"I'll pay you back. I swear." My father's voice rings out through the large living room of our five-bedroom mansion, his ears and nose red from shouting and begging for his life. His face is turned towards the ground, not looking at the person he was pleading with.

My father, Andrew Collin and the rest of my family, which included my mother, my younger sister, my younger brother and I kneel down on the ground amidst our furniture, a deadly cloud hanging over us and suffocating us, threatening death. Still, we stay put, neither of us bothering to even think of an escape at the moment because we know that if we do, we would all die.

Three men tower above us, one of them sitting on one of the chairs while the other two stand behind him like minions. They have sneers combined with smirks on their faces and what I could only assume were loaded guns in their hands. Their eyes are trained on us, somehow taunting us to try and make a move so that they would have a reason to react. None of us were that stupid.

"Come on now. We've given you six months and still you haven't paid back half of what you owe. The Costello family doesn't take kindly to swindlers, Mr. Collin. You of all people should know this." The man who sat down, says clearly, the scar on his mouth prominent with every word he spoke.

"I know and I am sorry for the delay. Things at the company got held up especially with the federal audit and the lawsuits. I just haven't had time to get the money out from the company coffers but..." My father pleads his case but is cut off by the man with the scar.

"Too many excuses Andrew." He shouts as one of his men shoots the glass table in the middle of the room causing it to shatter and us to flinch at the sheer power of the weapon in his hands. They want us to feel fear and we do. I scoot over to my little sister, Natalia and hold her hand as a comfort to stop her from trembling. Her lip quivers and I can tell that she is trying her best to keep herself from crying. I glance at my junior brother who just stares off into the abyss as if he wasn't in the room with us. He’s in shock and who could blame him when these men burst through our doors in the middle of the night and threatened to kill us all.

I turn my gaze back to our father. A man who was at the top of his game in the business industry. Someone who had won awards and was revered for his business prowess. A man who always taught me never to bow down to anyone. The man who now kneels at the feet of these men, begging as snot rolls down his nose. I am disappointed. Not so much because of the fact that he was doing everything he taught me never to do but also because as a hostage I had just heard how my father was where he was today due to all the illegal dealings he had done for the mafia. The mafia that he now apparently owes a huge sum of money. It was a slap in the face for the family to find out this way but there was nothing any of us could do. It was already too late.

"I can assure you and Mr. Lucius that when this is all over, the money and any interest that I have incurred will be paid in full including royalties." My father bargains.

"That sounds promising, but my boss made it clear that the waiting time was over. So, it's either you hand over the money or you hand over your head and don't worry about your wife. I'll make sure that she's taken care of once she becomes a widow." The scarred man speaks with pride, glancing towards my mother and waving at her. I feel my stomach churn at the sight, but I bite my tongue.

"Please, I beg of you."

"Your children too. I see you have two daughters and a boy. The girls would do nicely, and the boy could even join the Costello family. What do you say?" The man joins my father in the hopeless bargain as he smiles from ear to ear.

My father raises his head to meet theirs, tears now running down his eyes.

"I will pay the money, just please leave my family and spare my life. I'll do anything."

The scarred man places a hand on his chin, seemingly thinking about it before he drops his hand.

"If we were to take your pleas into consideration then we would need some collateral to make sure you pay up."

He stands up and walks towards my mother, grabbing her by a fistful of her hair when he closes the distance between them.

"Maybe this wife of yours."

"Or this one." He casually says, as he leaves my mother and grabs Natalie by her arm, pulling her hand away from mine. She whimpers and tries to fight his grip but there is only so much a fourteen-year-old girl could do.

"No" I screamed out, wanting him to stop.

"Leave her alone." I whisper under my breath when his attention turns to me, and I feel fear creep up my spine. He drops Natalie to the floor and takes two steps towards me, grabbing my chin and lifting my face for his viewing pleasure.

"Oh, this one's got a mouth on her. What if we take this one? Think she'll do well?" He asks, staring into my eyes.

"Take me instead." My father shouts out, causing the man to leave my chin and turn his face away from me.

