CHAPTER 2 Purchased by a Prince

"Wow! This is a new record since these auctions have been up and running! Never has anything or anyone sold for this much before. Everyone, take a look! This girl is the most expensive slave. More expensive than any artwork or rare gem that has ever been auctioned here before!" a man's voice announced loudly through the microphone.

The crowd's cheer was deafeningly loud, and the auditorium echoed with the sound of their voices and their clapping.

The man grabbed the large chain connected to my wrists and yanked hard on it. I felt my body being pulled as I staggered towards him. I would have fallen over face first from the forceful way that he handled me had he not caught my arm in his large hand and pulled me up.

"Come here, girl. Your new master is waiting for you. You have no idea how lucky you are to be sold to a prince. You'll get to live in a castle from now on. How wonderful is that?" he hissed tauntingly close to my ear.

I could smell the reek of cigarettes from the man's breath, and it made me want to gag with disgust.

"Mhmm!" I let out a muffled scream as pain stung my wrists.

Tears stung my eyes as the pain intensified and I knew that my wrists had been scuffed raw. My mouth was taped shut and moaning in pain and protest was all that I could do. The metal chains and handcuffs attached to my wrists clinked together as my arms were roughly pulled forward. The weights weighing down my feet made it almost impossible for me to walk and escape wasn't a viable option.

This is so wrong. No one should be bought and sold this way. I have heard of slavery from before the practice was abolished so I had no idea that in a world where slavery was now illegal people were still being auctioned off this way. Even if human trafficking and slavery still existed, I never imagined that I would get involved in something like this. Never even in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine that I would end up here.

How did I end up here? Why did things have to turn out like this?

After saving me from falling on my face, the man pushed me face first down onto the ground. My eyes squeezed shut instinctively as I braced myself for the impact of my fall. I waited for the pain to tear into my face and hands, but the pain never arrived. Instead, something firm and warm enveloped me and broke my fall. The faint smell of roses filled my nostrils before my eyelids slowly fluttered open. The light shining from behind his head made his face appear as a dark black shadow as he stared down at my face from above.

My breath caught in my throat and my legs felt like they had lost all of their strength when icy blue eyes met and held mine intently. I had absolutely no idea how long I was captured and lost in the mesmerizing beauty of his eyes because to me, it felt like time had stopped. It was as if time became an alien concept that no longer existed in my universe.

Suddenly, the man looked away from me and the spell was broken. Time seemed to resume, and I could hear the loud screaming of the people in the auditorium again. That was when I looked down and realized that I was still lying in his arms after he must have caught me to break my fall. I should thank him…

"Congratulations, my prince. I assure you that you will be more than satisfied with your purchase. She is definitely worth the price that you paid for her. Make her your maid, your sex slave, your pet, or anything that you want!" the host addressed the man who had just bought me loudly and proudly.

That's right. This man just bought me…

Did he help me just now because he was afraid that his newly purchased merchandise would be damaged?

Slowly, the man pulled me up and made sure that I had regained my balance enough that I could stand on my own two feet. I could feel countless pairs of eyes on us as the other bidders and staff watched the scene that was unfolding on stage. My eyes traveled to the man now that I could see him better than before.

Truthfully, there wasn't much to see of him at all. Dressed from head to toe in black, I couldn't see much of him at all. The man wore a black mask that covered his face from right under his eyes down to his chin. He wore a black turtleneck sweater underneath a long black leather jacket with matching black pants and black leather shoes.

Striking blue eyes framed with very long light blond eyelashes and blond hair. That was all that his black outfit gave away.

This man just bought me…for such an exorbitant price…

"Look at me. What is your name?" the man spoke through his mask.

He didn't speak loudly so it was quite a challenge to make out his words above the loud screaming of the crowd that refused to calm down.

"Her name can be whatever you wish it to be…" the host of the event chimed in uninvited.

The prince's bright blue eyes shifted away from my face for a brief moment, and I could feel the man stiffen up in a panic at my side before his words trailed off as if he didn't dare to say anything more. Just like me, he was also intimidated by the presence of the prince. When his alluring blue eyes shifted back to focus on my face, my throat and lips felt dry.

Slowly, the prince began removing the black leather glove that he was wearing from his hand. The way his hands and fingers moved felt captivatingly graceful and I found myself watching as if smitten as his long fingers slowly pulled the glove off his other hand. Everything moved in slow motion as his bare hand slowly approached my face.