The drive to wherever they were taking her felt long and endless. She did not know how long she had been in the car, but judging by the sky outside the windows, everything had happened within a span of at least six hours by her calculations. No one spoke to another throughout the ride, and she was not sure which one of the men in the front seat had bought her for an outrageous twenty million.
Both men looked nothing like it. They looked more like servants with their aura and matching outfits, not to mention the earpods glued to their ears like some rich men's protocol, and the outline of a gun sticking out of one of their jacket pockets. Her wrists were free now. Apparently, there was no need to leave her in chains, not as if she were a violent animal without restraint.
The car finally slowed down, and she looked out the window. The dark tints made it hard to see, but as the headlights flashed brighter, a massive iron gate stood before them, and beyond that, rows of overgrown thorny bushes covered the fences, stretching a long distance to both the left and right.
The gate opened, and beyond it, Jade did not just catch a glimpse of a mansion. She saw the lights that illuminated it, making it stand out among everything else past the gate. No one approached the vehicle as it halted among a row of cars, luxurious cars worth millions perhaps, and one of the men stepped out first. She thought he would open the door, but it shocked her when it opened automatically.
"Out," said the man, his tone firm.
Without another word, Jade stepped out of the car, her heart pounding. She had been nervous throughout the ride, but it seemed to skyrocket to a whole new level. Her legs were shaking, and she knew why. She was afraid, too scared to meet the man who bought her because who knows? If a man was willing to spend that much just to have her, then she could not imagine what his expectations were, and all the stories she had heard never ended well.
The front door opened before they even reached it, and two more guards stood inside. They were not guarding anything or anyone in particular, but they stood there, expressionless. Jade swallowed hard. If all this had been done in preparation for her arrival, then it had to be the last night she would get to live, at least that was what she thought.
"Follow me." The man beside her gestured toward the staircase, and she complied obediently, her heart throbbing with each step. They ascended the staircase, and she could not help but sense the cameras moving. They followed her everywhere, and when she thought she had seen it all, they arrived at the second floor, and her fear flew out the window, replaced by astonishment at the sight before her.
Beneath her feet was a glistening marble floor, but above her head was the real deal. She could have sworn they were outside beneath the night sky, looking directly at the aurora borealis in Iceland. Clearly, he was one of those rich men who did things simply because no one else would, because that ceiling was no ceiling. It was an entire LED screen suspended overhead, with visual quality so good that cinemas could not compare.
"Keep walking," the man urged her, and she did, staring endlessly at the ceiling until they stopped in front of a room and her heart dropped once more. It is time, she thought. Time to meet him for real, time to suffer for such a high cost she had never asked for.
"Your room," declared the man, and for a moment, Jade simply stared at him as though he had made a mistake.
"My… my room?" she stuttered, staring into the already opened door.
In response, the man simply nodded and gestured for her to step in. The second she did, he gently closed the door and locked her inside. The mechanical sound of the lock alerted Jade at once, and she turned, only to realize that she was locked in.
Panic set in. She rushed to the door and tried to twist the knob, but to no avail. It was sealed shut. She turned again, ignoring the jaw dropping magnificence of the room, the heavy curtains that framed the glass, the private fireplace, the sitting area near the window, and the king sized bed in the center. None of that mattered in the moment. She only had one question in mind.
Was she alone, or had she been locked inside with the man, left vulnerable at his mercy to do whatever he wished without a chance to escape?
She shriveled at the thought and remained fixed at the door, expecting someone to emerge from anywhere. Her eyes scanned every possible place a person could be hiding, but then it hit her. Why would he need to hide?
It made sense, so she stepped forward. Being locked in her own room was unsettling, but at least she had a place to rest before her fate unfolded in full. She walked up to the bed and noticed a piece of paper on it with writing so she picked it up. And although the handwriting was terrible, she read the note.
"There are some clothes in the wardrobe. Change. If you are hungry, use the phone near the bed and rest. Work starts tomorrow."
Her eyes shifted to the wardrobe, and in no time she was standing in front of it. She opened it to reveal a gallery of outfits to choose from, and one thing stood out among every single piece. They were revealing in every possible area, tailored to be seductive in appearance.
"No," Jade gasped. Tears clouded her eyes instantly, and her hand flew over her lips. She felt weak in the knees and did not bother fighting it. Soon she was on the floor in front of the wardrobe, tears trickling down her cheeks as reality dawned on her.
She pieced the puzzle together, at least from her understanding. She had not been bought to serve him. She had been bought to serve, to serve men like him and probably make back the money with which she was bought, or more, and that was worse than every assumption she had made so far.