"Then how would we get the money, old geezer? Like we said, we need collateral. So, pick one."

The man gives his ultimatum and at that point, we all knew that my father had an impossible choice to make. One of us would be taken. That was a fact. My father glances at all of us, grief and regret in his eyes but determination on his face. A minute of tense silence passes before his eyes land on me. He mouths the words, I'm sorry to me before my brain registers what is going on. My eyes widen at the revelation. No. He chose me. How could he choose me? I was his first child for Christ's sake. Why would he choose me of all people?

"I'm sorry Emilia. I just need some time, and I will get you back." He says with a solemn tone as my mind spins.

I don't get a word out before someone grabs my hair and pulls me off the floor like a rag doll, my sister's screams serving as background noise.

"Let go of me." I shout at the top of my lungs while kicking my legs in every direction to get free.

"Feisty one." The scarred man whispers into my ear, his breath tickling my neck.

"Let go." I shout out again, not wanting to be anywhere near this tout.

I open my mouth but before words can come out, I feel a sharp sting spread across my cheek. I freeze; my mind too stunned to speak as I realize that I had been slapped by my captor.

"Behave or you'll be taught to behave." The man whispers once more in my ear.

This time I do what I am told, tears threatening to spill from my eyes.

"All right Andrew. You have a week to pay back the millions of dollars you owe, if not, she belongs to the Costello family, and we will come back for your head."

"A week is not enough. Please." My father begs as he latches on to the man's leg in slight defiance. The scarred man kicks him off and looks down on him condescendingly, his hands still on me.

"Think about that next time before you think of borrowing from a mafia family and aren't able to pay up."

The man breathes on me, making me shiver for a second time before he continues.

"We'll be taking our leave now. One week Andrew or she's ours. Don't forget it." He ends the conversation as he pushes me towards his lackeys who grab me by my arms and legs and carry me out of the room. I jerk my body and fight against them, desperately trying to get free. The slap I had received earlier was nothing compared to what I knew they had in store for me, and I was not willing to find out what it was.

"Dad, help me. Dad no. Mom. Please. Let go of me!"

Despite my cries and that of my sister, the men take me away easily and as I am thrown into the back of a jeep, my freedom being taken from me, I let the tears fall. I cry because for some reason I already know that I won't see my family again. My life was over, and my hell was just beginning.

A week passes by. A whole week with me being in the hands of mafia thugs so that my father can pay up his debt. It wasn't all that bad though. The men never touched me or harassed me in any way and although I spent my days in a room that had only a bed for me to sleep on, I was fed and cared for. There were bars on the windows to prevent me from escaping but it didn't matter. I was put in a room on the third floor. There was no way that I was even going to make it down if I somehow managed to get past the bars. My life had been monotonous with me mostly thinking of what my father was doing to get the money he owed and why he was taking so long. Well, my thoughts would no longer run wild, because my door opens up and the scarred man from earlier, Alfonso, walks in. He eyes me as I sit on top of my bed and closes the distance between us.

"Is he here? Can I go now?" I ask, relief washing over me as I get up from my bed and smile.

Alfonso's stoic expression turns grave as he shakes his head and puts his hands on his waist.

"Sorry love but your father isn't here for you."

My heart sinks. Where was he? What was he still waiting for? Regardless of all the questions I have in my mind, I focus on only the positive. It was the last day. My father would surely come up with the money to get me back, right?

"Maybe he's on his way. It's still early." I say out loud more to convince myself than to convince him. I turn away from Alfonso and crawl back into my bed, my eyes subconsciously glancing at the window, wishing for freedom.

"It seems like you don't understand what I'm saying. Your father isn't coming for you."

I scoff and face him.

"That's not true. He'll be here." I argue, not allowing my intrusive thoughts to win.

"He won't be. Your father is gone. Well, more like he packed up everything he had and ran away with the rest of your family. He left you to pay off his debt." He pronounces; his lips drawn in a straight line when he finishes.

