EXCEPTION

Chapter 25. Save me

Back to Adeleine's POV

I sat in the dimly lit room, my reflection staring back at me from the ornate mirror. The dress they made me wear was seductive, no doubt about it. A sleek red gown with a daring slit up my thigh, a line of lace tracing my curves just above the knee. It was a bit revealing for my taste, and I couldn't help but feel a tad uneasy in it. Peering at my reflection, I hardly recognized myself. My eyes, once lively and bright, now held only weariness and sorrow. And even with all the makeup, my true self peeked through, those scars and bruises telling a story of their own on my skin.

Chris Salvatore, the man who had bought me for a million dollars, stood by the door. His eyes bore into mine, devoid of any compassion. Blaine was the mastermind behind this crazy idea of selling me to this jerk, and here I was, completely helpless to stop it.

"You're mine now." Chris sneered, his voice dripping with disgust as he swaggered toward me. I met his gaze through the mirror with my blank expression. "A million dollars, Adeleine. That's what you're worth."

I held his gaze without flinching, mustering up a chilly stare. "Worth? Or bought? There's a distinction, you know."

He laughed, and that made me cringe. It was a cold, cruel laugh. "Semantics won't change your fate. If you only didn't run off like that in the first place, maybe none of this would happen. Your husband would have never hurt you." He gave me an evil smirk. "And tonight, you'll learn what it means to serve, girl. You ruined our plan before; now it's time to fix that."

I was furious. I wanted to punch him out so badly when I heard those words. It took all my willpower not to lash out and give him a taste of his own medicine. Every single one of those monsters who prey on others' vulnerabilities, especially women — they deserve punishment. If only I had the power to punish them right now, I swear I wouldn't hesitate to do it.

Instead of resorting to violence, I took a deep breath and held back my fury. "I can't help but wonder," I said calmly, "What will your daughter think when she learns her dear dad is actually a heartless man, willing to destroy someone's life for his selfish reasons?" 

The look in his eyes changed. A fire burned behind those ebony irises. He then grabbed my chin, squeezing hard until I yelped, and forced me to meet his gaze, ignoring the pain I felt. "You think you can use that kind of talk to get out of this?"

"No. But I believe that one day... your daughter will suffer the same way I did." I spat the words.

He became even more furious that he slapped me hard in my face. "I've never cared about your opinion! Who do you think you are, huh?!" Chris growled. His grip tightened even more. "You're just a floozy who gets paid to fuck around. You know how much money I'm making off those women like you?!"

He shoved me up against the vanity chair roughly, holding the backrest in place as I struggled not to fall over in the seat. The action caused sharp pains to flare all along my body, but I just stared at him with blazing hatred in my eyes. My throat tightened. I wanted to scream, to fight back, but the entire atom of my being seemed frozen into place. As much as I wanted to run, my feet wouldn't budge. Even my tears seemed to have abandoned me, leaving me helpless. The only thing holding me back was the sheer fury that raged inside of me. I'd been hurt enough, and yet I couldn't bring myself to do anything about it.

He was about to hit me again but failed to do so when the door swung open, and a man clad in a black suit stepped inside. One of his men. He walked fast toward Chris and whispered urgently. I could feel the tension in Chris' face. He looked back at me again, a mixture of anger and uncertainty etched across his features. I wondered what the conversation was about.