Twenty Million!

Under the glow of the light above, the striking nameless young woman with long ginger curly hair that fell over her face showed off her sharp nose. She had remarkably curved plump lips and pearl-like hazel eyes.

Her clothing was tattered and threadbare. Her body was thin and emaciated from a year of backbreaking labor. Her hands were calloused and scarred, but regardless of the dirt she was covered in, it didn't hide the fact that she was stunning.

The young woman lifted her head, and the moment her gaze met those piercing red eyes, her lashes quivered. Behind the glasses he wore, it looked dark and intimidating in a way one would consider eerie.

Such unpleasant yet eccentric and fascinating eyes! At first glance, one would see nothing but glass orbs filled with blood.

He looked to be a work of art, unlike anything she had ever seen before!

"I don't...have a name," she finally responded after a few seconds of silence.

Draven squatted down and tilted his head to his left side. He reached out his hand and grabbed her chin with two fingers, then pitched her head up and looked keenly into her eyes.

No…name? He wrinkled his brows. It was impossible that she didn't have a name.

He glanced at the tag on her dress and arched his brow, able to glimpse the name "Hamilton". It was a surname.

From his observation, every other slave available on the stage had their maiden name written on their respective tags, so why was this woman an exception? The only conclusion he could come to was that the slave house did not know her maiden name. She must not have told them just like she was unwilling to tell him.

His interest was piqued.

The young woman, on the other hand, stared at him. She could hear the sound of her pounding heart.

Is he intimidating me? She quickly contemplated her question, never breaking eye contact with him. 

Such a ruthless gaze he had on her. If only she could stop the auction! But stopping it meant death...although, wasn't it the same fate that awaited her once this man bought her?

She was distressed.

Observing her bewildered expression, Draven arched his brow, quite surprised.

No one has ever looked him directly in the eyes for this long as she just did.

He knew his eyes were very unappealing and disturbing to look at, which was one of the reasons he wore glasses. His eyes were unlike anything one would consider pleasant enough to gaze into.

It was quite awful that most cowered in fear at the first sight of it. They detested them and found them dreadful. It overshadowed everything. This alone confirmed this woman was tough! She appeared less afraid than the other ladies, thus, he considered her the best choice out of all these slaves before him! 

"I'll take her," he abruptly said.

Stunned, the host shook his head in response.

"Young master, I am afraid you will have to auction for her along with the others. You are not the only one that fancies her, you know."

Draven glanced at the hungry-looking audience with the edge of his eyes and stood to his feet.

"Pay him, Santino," he ordered.

Santino didn't beat around the bush and pulled out a paycheck containing a sum of money that he knew none of the crowd could take out. He handed it over to the host.

"ONE MILLION EUROS!!!" the host announced in agitation, clearly not expecting the auction to start this well.

"One million euros going once, going twice, going three times, so—"

"Three million! I'll buy her!" A male voice suddenly reverberated within the crowd, causing instant silence.

All at once, the whole audience turned their heads to the direction where the voice sounded, only to see a young man seated with his legs crossed. On his curved, pinkish-slim lips hung a cunning smirk.

His hair was blonde and curly, falling in sleek waves around his face and framing his chiseled jawline. His sharp features were accentuated by his pale, flawless skin.

He had ocean eyes that very well complimented his lashes which were colored blonde, just like his hair. His clothing was elegant and stylish, a perfect reflection of his refined tastes and sophisticated demeanor.

"Who is he?" one of the men within the crowd asked his friend, who sat beside him, in a hushed tone.

The latter whispered back, "He is the first son of the wealthy Moriarty household, Young Master Edward."

"Oh, no wonder he could take out such a huge amount of money. His dressing alone is expensive."

The rest of the crowd began to whisper to their acquaintances as well.

The young man in question stood up from his seat. He tucked his hands into the pocket of his pants and walked over to the high platform.

He strolled up the stairs and ambled over to stand face-to-face with Draven, who held a resolute look.

"Good to see you again, Your Highness." he blurted out, smiling in a taunting manner. 

"Five million!" Draven completely disregarded him. A fierce spark of competitive maleness lit in him. 

"Twelve million!" Edward countered before the host could even say a word.

Draven's lazy eyes glanced at him in a deadly manner. His forehead wrinkled and his face distorted, clearly pissed off.

"Twenty million!" he declared, his gaze fixed on the young woman, ready to go even higher if Edward dared compete any further.

At the sound of such a huge amount of money, the audience, including Edward himself, shook on the spot.

The host staggered back, aghast, and clutched his chest, almost about to suffocate. This was the greatest auction he had ever held!

That was a large sum of money! Most of the audience exclaimed inwardly and drifted their attention to Draven.

Willing to pay this much for a mere human slave! Is he out of his mind?

Edward stared at Draven, quite surprised. He balled his hands into tight fists and exhaled softly.

Losing was not such a good feeling after all.

He did not own such a huge amount of money, therefore, he could not afford to counter.

Draven shifted his attention to the host. Twenty million was nothing to him, but he was very aware that none in the auction room would be able to bid higher than that. Competitions were not one of the things he liked. 

"Twenty million, going once, going twice, going three times... SOLD!" the host announced

The entire hall went into silence, with all the audience members unable to speak due to shock at what they had just witnessed.

A prince, willing to pay twenty million for a human slave! What was this? Where in history has such an event ever transpired?

Edward chuckled.

"You win," he stated, his lips curving into a half smile.

"Win? Who said I was competing with you? Don't make a fool of yourself!" Draven responded, unbothered to spare him even another glance.

Without waiting for another word from Edward, he turned his attention to the young woman.

"You belong to me from now on."

The young woman lifted her head to look at him, unable to process the fact that this man had just spent twenty million euros on her. What is she? The president's daughter?

"Do you want a name?" Draven kindly asked.

She stared at him and reluctantly nodded her head. "Yes…master."

"Then—" Draven grabbed a hold of her dirty hand, pulling her up to her feet. "—I shall name you, Avelina." His accent feathered the ends of his words, making his speech exotic.