I get up from my bed and straighten my shoulders. I understand that my father owes these people a lot of money, but he would pay back if I was in danger. He wouldn't just leave me.

"My father wouldn't do that. He'll be here."

Alfonso shrugs and puts one of his hands in his pockets, acting like he'd rather be anywhere else than dealing with me.

"Suit yourself. Either way, you're ours now and the boss has plans for you. So, behave and come with me."

I take three steps back to get as far away from him as possible and sneer at him.

"I am not going anywhere with you." I spit out, venom laced in my voice.

Alfonso just eyes me and sighs before raising his free hand up in the air.

"Fine by me."

He snaps his fingers, and two other men walk into the room. Their eyes settle on me, their target and in the blink of an eye, they surround me. I scream and try to maneuver my way around them, but it doesn't work. One of them grabs me by my hair, keeping me in place while the other, pins my hands down. Together they carry me to the bed, with the first one letting go of my hair and pinning my thrashing feet down. I struggle in their grip but then my eyes land on Alfonso who now has a syringe filled with a colorless liquid in his hands and is a step closer to the bed. I thrash around again, tears welling in my eyes.

"No. Please, no."

"I did tell you to behave." He says under his breath before I feel a sharp pain in my neck and my vision goes blurry. My hands and feet feel like lead and soon enough, I am not able to move them anymore. I open my mouth to plead one last time, the words on the tip of my tongue but they never come out. As the words die away, my vision darkens and all I can think about before I fade away is why would my father do this to me?

•••••

I float in nothingness and my body is light. My eyes are open, but I can't see a thing. Where am I? What happened? I hear voices ring into my ears and pull me from the darkness. Light shines on my eyes causing me to move my eyeballs with my eyelids.

The blinding light wakes me up from the dark domain and I struggle to open my eyes. Slowly but surely, I do and what I see floors me. I lay on one of the many podiums gagged, bound and tagged. As in there is a literal price tag tied to my neck. My eyes widen and I look around the room to get a feel for where I am.

The room is dimly lit, the air thick with tension. My head throbs, and my limbs feel like lead. The last thing I remember is Alfonso and then darkness.

As my mind races, I remember how I got here or how I may have gotten here. Alfonso and his men had held me down and injected me with something to knock me out. I still didn't know what here really was, but I began to hyperventilate. Tags, girls, excessively rich people that littered the floor. I knew what this was. I knew what the hell was going on. No. I cannot go out like this, I think to myself. I've seen the documentaries. I will not be sold like mere cattle. I need to escape.

I blink, trying to make sense of my surroundings. The cold metal of the podium presses against my bare feet. Below, on another platform, girls stand in a row. Their eyes are wide, their expressions a mix of fear and resignation. They wear elegant dresses, their hair styled flawlessly. But their eyes tell a different story—a story that I can't pinpoint.

I see people mingling on the floor below us, seemingly oblivious to the women who were being held down in front of them. The crowd beyond the velvet ropes is a sea of opulence. Men in tailored suits and women dripping with jewels. They sip champagne, their laughter echoing off the marble walls. They've come for the clandestine event where human lives are traded like commodities. An auction.

The host steps forward, his voice amplified by hidden speakers. His face is obscured by a mask, but his eyes gleam with malevolence.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Midnight Auction. Tonight, you have the privilege of owning the rarest of treasures—the untamed souls of these young women." He announces without any remorse in his voice. He must have done this a thousand times to be able to watch us all be sold.

"In the past auctions, we have just called out the price for each of the girls and allowed you to bud amongst yourselves. Tonight, will be different. The house will allow you to look at every girl and ascertain if she is to your taste. The prices are set but if you would like to bid higher than you would put your name and price on the paper kept in front of each of the girls. There will be thirty minutes to do that and then after it's all settled, the fun can really begin."

My heart races and I glance at the other girls. Some tremble; others stare defiantly ahead. I on the other hand was freaking out. The host speaks again.

"The thirty minutes start now. Please do enjoy yourselves and remember, play nice with the merchandise."

