HIGHEST BIDDER

I CAN'T EVEN THINK clearly because of everything that I just learned. The fact that everyone here is waiting for a chance to have sex with Cyrus is sickening to a whole different level. And they're even willing to spend millions on it. If this isn't fucked up then I don't even know what is anymore.

"So last week was the boss punishment. And you said master Chance was whipped...how many times again?" I ask Maël to clarify it for me again because I might have just gotten it wrong the first time I heard it.

Not like it would be any better.

"Twenty." He simply answers, like getting whipped twenty times wasn't a big deal, "But of course the bidder doesn't do the whipping. That would be terrible."

"Of course. Terrible." I say back, trying not to sound sarcastic.

"But he could have gotten any punishment. The boss punishment is quite entertaining actually because the person to be punished will pick the punishment themselves. It's either getting whipped or getting fucked." Maël then adds, surprising me on the new information.

"So if it's the boss punishment, master Chance can have choices? And the choices are either whipping or fucking?" I ask, trying to understand the concept of what they refer to as the boss punishment.

Maël nods his head as an answer. So they're given a choice. And for Chance who has been fucking dozens of people almost his entire life, I somehow understand why he chose the whip instead.

Others might think that choosing to fuck someone would be easier for Chance, but like how the saying goes; eating your favorite food can always satisfy you, but eating it every day will make you lose your appetite, and it would eventually be harder to swallow.

Chance must have been so sick of having something shoved up his ass or the other way around. I'd feel the same about it too if I went through what Chance went through.

"I apologize, but could you clarify the punishments for me? As you can see, I'm quite new here." I tell Maël, hoping he won't get annoyed by how talkative I am now.I know Chance and Luis said I'm just here to observe. But how on earth will I be able to observe something that I have no idea about?

"Sure. Anything for my European friend." He says with a smile, showing me his drink so we could cheer to it.

I fake a laugh and clink my glass with him. He takes a drink of his wine first before starting, "Well like I said, boss punishment allows the person to be punished to choose. That's why it's called the boss punishment."

Okay, we got that down already. Next, please.

"Slut punishment is very obvious." Maël continues as he slides his tongue on the side of his cheek to mimic someone doing a blowjob.

Very classy.

"Saint punishment on the other hand is the whip. It's like the symbolism of penance. But not like the boss punishment, the person to be punished will do the whipping by himself or herself." Maël reveals, the image of the punishment immediately flashing in front of me.

You gotta be fucking kidding me. What's with these punishments? Who designed them?

"The bidding is for what item to use. Sometimes it's chains, but sometimes it's just rope. But usually, iron wires win the bidding. It leaves small cuts too, and the highest bidder gets to decide whether he has to stop or not. But of course, we all wait till the back starts bleeding. That's when the amusement begins." He finishes before laughing again like what he said was funny.

I pretend to laugh even though deep down I was inches away from breaking the glass that I was holding and using the shards to slice his neck open like what I did to president Boris just hours ago.

How could he say all these things so casually? How could he laugh like that after knowing everything that they have done to Chance and the others? I know I'm not clean and innocent myself, and I'm not the perfect person to say this, but these people are disgusting. If this is what a great amount of money does to a person then I'd rather be poor.

"And the gentleman punishment? What do they do?" I ask, remembering that Maël actually forgot about it.

Maël took another sip of his wine and tells me, "We don't have biddings during the gentleman punishment so we don't really know what they do."

Well isn't that just great? At least they don't publically do the gentleman punishment.

But thinking about it. What exactly do they do?

"The bidding is about to begin. Please take your seats." A voice announces, and everyone inside the room settles down.

I glance at Maël and he was already sitting comfortably as waiters refill our glass and hand out these signs that I presume you'd put up if you want to join the bidding. A large screen in the middle turns on, and Catalina's face was shown.

"Please welcome madam Catalina Delton." The voice announces, and everyone starts clapping. I didn't want to clap together with these pricks but I obviously have to so I could blend in. I clap my hands ever so lightly, acting like I was some kind of prince of England.

Catalina looks at the guests and slightly bows her head to acknowledge them. It's also obvious that she doesn't want to be there. She doesn't even try to hide it. That's what I call a boss.

