"Father, do I have to?" I asked - not for the first time.
He smiled at me in a manner that could easily be mistaken as gentle and caring. I however could see the plotting and strategicly placed mimics behind it. My father had arranged a date for me with his most trusted businesspartner Josef Harold. As I was to take over our family business (more like family empire) my father wanted a man at my side he could trust would keep me and the whole company in line. I knew of these plans - I'm neither blind nor stupid - but my father continued to treat me as a spoiled little child. Little did he know that I planned to hand the title of CEO over to my younger brother Elliott. Elliott and I had already arranged everything accordingly. Now we only had to wait until the appropriate time to pull the whole thing off.
Tonight however was not the time to start a rebellion - we had agreed I humor my father until the time is right. We had been plotting and planning since I turned eighteen. Now - four years later - the only tiny little step towards freedom I had taken was to move into my own little bungalow outside of the city rather than stay with my family in the huge penthouse they owned.
Sighing I tied up my long brown hair in an elegant swirl atop my head before setting the whole thing with a little hairspray.
The doorbell rang - my father had agreed with Josef that I was to be picked up at my parents home - I grabbed my bag and coat, slipped into my shoes and set my face to what could be concieved as haughty and self assured. Truth was, I was neither. Being submissive by nature, my father had always perceived me as weak and had done anything in his power to make me 'stronger' - the whole arranged marriage ordeal being another one of his so called protective actions. Why he had bet on me instead of my brother I will never understand.
"Now dear, remember, keep an open mind, yes? Josef is taking you to an auction in the city underground. Don't worry, you'll be safe with him. This is a part of our lifestyle that you have yet to discover. Josef will be a marvelous teacher."
I nodded at my father and let Josef help me in my coat.
The car ride was eerily silent. Josef knew of my submissiveness and how my father had managed to make me feel insecure about it, and he liked to abuse this knowledge to taunt me and make me feel inferior. For that reason, and because I knew he was an asshole at heart, I chose not to speak to him unless my father was listening.
"Cathy, darling, you look stunning. " he told me, and I wanted to slap him.
Instead I just nodded.
"Now, the auctionhouse we are going to is slightly different than what you might know, but many of our businesspartners and representatives of other firms such as ours will be attending, and for this reason I expect you to be on your best behaviour." He sounded as if he was lecturing a small child, and as much as I wanted to yell at him for it, I couldn't. He was more dominant than me and I was too insecure in myself to take it up with him. He knew this, that was why he said what he said in the first place. "Do you understand me, Cathy, darling?" We both knew how much I hated it when he called me that.
Finally, we arrived at the auctionhouse.
Contrary to what I expected, it was an old building with white marble floors and large wooden doors. When my father said underground, I had already imagined the worst. This however seemed fairly normal. Maybe the underground part of it was that the merchandise was stolen or otherwise illegal? Who knew? It wasn't my problem anyway, I would just avert my eyes at what I didn't want to see.
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