The guests of this perverted affair begin to split up into factions with one group heading to different podiums with girls on it. Most of the girls look like they have accepted their fate, and some are crying their hearts out. I am not as strong as some of them to keep a straight face, but I decide to play a dangerous game. If I'm going down, I'll go down fighting. I didn't want to be sold to some person as a slave or personal pet.

As the crowd disperses, inspecting the girls, I slump against the podium. I fiddle with my binds behind me and try to see if I can escape them. Their strong and tight, nothing a girl of my size would get out of unless they had a knife with them. Just like I watched on television, I grit my teeth and am about to try and break my wrist so that I can escape, when a short pot-bellied man approaches my podium and smiles at me.

I set my eyes on him with evident disgust on my face, trying to ward him off. He steps closer and grabs my chin roughly.

"Hmm, this one looks a little bit older than what I like. She got some flesh on her meaning that she'd last longer. I'd say we give this one a try."

I stare at him. Older than what he liked? I was only 22 for God's sake. What kind of fetish did this bastard have? The man brings his face closer and smells my neck and, in the process, drops my gag, which is when I bit him on his cheek to get him away from me. He muffles his scream with his teeth but doesn't hesitate to give me a slap across the face. I feel the sting and I'm sure that by now, my cheek would be blistering red. I hiss and spit in his face. He raises his hand to hit me again but is then stopped by someone who I can only assume is a bodyguard for us girls.

"No manhandling the girls, Mr. Cree."

"But she..." He tries to explain, but the look on the guard's face is absolute. Try that nonsense and I will throw you out.

Cree sighs and steps away from me. I think he's done, that he will walk off and never look in my direction again, but I am wrong. His eyes glance at the paper in front of me and he takes a look at it. He scoffs.

"A measly three million dollars for this one. I'll bid. It'll be fun breaking her."

He writes down a number I can't see and walks away with a maniacal laugh. I frown but at the back of my mind, I pray that I wouldn't be sold to anyone. It was a pipe dream yes, as he had already bid so now, my prayer was to be sold to someone else. Anyone other than that maniac.

People come and go, touching and accessing me and although I make myself seem undesirable, men and women alike keep on placing bids for me. I groan, feeling defeated until my gaze lands on someone. A stranger who for some reason purposefully strides over to my podium and eyes me, his eyes cold and discerning. His hair falls in long tresses down to his shoulders and his smile is electric. He wears an expensive suit which to his credit shows off his toned body effortlessly. The man is hot, but I shake my head, removing the thoughts from my mind. Regardless of how hot he was, if he was here then he was as bad as the rest of them.

"Hello." He says to me, his voice like dripping honey.

"Go away." Is all I can say to him. He steps closer and his fingers brush my cheek. I flinch.

"What's your name?" He asks.

I turn away not willing to give him the satisfaction of knowing who I was. He grips my chin and turns my face to his. A brow on his face raises, commanding me to answer. I did.

"Emilia."

"Emilia," he murmurs, and the sound of my name on his lips sends shivers down my spine.

"How did you get here?" He asks more like a rhetorical question than a real one.

I glare at him as he still holds my chin, my defiance bubbling up.

"What do you want?"

His lips curve into a dangerous smile.

"I didn't want anything at first but now I do. You."

I scoff.

"Do whatever you want. I will never be submissive."

He raises an eyebrow, accepting my dare.

"I don't expect you to."

He lets go of me and doesn't say another word as he writes down a number I still can't see. He raises his head from the paper, smirks at me and then walks away like nothing happened. My stomach turns. I have a bad feeling about this.

The thirty minutes are up, and the revelation of the bidding begins. The guests go back to their seats and once they settle in, the first girl is brought out. She sells for a hundred thousand. They pull her away with her screams echoing off the walls of the room. It goes that way for about an hour before men walk up to me and pull me off the floor. I struggle and try to break free, hoping that I can escape now that I am on my feet. Again, it didn't work. My eyes land on mystery man. He watches me with an intensity that unnerves me.

The men place me in the center of the stage and the host starts.