The next Delton that was shown on the screen was Chance. Some even cheered and shouted, "That's my baby!" when he was shown. It made me feel uncomfortable knowing that these are old rich men that could have already fucked him. But Chance keeps his head held high. He playfully smiles at everyone and even waves at them. Looking at him act like he likes the attention makes me pity him even more.

"And master Tobias Delton." The voice announces last as Tobias's face appears on the screen.

Everyone continues to clap, so did I.

Tobias just smiles, but not the type of smile that could touch his ears. It isn't a forced smile either. It's just a regular smile. But that's what makes it creepy. It looks so natural even though you know that that's not the expression that he wants to show. Like Catalina, Tobias doesn't want to be there, but in order to please the guests, he smiles at them instead.

And I never really notice it, but looking at his face on the big screen makes me now realize the reason why Tobias has similar eyes like Adam. It's not simply because they look similar, but because his eyes are actually green too. Cyrus and the other siblings have blue eyes, but Tobias is the only one with eyes as green as Adam. Is that a factor that I should consider?

"Our bidding begins now. Please welcome today's host, Mistress Camilla Delton." The voice announces, and an old woman wearing a shiny gown with a fox fur coat heads out of the small curtain with a playful smile.

My eyes widen from realization when the name sinks in.

That's Camilla Delton. That's Adam's older sister. She's the one who had the slut role too!

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen." She greets the audience once a waiter hands her the microphone. Her voice was calming, but it was playful at the same time, almost like she was teasing everyone who's listening to her.

The siblings keep their expression neutral as they watch her. They don't even stand to greet her, because to my surprise, the one who greeted the other was Camilla herself. She walks in front of the siblings to bow her head to show them respect. It was surprising because I thought she'd be in a higher position. But it looks like the moment there's a new generation of Delton siblings; their rank goes down instead.

"I thought she'd be dead," I say out loud, causing Maël to hear me.

"Nonsense. She was just stripped away of her title since the late Adam was chosen as the head of the family. They only come back to the mansion when there are events like these." Maël explains to me.

"Seriously, how long have you known this family?" I ask because he knows so much about the Delton's for someone who only owns a winery in France.

"My grandfather was associated with their grandfather before, so our family goes way back." He answers, now making me understand why he knew so much about them. This also means these types of gatherings have already been around for at least a century now.

"I'm glad the place is packed because tonight we a have special bidding." Camilla enthusiastically says. If I didn't know who she was, I'd think she's Chance's mother. She talks like Chance and even has gestures like him. And for someone who looks like they're in their eighties, she's actually still very stunning. I guess that comes with having the slut role.

"I know every one of you is dying to start the bidding, so I won't stall you any longer. Tonight we are to witness the punishment of the eldest, Cyrus Delton." Camilla explains, removing the master before Cyrus's name because I'm guessing they remove the formalities during their siblings' punishments.

"Cyrus Delton is being punished tonight because he had broken a very important rule. He didn't just kill, but instead, ordered the death of none other than President Isaac Boris." Camilla continues, and everyone gasps because of surprise.

I immediately look at Maël who also has a shocked expression, "Why is everyone surprised? I thought everyone knows why he's being punished?" I ask him, but Maël shakes his head and answers me, "That's not it. It's president Boris. He was the highest bidder when master Chance was punished last time."

My eyes widen from surprise. Now I really understand the reason why Catalina and the others were so mad at what Cyrus did. This is all making sense now.

"He deserves a more horrid punishment for what he did to the family name, but we must follow customs. We follow the cycle, and tonight, it's lucky for both Cyrus and the guests because the punishment we'll be giving him is none other than the slut punishment, which is, of course, my personal favorite." She says flirtatiously, and everyone started to look excited.

"Without further ado, bring out the item!" Camilla shouts as everyone cheered.

I want to fucking vomit. Did she actually just call her nephew...item?

"Sick," I mumble to myself as I chug down the champagne.

Another curtain opens, and finally, Cyrus is revealed.

Cyrus is naked from head to toe while his neck is chained like a dog. But he was groomed to perfection, which made it even worse. It's almost like they prepared to sell him. Compared to the serious and gentleman-like appearance that Cyrus has, stripping him naked like this in front of everyone here is just over the top.

