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.
Father's not done yet though, and he watches with steely-eyed determination as Belle strips me naked. "Don't leave anything on. I want her naked as the day she was born and stolen from us."
Belle obeys, stripping me until the two men finally back away, leaving me naked and shivering on the raised stage. I do my best to cover up, meeting Father's triumphant gaze across the room. He thinks he's humiliated me now, thinks he's got my will stripped away along with my clothes. But I'm not letting him win. He can torture me now, but I'm going to get back at him soon enough.
"Isn't she a sight to behold?" Father bellows. "She may have a plain face, but that body is perfect, isn't it?"
"Indeed," the man who spoke to me in the front row mutters, his hungry eyes never leaving me. It is then that I notice Audra sitting next to him, along with her wimpy brother. Fuck. He must be Audra's father, and judging by his expression, he's as eager to hurt and take advantage of me as one of his kids.
"Let's get this party started," Father mutters. "Guards, move her hands off her."
The two men from before approach me again. They force my arms away, exposing me to the audience and making me whimper in fright. I'm forced to sit on a chair with my legs spread obscenely, and they tie my hands behind my back, and my ankles to the chair legs. I'm steaming with anger as they retreat once again, leaving me vulnerable and exposed. Audra snickers in the front row, and I throw her a murderous look.
"It must hurt that your own father wants me," I tell her sweetly. "Maybe I'll be your new stepmommy!"
Her face falls and her dad chuckles darkly, as if my predicament is amusing. "The girl's got a sharp mouth on her, and I like it. Bitches like her are the most fun to tear down. I can't wait to ruin you, little Lily Anna wannabe. You may not look as pretty as your predecessor, but I bet you're fun to abuse."
"Fuck you," I snarl.
"You will," he grins. "If you're lucky."
"The bidding will begin in four hours," Father drawls lazily. "Until then, feel free to examine her. Do anything you want with her. Test her. She's all yours."
With those words, he tips a wine glass back and retreats from the room, leaving me alone with the hungry wolves. I only have Dex now, and I'm not sure he can do much to protect me.
My heartbeat picks up as the men begin rising from their seats, approaching me like predators closing in for the kill.
The thugs from before carry in a table with various objects on it. There's a bouquet of roses, scissors, candles with a lighter, and then, the most horrible of all - a gun. I have no way of knowing whether there are any bullets in it, and my stomach tightens when I see it.