"Wow. It seems that a lot of you want this little catch for yourself. Let's see. The offer began at three million dollars, and it's gone way up. Holy hell. The last bid was seven million dollars. That's a lot of cash."

I stare at the man in shock. Mystery man was the last one to write a number. Could he be the highest bidder?

"Well, in the form of sportsmanship would anyone like to beat that?"

Cree's hand goes up and I can tell that he is upset with the way his nose flares.

"I bid eight million."

"Nine million." Mystery man says without even looking at the host. People begin to murmur in the crowd, and it seems that his bidding has caught some people's attention.

"Ten million." Cree shouts out.

"Eleven."

"This is getting interesting folks. Can I get twelve million? Twelve for the brown haired broad."

Cree prepares to call it, but the mystery man beats him to it.

"Twenty million for her."

Everyone gasps and turns to him, confused as to why he would pay such a sum for me. Even I am shocked. Cree screams his head off like a child and exits the room, but no one cares.

The bidding continues. The gavel goes down and my fate is sealed.

"Twenty million to the mafia don, Luca Hernandez. Congratulations on your bid sir."

The room erupts in an applause while I sit there and gape at the man, the realization setting in. A mafia don just bought me. Luca waves at me slowly with a devilish smirk on his face and I feel my world crash and burn. What would a mafia don want with me?

As the gavel falls, he steps forward, putting my gag back on and claiming me. I am in so much shock that I don't react. His grip is firm as he leads me away from the stage. The crowd watches, their envy palpable. I'm no longer Emilia, first daughter and heir to the Collin fortune. I'm a possession, a pawn to a deadly man.

We exit the grand hall, and he guides me to a waiting car. The driver doesn't ask questions. He knows better or is he used to this. As soon as we get in the car jerks forward and zooms off in the direction of what I only assume will be my new torture chamber for the rest of my life. Despite my will to fight and try to open the door to my freedom, my body refuses to move, like I'm stuck in glue. I look out the tinted-out window and resign to my fate.

About fifteen minutes go by and a mansion loom ahead. Actually, it was more like a fortress as the car drew nearer. The car comes to a stop at the massive metal gates that stood before us. It's obsidian bars shining in the sunlight and the initials LH boldly sitting in the middle of it. I was rich, yes, but I couldn't help but marvel at the sheer size of the gate and even the building that sat grandiosely behind it.

A security check was done; one that I paid no attention to, before the gates opened mechanically and the car passed through and into the grounds of the mansion. The car comes to a halt and the doors open allowing Luca and I to get down from the car. I look around the grounds and notice the fountain in the middle of the grounds. A mermaid posed in all her beauty with water running out of her hands like she was offering it up to the mortals beneath her. Rare flowers peppered the gardens drawing my attention towards them. I don't stay out long to gawk at them because my arm is taking, and I am dragged into the mansion. The staff that stands in the lobby of the mansion bows to the mafia don beside me. I turn to him just in time to see him give them a nod and walk off with me in tow.

The staff don't pay me any mind and disperse to go about their day while I am taken up the stairs and towards a room with large oak doors. Luca places his hand on the door while I plant my feet into the ground to prevent him from taking me in there. He pushes open the door and pulls me along. I stand my ground glaring at him. If he was pulling me into a room, that meant that he planned to have his way with me. I was not going to allow that. I’d rather be tortured.

Luca turns to me and raises an eyebrow.

"Really?" He asks before he sweeps me off my feet, literally and carries me into the room on his shoulder. I squirm but he doesn't give. Before I know it, he drops me on the plush bed in the middle of the room and sits me up. He leans in close, causing me to shut my eyes and wait for what happens next but to my surprise, the gag in my mouth is pulled down. I open my eyes to see Luca sitting on the edge of the bed, watching me intently. I scoot back on my butt and eye him cautiously.

"Why?" I demand, my voice raw.

His dark gray eyes meet mine, and he smiles.

"Because I want you." He deadpans as if it is the most obvious answer to my question.

"It's not that simple." I whisper under my breath, sure that my torture would begin soon.