Everyone starts talking when they saw him, and I look away because of shame. Even Tobias and the other siblings looked away. It's too much for me to see. I'm not even a part of this but I still felt ashamed. I can't believe they're actually bidding for an actual person.

The screen zooms in on Cyrus's face, and I look at that instead of looking at his naked body. His eyes are empty, and he doesn't even look uncomfortable. It makes me feel terrible just by thinking that all this was normal to him to the point where he'll feel comfortable by it.

"Let us begin the bidding by starting at five million," Camilla says., but just a second passed before someone already puts up their sign and says, "seven million."

The actual amount is shown in front of everyone to see and monitor. This is seriously real. It's only now sinking in.

"Nine!" A female voice shouts.

"Ten million!" Maël shouts beside me next, making me flinch.

The screen shows his face this time, and I immediately look away just so my face wouldn't be included in the frame. Thankfully a woman on the far side immediately shouts back, "Twelve!" And the disappointed look on Maël's face made me want to still cut his throat open.

The bidding continues. It feels like it's never-ending, and the rate just gets higher and higher.

Catalina is gripping on the arm of her seat. Chance is still smiling, but I could see the side of his lips twitch. It feels like he wants to cry. Tobias on the other hand just looks shallow. No expression at all. I thought he'll show the most emotion since it seems like he likes Cyrus the most, but I couldn't read him at all. Not until I witness his hands tremble a little.

Was he scared? Could it be that this happened to Tobias before too? Has he already been punished to the point where he'll tremble like that by just witnessing this again? Well, anyone who would have gone through this would be mentally damaged. They'd be traumatized for sure.

"Fifteen million!" An old man shouts a few seats away from me, making Tobias flinch. The longer I look at little Tobi, the longer I realize that he's really trembling. He's just so good at faking it that he manages to only show minimal disruption of composure one at a time.

My attention shifts back to Cyrus. He's still standing there, watching the old men and women bid on him like he was some kind of sculpture. An item. I don't really think much about him because I know that he's a tough man, but the moment the screen showed his face again, my heart almost breaks into pieces.

His blue eyes are slowly being surrounded by red. It's glossy too. He's inches away from crying and I'm the only one who noticed it. He's tired of being treated as such. He's on his breaking point.

"Twenty million dollars!" A man shouts, and everyone gasps from shock.

The screen shows an old man that already has a crane. Seeing him disgusted me even more. Imagine the viagra that he'll be needing.

"Twenty-two!" Another person shouts.

I continue to stare at Cyrus pitifully. I just want this to be over for his sake, but the bidding continues further. And the fact that the bidding's getting higher makes me feel even more terrible. I just want to get out of this place and just pretend as if nothing happened.

"Fuck this," I mumble to myself as I already decided to stand. But just when I was midway from standing, Cyrus's eyes suddenly moves to my direction.

My body freezes. I don't know if he recognized me, but he's looking directly at me. He continues to do so for a couple more seconds. And just by looking at him, it finally hit me.

Cyrus didn't signal me to come here just to learn about their family history. He signaled me...so I could help him. There's no other explanation!

"Twenty-five million!" I shout at the top of my lungs like a total idiot.

Everyone, and I mean everyone, including the siblings, look my way. My eyes widen from shock when I realize what I just did. The spotlight goes to my direction and the screen shows my face so everyone could see me better.

The siblings recognize me in an instance. Chance's eyes widen from shock when he got a better view of who I actually was. Catalina and Tobias were surprised as well, but the one who was more shocked was Cyrus himself.

Was I wrong? Did he actually not signal me to do this?

"Twenty-five million! Going once...going twice...sold to the handsome young man with the silver mask!" Camilla announces in excitement.

My heart starts beating faster for some reason. All I could hear is everyone clapping their hands for me. Even Maël pats my back to congratulate me. And just like that, I was able to win Cyrus with twenty-five million dollars that I obviously don't have. I'm dead. I'm seriously dead.

"Please head right here to claim your price sir," Camilla says, and the two guards, who are outside, assist me to head to where Camilla and the other siblings are.

The siblings were almost glaring at me, but I try my best to avoid looking at them. As long as no one knows who I really am then I think I'm okay.

