THE BALDWIN'S POSSESION

SHE IS OURS

Flashback...

I stared at both of them with a curious gaze from behind my mother's legs, hiding from their stares. Suddenly, they took my name...

I heard every word clearly from their mouths:
"It's time to give her. We are here to take her," Mr. Win said while looking at me with his dark black eyes. I fully hid myself after seeing those eyes...

My mother turned her head toward me and said, "I'm sorry, but we can't, Master. She is our daughter."

"YOUR DAUGHTER? SHE IS OUR FORTUNE, YOU BITCH!" Mrs. Win shouted angrily, stepping toward us, but my dad stood in front of us, protecting me and my mother. I hugged my mother's leg more tightly, crying from the loud noise.

Mr. Win suddenly coughed, and many bulky guards in red came inside, grabbing my dad tightly. They punched him again and again, while a few men started pulling my mother away from me. I screamed in pain when Mrs. Win dug her nails into my small arms, pulling me toward her.

My grip on Mom loosened, and in seconds, I was in Mrs. Win's hold, struggling to break free. The guards kept beating my dad over and over. I cried out, "Leave my dad! Dadda, please, leave him!" My mother was on her knees as the guards slapped her face repeatedly.

Suddenly, my little brother, who had just started walking, came into the hall with his small, unsteady steps. He looked at us with the same innocent doe eyes as mine...

The guards were about to go toward him when my mom shouted, "STOP!"

Everything went silent for a few seconds, then Mrs. Win chuckled.
"You want us to leave your mom and dad, right, baby?" she said softly in my ear.

I quickly nodded my head in her arms, crying out loud. "Please," I begged.

Mr. Win chuckled this time. "So innocent."

I looked at them with a confused and frightened expression.
"Then you have to come with us, baby," she said, her voice dripping with honey. I heard my mom cry out as a guard slapped her again.
"Or we will kill them... and that little thing too," she said, pointing at my brother.

I trembled in her hold and looked at my dad, who was covered in blood, my mom, whose face was swollen from the harsh slaps, and my brother, who was still standing there, not understanding anything. He gave me his two-toothed, cute smile when I looked at him. I cried out loud and nodded my head.

Mrs. Win pulled my short hair, tied in two ponytails. I let out a painful whimper.
"SPEAK FROM YOUR MOUTH, BABY. I THINK I HAVE TO TEACH YOU A LOT. THESE FUCKERS DIDN'T DO A SINGLE THING I TOLD THEM TO!" she screamed, making me flinch and cry harder.
"I'll come, but please don't kill them," I said in a trembling voice.

"Of course, sweetie, we promise," she said, picking me up in her arms. I looked at my mom and dad, who the guards were also dragging away, and at my brother in another guard's hold. That was the last time I saw them...

After that, my life became hell. My fate became cruel. At nine years old, I was threatened into leaving my parents, and from the very next day, they started teaching me their ways:

How to walk.
How to talk.
How to obey their every command like a puppet.

They always called me their possession—Baldwin's possession. And that's exactly what I became. They made me. I was rebellious, but they molded me into a different person—a person called a slave...

They punished me whenever I made mistakes, like locking me in a dark room full of insects and snakes. They would starve me for two days until I begged them on my knees for water. The punishments grew harsher and harsher until I turned eighteen...

Until then, I had lived in a not-so-small house deep in the forest, with no neighbours around. When I turned eighteen, they started calling me "Angel." They said I had grown into a beauty—white skin with a hint of pink, doe-like black eyes, and a small hourglass figure. In their words, I was an exhibition piece, a rare beauty...

After fourteen long years, I took my first step outside. The same red-uniformed guards followed us. I kept glancing back at them through the car's rear window, wondering where we were going...

The car pulled up in front of a big white mansion. Mr. and Mrs. Win stepped out of the car, and Mrs. Win opened the door for me. I put my feet outside and felt the heat of the sun. My eyes squinted at the brightness. I knew why the sun hurt my skin so much—I was this pale because I had never been exposed to sunlight in those fourteen years. That's why my skin felt like it was burning...

We walked inside the giant metal doors. I was welcomed by many people dressed in red attire. They all gave me soft smiles, which I returned...

Mrs. Win suddenly yanked my hair harshly and said, "NEVER SMILE IN FRONT OF POOR PEOPLE!"

My eyes widened, but I quickly nodded my head.

They gave me a luxurious room, tasty food, and even a big TV. I felt a little happy, but mostly scared, wondering how this change would affect my life...

I started feeling more comfortable in the new environment. I began talking to the guards and maids whenever Mr. and Mrs. Win weren't around. I even started smiling a little. I rediscovered my love for painting and began selling them online after Aunt Abela suggested it. I was shocked when Mr. and Mrs. Win both approved...

Maybe I could live happily here...

And then, after two months, they came—Dax, Ahvi, and Azar.

Dax and Ahvi treated me like a normal human being, but they also imposed restrictions on me like the others. At least they weren't harsh in their methods. But Azar... he would just stare at me with his dead eyes for a long time, making me stand silently in front of him...

The whole family went crazy when Azar became the youngest and most successful businessman, Ray took the position of mafia leader, and Dax's real estate business boomed, raining money on them.

Mr. and Mrs. Win organized an event to celebrate their success, and for the first time, I attended it. The next morning, I heard the whole family laughing. Then Mr. Win said something that shook me to my core...

"As our soothsayer (fortune-teller) told us, Eve is our fortune. We are glad to have her in our life"

Mrs. Win and the rest of the family chuckled and nodded, confirming what I had heard. I looked down, clenching the hem of my shirt tightly. Was this the reason for my fate? Was the whole family insane? Was this why they hurt my family and caged them like prisoners?

My family was kept somewhere, under Baldwin's watch, but they were living in peace—at least, that's what Mrs. Win swore by. I believed her because the Baldwins were too traditional to break a promise. Baldwins never broke their promises. That's one thing I knew for sure...

Little by little, they became obsessed with my presence in their house, believing I was the reason for their success, the reason for their happy family. They called me their possession...

And as for Azar...

He told his mom and dad that he wanted me as his...

And they gave me to him.

I accepted it. I accepted this hell as my only home. But I never accepted Azar. He was just another Baldwin family member to me, someone who would order me around like the rest. And I would obey them, just as I had for fourteen years...

Flashback ends...

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