"Or else what?" My brother laughs freely. "You don't tell me what to do anymore. Hit her yourself, you old fuck. Maybe she'll have the mercy not to hit you the fuck back."
With those words, he strides out of the room. I feel proud of him for standing up to Father, but I'm still terrified. Father's words are ringing in my head. The auction. A new husband. A new life. A chance to get away from this hell - or a chance to be stuck in a fate even worse than this one.
"Who gets to win, then?" I ask Father icily.
"The highest bidder, of course." He smiles. It looks painful, and I hope it fucking is. "You know, there are men in Eden Falls who'll pay good money for an obedient fuckslut like you."
My stomach falls and I cringe. "You're sick."
"Maybe so," he says, toasting me with a flute of orange juice. "But I'm the only one in charge of your fate, daughter dearest... And I fully intend to make it as miserable as possible."
11
Pandora
I get ready for the auction with Belle's help. Father must really hate me, because he arranged for it to happen only days after our conversation. He must be eager to get me out of the house, but I'm just as eager to get away - hopefully with someone who can protect me, not hurt me.
I've told Dex about the auction through texts. He still hasn't been at school, and I've skipped the last few days as well in preparation. Nobody even gives a shit. Prep if just another excuse for our rich parents to keep an eye on us and control us like unwilling puppets.
Belle brushes my curls away, smoothing my hair into a long, flowing curtain of silk. I'm supposed to wear some ridiculous, revealing outfit, and I've tried to convince the maid to let me choose something myself, but I think she's too afraid of Father to let me. So I'm stuck in the horrible, cherry red dress that leaves nothing to the imagination, and a pair of sky-high, barely there black leather heels. I look like a million bucks, but I feel like a fraud. That feeling hasn't left me once since I set foot in Eden Falls.
"Are you almost ready?" Belle asks, and I swallow, nodding. She brushes some glittery powder over my chest, accentuating my collarbone, and takes a step back, admiring her handiwork. "You look beautiful, Miss Pandora."
"Great," I get out through gritted teeth. "At least I'll be pretty for my fucking funeral."
She ignores me and opens the door, motioning for me to follow her. I can hear the commotion as I exit the room, and my stomach ties in uncomfortable, unbearable knots. I don't want to do this. I don't want to be sold. Yet I have no choice. The only hope I have left is that Dexter will be the one to bid for me. That he wants me enough to keep me as his property. I scoff. High chance of that fucking happening. He's done nothing but push me away since I got to town.
I follow Belle down the stairs, passing groups of people who go quiet when I walk past them. I keep my head held high and ignore the comments and snickers coming from the guests. I don't care what they think of me. I'm going to run soon enough, and then the opinion of the inhabitants of Eden Falls won't matter at all.
"Right through here, Miss." Belle guides me behind a red velvet curtain and offers me a glass of water with an apologetic smile. "Drink, Miss. It will calm your nerves."
The water doesn't taste like water and I make a face at the glass. "This is disgusting. What is it?"
"Vodka. To calm your nerves," she repeats. I hand the glass back, scrutinizing her with my gaze.
"How can you stand this, Belle?" I finally ask. "How can you allow your daughter to stay here? How can you stay here? When will it be enough?"
She doesn't reply, instead beginning to tidy the room we're in, but I'm not giving up that easily.
My fingers wrap around her wrist, and I jerk her forward. When her eyes meet mine, there's no emotion in them whatsoever. She's numb. Completely numb. And with that, I don't even need her to answer. Her lack of emotion has said it all.
I let go of her, feeling disgusted as I shake my head. Belle flushes, refusing to meet my eyes as she says, "They'll call you onto the stage in a few minutes."
I ignore her, leaning against the wall. The dress I'm wearing is making every breath a struggle, and the heels are killing me, but I vow to keep my head held high. They won't get to me. They can't.
A moment later, the curtains part and Bryony reaches out for me. I furrow my brows, hating her for being a part of this, for being complicit. But I tear myself away from the wall anyway, ignoring my stepmother's hand as I step onto the stage that's been set up in the Oakes Estate ballroom.
"Please welcome my beautiful stepdaughter," Bryony purrs, and I stare her down with pure contempt as she clinks her glass with a fork. "We'll start the bidding, but the floor is yours for now, Pandora. Why don't you introduce yourself to everyone?"
She leaves the stage, leaving me standing there in the limelight and hating every second of this farce.
"Does the little girl have nothing to say?" a man's voice booms through the silence, and I look at the front row of tables where a tall, broad-shouldered guy in his forties is smirking at me. He's handsome, and I want to spit in his face. "Thought you had a little more fight in you, based on what I've heard, Pandora..."
"Fuck you," I snarl on instinct, making the room erupt in laughter.
"You should be so lucky." He smirks, toasting me with his brandy glass. "So why don't you tell us why you think you're worthy of being bought, little girl? Because all I see is a feisty, plain looking little bitch with a mouth on her. And I ain't paying money for that when I can get it for free."
I'm tempted to flip him off, but I hold back. I can't let him think he's getting to me.
My eyes scan the crowd, looking for a familiar face. Everyone's here - all the boys from school with their families, all the Oakes, and even Dexter, standing alone by the back of the room, his eyes burning mine.
"I'm not here to convince you to buy me," I finally hiss. "I'm here because they made me."
"Hear hear," my father roars from the front row where he's sitting with a delirious-looking Bryony and my flushed siblings who look mortified to be there. At least there's that. "She takes a while to follow directions, but it's oh-so-sweet when she finally bends to your will."
I have no intention of bending to anyone's will, but Father's murderous glare convinces me not to argue with him.
"Now, why don't you strip for the audience?"
My eyes snap back to my father. God, I hate him. He doesn't give a shit about me. All that matters to him is that I'm humiliated in front of his friends and business partners.
"I don't think so," I hiss, making him shrug and chuckle.
"We'll just have to help you out then." He clicks his fingers and a pale-faced Belle reappears, her eyes not meeting mine as she heads up the stage. She begins clinically removing my clothes, and in moments, two male employees grab my arms and hold them behind my back so I'm unable to resist. I scream my head off but nobody pays it any mind. My eyes find Dex's in the crowd, seeing the pain in his gaze, both of us knowing we're helpless to Father's whims.