Chapter 5 The Surprise Auction

• Ruyman.
• When we arrived at the event venue, there were two things that surprised me and honestly left me worried. I wasn't used to so much secrecy. First, access to the place, a large private club, was only allowed individually, one car at a time. Second, after the initial verification that you had the badge, no one knew who the other guests were, only those in your group. You were escorted without encountering anyone through the hallways to an exclusive room for your group, where there was music, a waiter, and a well"stocked bar exclusively for the guests without any payment required. I looked at the drink labels and none of them cost less than six thousand dollars per glass. There was also a cold and hot buffet area, a large screen where several women were dancing semi"naked around a bar, but what really caught my attention was the large window covered with a curtain that covered an entire wall of the room, practically the entire front.
• Just as I was about to ask Rayco what all this was about, the other guest from the room arrived, Rayco's friend whom I also knew, Mark Lamond, a multimillionaire who had stayed at my hotels several times. He wasn't a man of my liking, as he loved to surround himself with young people who were almost half his age while his wife waited at home, but he was a great friend of my father, so I had to tolerate him.
• "Well, it's good that we're all here. There's little time left for the auction. Soon they will come to have us sign the confidentiality agreement. If we don't sign it, we won't be able to participate, and you will lose the ten thousand dollars you paid initially. Once signed, they will give us folders with the items up for auction and their conditions. If you bid on any merchandise and win, you will be obligated to fulfill the commitments attached to its purchase and provide proof or evidence that you have fulfilled them within the trial period, which is usually six months. But be clear about something, if you sign, fulfill the agreement, because the penalty for non"compliance is very expensive, even I couldn't afford it." " This was becoming increasingly unsettling. I looked at Rayco to tell him that I was leaving, but when I looked at my friend, I understood that he was also intrigued, but in an anxious way. He wanted to know what all this was about no matter what.
• I decided to take a risk. If I saw anything illegal, I would leave through that door dragging Rayco with me by any means necessary.
• At one point, several men dressed in black entered, making way for two more. One of them was a lawyer, I immediately identified him by his way of moving. They have very characteristic gestures and movements.
• In case you didn't know, I love observing people and analyzing their non"verbal behavior. My brothers call it Zipi's psychopathic trait, and they usually laugh at me for it, but it has saved me from more than one problem, and in negotiations in my companies, it has been almost like an intuition to know when someone is lying to me or not, or what I can get from them based on their behavior."
• The second man was more difficult to define, his way of looking was confident, correct, he was a man who knew what he wanted and went for it, he had an aura of intimidating danger, but for some reason I was not afraid of him, rather the opposite, my instincts of male challenge awakened, and I responded to that man's gaze with the same intensity, I know it's stupid, but I felt like two roosters in the same coral, only one can remain.
• On the other hand, Mark seemed intimidated, even the great millionaire lowered his head as a sign of respect towards that man, who for a few moments held my gaze, but then withdrew it and introduced himself.
• "Good evening, gentlemen, I am Humberto Marchetti, as tradition in this type of events, I bring the confidentiality agreements, as you can see there is no fine print, it is very clear. I refer to read you the agreement that my lawyer Bruce Baker is going to deliver to you, so that you can sign it, of course, you can also read it if you prefer, if you don't want to sign it, you can leave without any problem and withdraw, but if you sign it, the doors will remain closed until the event is over," he said. I was going to answer him, but I decided to just look at him seriously and coldly. Few times in my life have I had to behave like a cold, controlling being, a true example of male despotism, but that's what Mr. Marchetti wanted.
• This has only happened to me three times in my life, with my brother"in"law, when I found out that my sister took advantage of him, although that doesn't mean I was going to make it easy for him, I just have to say that it went wrong, my bruised jaw for a week was his evidence, the other was my sister's ex"boyfriend, William Sinclair, whom I still have a grudge against, I live with the hope that someday I will find him, since he fled like a coward, and finally with this man I just met, Humberto Marchetti, but something told me that this would not be our only encounter."
