Until I can recover the money I’ve lost, from not one but two failed marriages for you, you will do whatever the hell I ask of you. Do I make myself clear?”
“Crystal.”
“You’ll take your meals in your bedroom until further notice.”
“You do know I’m a full-grown adult, don’t you?”
“Well act like it for a change! Your number one duty in life has been to serve this family. Whether you like it or not, you are still very much a part of this family.”
“Fuck you! You’re a psychopath. Once I leave here, I don’t care if I never have to see you again.”
“Where did I go wrong with you, Zenia? I’ve given you everything that life could afford you, and you still find every way that you possibly can to humiliate me.”
“So why not just let me go?” I quizzed.
“Good try. You’ve already proven that you have to be treated like a prisoner. Tomorrow, you will fulfill your obligation, and that’s that.”
He left the room before I could fire off another response. I rushed to the door and tore it open, only to find Gene, one of his security goons, standing right across the hall, shaking his head somberly.
“Fuck you too!” I spat before slamming my door.
I shook my head as I walked back over and threw myself on my bed.
I’d spent so much time worrying about how to be pleasing to the family that now every decision I made for myself put me closer to my own demise.
Maybe I should have kept running. There was nothing to guarantee that the twins and Zara wouldn’t have to suffer the consequences of me leaving just because I was back.
I had to get to them one way or another. The twins probably hated me for dragging them down with me. For all I knew, they were somewhere locked away, just like me. On the other hand, I never blamed Zara for me having to go back into the marriage pool in her place.
For one thing, I was always on the chopping block. My little sisters were never supposed to be victims of this system. If anything, part of me resented them for not having to take part in the madness. It wasn’t their fault, though. It wasn’t mine either.
I might not have been responsible for my so-called obligation, but I was responsible for my fate.
Being with Sawyer showed me what my life could be like outside of this family, and it was beautiful.
It wasn’t on him to save me from my father and men like him.
I didn’t want him risking his life only for me to end up right back in their hands or worse.
The most important thing to me was Sawyer’s and my sisters’ safety. I would worry about myself later.
I stood in the mirror making sure I was presentable before the fated auction. Actually, I was stunning in a snow white, bodycon dress. The color choice made me wonder if my dad had lied about the potential participants knowing about what he called my ruining.
For what it was worth, I looked good. My hair was pinned into an updo, and thanks to the team that came in to help me get ready, my makeup was flawless, and there wasn’t a hair out of place.
My heart, on the other hand, was in shambles. I wanted to scream until my voice gave out. Missing Sawyer and having to go through with this so-called marriage were going to kill me one way or another.
The sound of my nude heels clacked against the tile as I paced the dressing room. At this point, I was sure that I had walked a hole in the floor, but I didn’t care. I was going crazy.
My nerves were just as wrecked as my heart. I looked up at the clock one more time as it ticked closer to my hour of doom. The rushed deadline gave me little time to figure out a way out of the deal. At this point, my future didn’t matter to me as much as what would happen to my sisters.
My head snapped up when I heard the door open. My father swaggered in without knocking. He kept his eyes on me until we were toe to toe. As pissed as I was, I didn’t drop my gaze from him. A pleased smile spread his lips as he nodded in approval.
“Not that it means anything coming from me, but you look beautiful.”
“I can’t remember the last time I’ve heard you say that.”
“Everything is in order,” he said, ignoring my comment.
“Meaning?”
“All parties have been informed of your circumstances. As long as I recover the money this family lost because of the arrangements that fell through and my position is restored, I really don’t give a damn at this point.
I want this matter settled. Between you and your fucking sister, I am ready to pull my hair out. ”
“Allow me,” I offered.
He glared. “You continue to take this as a joke.”
“How the hell am I taking this as a joke when I’m literally about to be put on the auction block like a slave?”
“Being a rich man’s wife is far from slavery!”
“The St. Thomases are into sex trafficking, but I’m sure you knew that. That’s why it was so important for us to be virgins, right?”
“Little girl, you will never understand this business.”
“What’s there to understand? You all sell young, submissive women’s virginity for millions of dollars.
My value went down when Reed didn’t want me, because they felt like something was wrong with me.
Not being able to seal the deal messed up your standing in The Force, but it seems like I was the only one being punished.
Now you have the chance to get back in good standing instead of having to deal with low lives like St. Thomas. ”
“Enough! This matter is finally about to be resolved. I refuse to let you mess this up for me again. If you try to pull another stunt, I promise I’m going to let them do what they have to do, and I won’t lose any sleep behind it.”
“If you haven’t lost any sleep before now, I’m sure you never will.”
“Your choices created this issue in the first place, Zenia.”
“I didn’t choose any of this.”
“Don’t try to blame everyone else for the consequences of your actions. You chose to be insufferable. You chose to run. Now once again, I have to clean up your mess.”
“This is not my mess. It’s all yours. You’re the one who is so greedy that you would sell your own daughters.”
My head snapped back as the back of my father’s hand made contact with my face.
“Enough! I don’t want to hear another word of this bullshit. One of my men will be here to collect you shortly,” he bellowed before storming out of the room.
Minutes later, I followed the guards into the ballroom with my head held high. I didn’t give a fuck what was going on around me. The last thing I wanted to do was let my father and his maniacal friends think they could break me.
I might have left broken, but after Sawyer helped to restore my spirit, I would never be the same again. Jazz music played at a low volume as I entered the room. The conversation continued to hum, but a few eyes drifted in my direction.
Until then, I hadn’t had the displeasure of attending one of the auctions. It felt weird that the room was about 85 percent men, maybe more.
Everything was elegant and poised, but nothing about the event felt right. My legs felt like bricks as I climbed the steps to the stage up front. Heat climbed up my neck as a few more eyes landed on me.