Chapter 45: The Auctioned Girl

Pushing the door open, as expected, a guard in a suit was standing outside, and beyond the door was nothing special, just an elevator, indicating that the two people from before had left using it.

"Sir, this is a restricted area," the guard said to Brian.

Brian nodded and took out a badge, "I'm here to see Mr. Saint-Gall. He invited me."

The guard looked at the name on the badge and started searching in the register while Brian took the opportunity to look around. He noticed the elevator behind the guard was going up.

"I'm sorry, sir, your name is not on the list."

Brian saw the elevator numbers approaching and casually said, "That can't be right, please check again."

Reluctantly, the guard looked again as the elevator "dinged" open.

The guard had just checked again and was about to speak when he felt something hard pressed against his waist, and then he was pushed into the elevator by Brian, realizing he was being held at gunpoint.

"Don't kill me…"

Before he could finish, Brian hit him on the carotid artery with the butt of his gun, knocking the guard unconscious. He didn't do this out of kindness; firing a gun would attract unwanted attention.

The elevator door "dinged" open again, and it was a direct elevator that stopped on the second basement level.

There was no one outside, just a long corridor. Brian dragged the guard into a storage room nearby.

Walking down the corridor, Brian heard footsteps behind him. Turning around, he saw a waiter coming around the corner with a tray carrying red wine and glasses.

"Which room?"

"Uh... Room 7, sir."

"I'll take it."

Brian waved the waiter off and carried the tray towards Room 7. He had noticed earlier that each room had a number on the door, and now he had a plausible identity.

At the entrance of Room 7, a muscular man with a ponytail came out, looking like a bodyguard. Seeing Brian with the wine, he gestured for him to leave it at the door.

Brian complied, but as the man was lighting a cigarette, Brian punched him in the throat, crushing his windpipe. The man grasped his neck in agony, unable to breathe.

Brian didn't linger on the man and walked into the room.

The room was dark, a modified venue resembling a private box, with a stage in the center illuminated while the surrounding areas had glass-enclosed booths with visible occupants.

A naked girl was led onto the stage by a bald man, placed under the spotlight. As the turntable spun, showcasing the girl from every angle, a voiceover started describing the girl's skin, ethnicity, and price. Bidding began immediately, with prices quickly escalating to $250,000, where it was sold.

The winner was a young man in the booth where Brian was, who smiled contentedly and snapped his fingers, ordering, "Pour the wine."

Brian, playing the role of a waiter, poured wine for the young man. Meanwhile, the sold girl was taken away, and another girl was brought up, causing Brian's heart to race. The new girl's profile reminded him of Kem.

Bidding restarted swiftly.

"$50,000, $100,000..." the auctioneer announced as bids came in, quickly reaching $200,000.

"Look at this girl's skin, and I have news for you—she's a virgin... Alright, $250,000, oh, $300,000, $350,000, anyone higher? Okay, we have $400,000..."

This price was almost double that of the previous girl, but the auctioneer continued, "Alright, it seems $400,000 is the limit for many. Here's another explosive piece of news—this girl is an American, a pure Californian."

The auctioneer's words reignited the bidding fervor, with prices soaring to $600,000 before stopping.

Brian was desperate because when the girl turned around, he recognized her—not as Kem but as Amanda.

Brian was unsure whether to feel lucky or unfortunate. Lucky because he didn't have to watch his beloved daughter auctioned off naked, but unfortunate because he still hadn't found Kem. Amanda might be the only lead to finding her.

As the auctioneer called out $600,000 for the first time, Brian panicked, accidentally spilling wine on the young man, who shouted in anger. Brian then pulled a gun on the young man, urging, "Buy her, buy her!"

Confused, the young man hesitated as the auctioneer called out the second bid. Impatient, Brian pressed the bidding button himself.

"Oh, we have a bid, $650,000, ah, $700,000, $750,000, someone really wants her. Alright, $750,000 first, second, third time, sold! The winning bidder can come backstage to claim their item."

As the auctioneer continued to hype up the atmosphere, Brian, holding the young man hostage, prepared to leave the booth. He wanted to see Amanda quickly, hoping she could tell him where Kem was. But as they left the room, Brian felt a blow to the back of his head and blacked out.

Groggily feeling someone slapping his face, Brian woke up to find himself handcuffed to a high exhaust pipe, having to stand on tiptoes. Guards surrounded him.

Seeing him awake, a man approached—Brian recognized him as the party's host, Saint-Gall.

"Who are you? Don't lie; we know you're not from the security service."

Saint-Gall waved the fake badge in front of Brian, its poorly made photo torn off, revealing the document's true owner.

With no other choice, Brian confessed, "My daughter, she's here. The girl just now, she was with her. I just want to take her home."

"Ah, I see."