I thought Camilla's going to interview me, but instead, she gently holds my back and says, "We'll handle the transactions right after your prize gentleman. As for everyone here, thank you for joining us. Please enjoy the rest of the night."

The two guards open the curtain that Camilla went out from earlier. But instead of her getting in, the guards push me inside instead. They shove me into a long corridor. There's only red light at the end of the corridor, but I can still see despite the darkness. I don't really know what I'm supposed to do, but then I hear another curtain open. A small light shines at the side, and there appeared Cyrus Delton.

I gulp as his naked body approaches me. I thought he was going to thank me for saving his ass. Literally. But instead, he grabs my cheeks and aggressively holds onto it before pushing me against the wall.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" He asks as I try to push him away, but there was no use in doing so because he was surprisingly still stronger than me.

When he realizes that there was no way for me to answer him, he eventually let's go.

"How did you get here?" He asks me, and I massage my cheeks and try to catch my breath. "C-Chance," I simply answer him.

Cyrus curses, but he takes a deep breath and calms himself down.

"You do know you'll be killed if you don't get to pay this bidding?" Cyrus reminds me.

I brush my hair back and answer him, "I'll think of a way. I think I could get that amount from chief Philip."

"How the hell would you expect him to just give you twenty-five million?" Cyrus asks, obviously pissed at what I did for him. But knowing he's mad because I might get killed because of this makes it better.

"Well, you'll be paying us a lot more when I find your father's murderer right?" I ask back with a playful grin, making Cyrus look at me like I'm an idiot. I try to make this situation positive. After everything that I just witnessed, I think I deserve a little fun.

"How much have you learned from your short visit here?" Cyrus suddenly asks as he starts walking away from me. I immediately follow beside him and answer him, "Well I found out you're a daredevil. How's that for a short visit?"

Cyrus didn't even look surprised, but I could tell he wasn't expecting me to say that either.

"Don't worry. If it makes you feel better, I'll keep all this a secret with the police. I'm here to investigate Adam Delton's murder, and anything I discover on the sidelines is not my concern." I assure him, and Cyrus just gives me a sarcastic answer, "I'm grateful."

"Anyway, didn't you actually want my help?" I ask, and Cyrus looks back at me angrily and answers, "No! Why on earth would I want your help? I have done this a lot of times already. Why would I need help now? And from you of all people?"

I don't know if I should be sad because he said he's done this a lot of times now, or because he especially doesn't want MY help.

"Well sorry for even trying. I couldn't just sit there and watch people bid on you. It's too much for common folk like me to watch." I jokingly say, but deep down, I was serious with my words.

"So you bid on your fake money so you could fuck me instead?" He asks back, almost making me choke on air.

"Of course not! And it's not like I'm really going to fuck you. You should be lucky that I outbid that ninety-year-old-looking man earlier." I tell him, but Cyrus suddenly stops walking and looks at me, making me stop walking as well.

"You don't know don't you?" He asks, and that question alone made me once again nervous.

"What do you mean?" I dare to ask him.

Cyrus takes a deep breath and looks at me seriously, "This is an open bidding Vincent Carter. Not everyone is here to bid, but why do you think there are so many observers?"

The question lingers in my head for a couple of seconds before the realization took over. My body tenses and my eyes widen from total shock.

"W-Wait. Are you telling me-" Cyrus cuts me off as he opens a door that I didn't even realize is already in front of us. He opens the door wider before looking back at me with an expression that I once again cannot read.

"I was willing to give you this chance for free earlier but now the tables have turned." He says as I follow him inside the room.

"Wait, I-"

Cyrus cuts me off when he slams the door shut behind us.

"Congratulations Mr. Carter because you just bid yourself a chance to fuck a billionaire," Cyrus tells me, and the consequence of what I did immediately slaps me hard on the face.

"Now, you have to show these disgusting peasants that bidding 25 million dollars on me is fucking worth it," he says, and when he finally turns the lights on, my heart almost dropped again when I notice cameras placed in every corner of the room.

At that moment I knew that there was no backing out now.

"Let's continue what we were doing earlier Mr. Carter. But this time...it's my turn to do the pleasing."