He chuckles and stands up from the bed, the sun dancing off his figure.

"Oh, I assure you it is. Now that you belong to me, there are rules..."

"I don't belong to anyone." I argue.

"I paid twenty million dollars for you. I'm pretty sure that you do."

I stare at him, nothing leaving my mouth when I realize that he was right. I glance at the bed and turn my face away from him.

"Like I was saying, there are only three rules for you to follow while you stay here. One. If you want something, then you need to earn it. Two. You can't leave the mansion without my permission. Three. If you don't do what I ask, then you get punished."

My head flies up in shock and I gape at him for a moment before recovering my voice.

"Punished? Earn what I want? What are these rules supposed to mean?" I question, my voice quivering.

"Call me master." He says with a playing look.

"What? No. Never." I reply, looking at him incredulously.

"Call me master or you get punished." He says again, getting closer to me. I glare at him and strengthen my resolve.

"Never."

"Good choice." Is all he says before he grabs me by my legs and pulls me towards the edge of the bed. My hands are still bound, and I can't fight back but I try to wiggle my way out of his strong hands. He pins my feet under one of his hands and pulls out a switchblade from his back pocket. He flips it open and places the cold metal on my skin.

"Stay still." He speaks; his voice now more menacing than it was before. With my eyes trained on the blade, I still, not wanting to risk my safety in the heat of the moment. My hands above my head balls up into fist, preparing for the worst. He grins at my obedience. Luca lets go of my leg and slips his hand under my gown. I whimper and turn my head away from him knowing that I don't have any underwear on. He's going to rape me, wasn't he? I think to myself. This is it. The worst thing that I know could happen to me. I squeeze my eyes shut and take a deep breath preparing myself for the pain.

To my surprise, strong hands move down my leg and grip my thighs, raising my body and arching my back. Something wet and soft touches my vagina and I squeal. I open my eyes wondering what is going on when I feel his tongue run up my vulva and hit my clitoris. I arch my back and scream out as my spine shudders in ecstasy. My body, betraying what my mind knows is wrong. I glance at him again through hooded eyes but all I can see is the top of his head as he goes down on me.

He focuses on my g-spot and begins to suck on it, flickering his tongue every opportunity he gets to make me squirm in pleasure. Although my hands are bound, I want nothing more than to grab him by his hair and push his face deeper into me. I moan loudly; all reasoning I had being thrown out the window when another wave of pleasure hits me like a tsunami.

"Please." I whisper barely audible as I try not to explode from the wonders he does with his tongue.

His finger goes inside, teasing me. I lose my mind, my toes curling.

"Please fuck me." I scream out, not being able to hold in my desires any longer.

Luca removes his head from under my gown, his finger still pumping inside me, and speaks in a voice that gives me shivers.

"Beg me."

"Please Luca. Please fuck me." I reply like a helpless drug induced addict.

"What's my name?" He questions me as he adds another finger, stretching me out.

I moan, wanting nothing more than to be turned over and pounded until I can't feel my legs again. I open my eyes just in time to see him staring at me with amusement as he pleases me. I lick my lips and give him what he wants.

"Master Luca." I say seductively.

"What do you want me to do Lia?" He asks again, not wasting a beat as he adds another finger inside me.

"Please master Luca. Fuck me." I reply breathless as another moan leaves my mouth, my body on the verge of bursting in pleasure. I was close. I was about to orgasm.

Luca smirks at me and pulls his fingers away from me. I look down, seeing his hands retreat and give him a pleading look.

"No. Please. Don't." I beg him, my eyes clouding with impure thoughts.

Luca takes his fingers and puts them in his mouth, sucking my juices off his hand and enjoying it. He eyes my petite frame as I shiver, the wave I felt coming dissipating and leaving me relentless.

"That's your punishment. The staff will be here to clean you up soon. Have a bath and dress up, then meet me in the dining room for dinner."

With that, Luca chuckles and walks out of the room, leaving me alone, a shattered and unsatisfied mess with a frustrated mind. I whisper to myself after I catch my breath.

"What the fuck was that?"