Chapter 2 Die If You Dare Touch Her

• The black market auction hall in Claritas was a lawless and chaotic hub of vice, where even the sun refused to shine!
• Today's auction drew a full house, with celebrities, businessmen, and prominent members of wealthy families in attendance. The scene was bustling and riotous, charged with excitement.
• Everyone present sat in anticipation, their eyes gleaming with expectation. After all, the "item" that would soon be displayed on stage was Elia Skarsdale, once the most celebrated society belle in Claritas!
• The auctioneer took the stage with a microphone in hand. With a smile, he announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, the bidding will begin shortly. If everyone could please settle down and be quiet…" He paused for dramatic effect, then continued, "Before we start the auction, let me share a touching story. There was a young woman whose family was burdened with a debt of 300 million dollars, and they had no means to repay it. To ease the burden on her loved ones, she decided to pay off the debt through her own labor. Today, we are auctioning off this dutiful girl's services. For the right price, she can become your personal subordinate and serve you for the rest of her life. She can cook, clean, and fulfill any task you desire."
• "Great!"
• "That's amazing!"
• "How moving; it brings tears to my eyes…"
• All the attendees were aware of the true situation, but they played along with the auctioneer's little drama, displaying false expressions of sympathy.
• There was a derisive laugh, and Herman Blaine spoke up. "Stop trying to build suspense! That's the Skarsdale woman, right? She still owes the Four Great Clans 300 million dollars. This is just a way to pay off her debt!"
• The Blaines were one of the Four Great Clans, and Herman was one of their sons. In the past, he had pursued Elia ardently but without success.
• The auctioneer smiled blandly and continued, "Now, let's present the highlight of today's auction." A steel cage was swiftly brought up onto the stage. Inside was a young woman with shackles on her wrists and ankles. Her clothing was disheveled, revealing her fair-skinned body marked with vicious wounds!
• Despite this, her stunning beauty and elegance were undeniable!
• Elia Skarsdale surveyed the sea of ravenous, greedy faces that surrounded the stage, her heart pounding with fear. If she ended up in the hands of these people, death would be preferable!
• The auctioneer chuckled and announced, "The bidding will now begin, starting at 1 dollar; the highest bidder wins. You may place your bids."
• The entire audience burst into laughter, eyeing the caged Elia with derision and contempt. The once high-and-mighty Ms. Skarsdale was now worth only 1 dollar! The Four Great Clans had gone to great lengths to humiliate her!
• "2 dollars!"
• "3 dollars!"
• "I bid 10!"
• The bids continued endlessly. To Elia, they sounded like her worst nightmares. Her slender body trembled as she sank deeper into melancholy and despair…
• Right at that moment, Herman stood up and shouted, "I bid 500 million dollars!"
• The entire venue fell into silence.
• Herman gestured to the audience. "Not long ago, I expressed interest in pursuing this woman, but she rejected me and showed me the door. Now, I will publicly strip her naked, and after I'm done, everyone else can enjoy her as well!"
• The auctioneer merely gave another bland smile. "She's your personal indentured servant, Mr. Blaine. You can do whatever you please with her." Since this entire fiasco was designed by the Four Great Clans specifically to humiliate Elia, he had no objections.
• Herman's plan was a hundred times more vindictive than simply killing Elia!
• "Haha!" Herman chortled gleefully and went up on stage to Elia's cage. "Well, in that case, I'll display my skills and give everyone a good show!"
• "Strip her down!"
• "Yes, go on, strip her!"
• The entire auction erupted with shouts and catcalls as the audience went into a frenzy.
• Herman opened the cage and entered. With an audible ripping sound, he tore Elia's clothes off her arm, revealing her porcelain skin…
• The audience became even more frenzied, envy and jealousy glinting in their eyes.
• Elia tightly shut her eyes, unable to stop the tears from streaming down her cheeks. Helpless and despairing, she had no hope left. How she wished that her brother could appear out of nowhere like a mighty hero and rescue her from this hellish existence! Unfortunately, this was only wishful thinking…
• She opened her eyes and glared at Herman. "Get lost! You're a despicable person, Herman Blaine! Get out of my sight! Have me? Over my dead body! No, even if I'm dead, I won't yield to you! If you dare lay a finger on me, my brother will kill you when he returns!"
• Herman grabbed her by the hair and snarled, "Your useless brother died long ago on the battlefield. Even if he were alive, why would I be afraid of him? I'm part of the Four Great Clans! I will have you dead or alive, Elia Skarsdale, mark my words!"
• Elia's face crumpled with despair. Once again, she closed her eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks. Mom, Dad, I'll see you soon! Gabe, I'm so sorry…I hope to see you in another life…
• Even in death, she would rather bite her tongue to shreds than give her tormentors the satisfaction of seeing her despair and humiliation!
• However, right at that moment, a loud crash rang through the hall like thunder, and the door was violently kicked down! Everyone's eyes immediately turned in that direction, startled, as a slim, stalwart figure strode in…
• His thunderous, enraged voice assaulted their ears as he bellowed, "How dare you lay hands on my sister?"
• Gabriel Skarsdale entered the auction hall like an avenging angel, his eyes glinting with cold ferocity.