Chapter 248: Last Resort

Mina was standing in the crowd of men and women surrounding the stage, but her attention was fixed on the beauty of the smile of the man next to her. Oric's teeth were perfectly straight and so white that they seemed to sparkle. He looked like a model, and she wondered from which part of the globe his family hailed. The man had flawless brown skin and long hair that was dark and wavy. He had it neatly tucked behind his ears and it showed off his muscular jaw line.

"You know, if you keep staring…" Oric allowed his statement to trail off, and Mina retracted her gaze.

"Sorry, I was just trying to guess where your family is originally from," Mina said.

"My parents are from two different countries," Oric offered and Mina nodded. She felt that she could now tell that Oric was multiracial, but originally, she had thought he was from a tropical island. "Why are you staring now?" Oric asked, realizing that Mina was still studying his face. Mina blushed in embarrassment.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about a friend of mine."

"Boyfriend?" Oric asked with a sly smile on his face.

"A university mate," Mina corrected.

"Do I look like that person?"

"Not at all," Mina replied.

"Then why?"

"You look like her type." Oric turned to face Mina.

"Is she as pretty as you?" He asked, half joking, but curious.

"She is," Mina said without pause. Her honest reply made Oric even more curious.

"Her name?" He asked, thinking Mina was speaking in code for herself. Cylus was his good friend but if Mina insisted, he would not resist.

"Willow West," Mina answered. She noticed the face of the man drop at her response.

"Did Cylus put you up to this?" He asked, and Mina could immediately tell that she said something wrong, but before she could inquire, they were interrupted by the hostess who had opened the event with Cylus earlier.

Within a split second Oric's expression went back to being friendly. He grabbed Mina's wrist and pulled her closer to the stage.

"Let's watch the show," he said, with a smirk on his face.

"What show?" Mina asked innocently. "Is there live entertainment?"

"You can say that?" He said. "This is the best part of charity events.

Mina, who had never been to a charity event, was baffled. Oric's excitement did not look like he was merely waiting for a band to take the stage, but there were musical instruments on the platform.

"Who is performing?" Mina asked. Her innocent expression made Oric smile.

"They are holding a bachelorette auction," Oric said. "Most of these women are here to show themselves to Madam Rue, and to some of the men in the room." Mina's face flushed and Oric was surprised. Cylus had told him that Mina was different from other women, but he did not believe it until just then. "Did you not know that?" Oric asked, but Mina asked him a question back.

"Why would any woman put themselves up for auction?" She asked. Genuinely concerned.

"They get to perform after the bidding ends," Oric said. "A lot of these girls see this as an opportunity to be signed to Rouge Entertainment."

Mina shook her head scornfully. She had sold herself that day she agreed to sneak into President Lee's hotel room, and she could not imagine ever doing it again. Oric chuckled at her naivety and a thought struck him.

"Did you sign up?" He asked, almost afraid to hear her answer. Cylus had instructed him to watch over Mina but he had gotten distracted by CEO Zane.

"Never!" Mina said indignant, and Oric sighed in relief.

Although all search references to Mina Harlow only pulled up still images from a commercial, she shot, Oric had seen the commercial when it was popular. He and Connor assumed that Mina was interested in joining Rouge entertainment just like most of the other women at the event, and he was slightly concerned that she may have been using Cylus for his status.

The fact that Mina had not joined the auction helped to relieve Oric of that fear, but it was still nagging at the back of his mind. So, he inquired.

"Mina, why didn't you join the auction? Aren't you an aspiring actress?" Oric asked and Mina scoffed.

"I did a friend a favor. Nothing more," Mina replied, and her tone told Oric that she was serious.

The lights around them dimmed and the hostess retook the stage alongside CEO Rue, who looked at Mina with a pleading gaze, but she pretended not to notice. Which was hard because the sorrier he looked, the more he reminded her of her father. That was extremely uncomfortable for Mina.

The host and hostess began to engage the crowd and explained the rules of the auction.

Apparently, each bachelorette would list out their talents and if the bid to see them perform was high enough, they would be able to sing, act or play any instrument that was available. It was almost like a mini audition.

The man or woman who placed the winning bid would subsequently be given honorable mention as an event sponsor, but Oric explained to Mina that there were certain 'favors' that were expected of the women after the event was over.

A detail that is kept well hidden from the prying eyes of the public, but all the women who signed up to be auctioned off knew about it.

"What happens if a woman has no talent?" Mina asked. Once again Oric was shocked by her lack of experience.

"A blank talent card means the woman is open to an actual date," Oric said, and Mina knew that when he said 'date' he did not mean a candle lit dinner.

"Does Madam Rue know?" Mina asked, and Oric shook his head.

"Mina, the girls here today are desperate. They have already given their all and this is their last chance. Even if Madam Rue put an end to this part of the event, those women would still end up in someone's bed without even so much as a promise." Mina understood.

The women were taking a gamble and the collateral was their body. In the past, she would have harshly judged the aspiring hopefuls, but having accidentally done the same thing, she could only sympathize with them. At least they had the ability to choose.