• "The main thing is this, nothing that happens tonight can be told, recounted, or communicated to anyone who is not in this room, you will hand over your mobile phones now and we will give them back to you at the end of the event, we will place them in this transparent acrylic urn and they will stay there, in front of your eyes the whole time, but my lawyer will have the key. If you bid on any merchandise, you are obliged to comply with the implicit conditions that come with it, just as I am obliged not to lie about any of its characteristics, and if you win the bid, you must pay for it immediately, before the merchandise is delivered to you, at the end of the bid. Is everything clear? Any doubts? If not, I advise you to read the document and sign it afterwards, simply after reading it, you can leave, to continue explaining the conditions to the other participants," he said, looking at me intently. I, on the other hand, did not look away from him, and for a few seconds there was a clash of wills between him and me.
• I looked at the contract without reading it, and decided that no matter what happened that night, I would deal with whatever came my way, no one intimidated me, especially not a stranger who lived off creating his aura of fears and intimidations over others, I took my phone and handed it to one of his men who placed it in the urn.
• The damn man smiled at my gesture, and I did the same, Rayco touched my arm at that moment to make me look at him, causing me to divert my gaze for a few seconds, and leaving me with a slight feeling of defeat.
• "Have you seen what you've signed? It says that if you reveal anything that happened here, you have to pay with seventy"five percent of your assets. Are you crazy?" Rayco's words made me feel like a total idiot, and behind that sensation came an even more painful one " I had been manipulated. My impulsiveness had betrayed me, and I wished to punch myself. Well, I would have to abide by those conditions, not telling anyone anything, even though deep down, all I wanted was to destroy everything. "Well, as a companion, I'll follow you," Rayco said, signing as well.
• "Definitely, I need to change friends. This one is even stupider than me. He signs without even reading it," I thought, closing my eyes in the face of my best friend's stupidity.
• Once everything was signed, and our phones were stored and locked in the transparent urn, the contracts were collected, and the two men waiting by the door handed us three folders, one for each of us. As everyone left, leaving us alone with the waiters.
• I was about to wait to open my folder. I needed a whisky urgently to swallow the bitter taste of defeat. But I forgot that my friend was impatient, and as I approached to order my much"needed restorative, to my wounded male pride, a low growl made me turn around."
• In front of me, a completely pale Rayco was looking at the contents of the folder. Several pages had fallen to the ground, and on them, I saw pictures of various women, along with their personal information and specifications for starting the bidding for them.
• "Women, the bidding is for women!" I had to read it again because I couldn't believe it. The famous event for the rich, for which I had signed my confidentiality, was nothing more than a damn human trafficking scheme. I looked at Rayco with hatred.
• "Right now, dear friend, I'm eager to take out my frustration on something or someone, and you're the closest thing I have," I whispered hoarsely, my eyes filled with anger. Mark's intervention saved my friend's life and put me in an even worse frustration.
• "Well, I hope this helps you find a wife, dear Ruyman, because your father will be delighted if you go out tonight with one. Apparently, all these women volunteer for this event, and the money raised is donated to their families," Mark said, making me feel even more like an idiot.
• Not only had my best friend gotten me into a stupid wife auction, but also a complete stranger I had just met had led me to do something foolish. And on top of that, my damn family, or rather my father, had orchestrated all of this for me to find a wife. I turned to the waiter and said,
• " "Bring me a bottle of your best whiskey, and lots of ice. Take it to that armchair over there, where I will be staying until this is over. And as for the two of you, choose your wives or whatever you want wisely, because I have a date with Macallan Premium '71. Oh! And you can let my father know that his plan failed." I sat down in the armchair in front of the large window, so as not to miss the show. I picked up my folder to look at it. I was intrigued to see what kind of women would subject themselves to this, just for money. In my opinion, those were the worst kind, the women who only valued a man for the size of his wallet. My father was desperate. I would never buy a woman, let alone a gold digger, that's for sure. It was going to be a very long night."
• I looked at the faces of many of them, but none of them attracted me, so I left the folder on the side table next to the ice and whiskey that I planned to enjoy. Slowly, the curtains opened and a grand stage appeared one floor below, illuminated.
• The show was about to begin, and all I wished for was for the hours to pass quickly. So much decadence only made me want to vomit.