Chapter 5

• Alessia Romero
• ------------
• I stabbed someone. That meant I was just like them. My hands were coated with sin. Caught in Mafia affairs turned me into a cold-blooded murderer. The sight of the knife stuck on his stomach played in me. All night, I stayed up because I couldn't bring myself to shut my eyes. Everything would flash before my eyes. Blood.
• Guilty consumed me every second that ticked. Being locked in a cold lonely basement did not allow me to know what was happening out there. Did I kill him? What if I did?
• But he deserved it. I loathed him with every fiber in my body. He disgusted me to even think he could be comfortable asking me to strip for him. I wanted to chop off his balls and shove them into his filthy mouth. Who even gave him the name? It did not suit any sense of the human being he was.
• I exhaled to release the feeling stuck in my chest. I felt guilty but again, he deserved it. I wondered when it was all gonna end. Maybe I was stuck in the situation forever. It hit hard to know I had no way out.
• Some footsteps emerged behind the locked door. That alone made my heart race, I crawled away, keeping my eyes to the door where someone was using some keys to open. The moment the door opened, I held my breath.
• Matteo stepped in together with a lady. The lady carried a white box that looked valuable, and a bag. I had never seen her face but I knew I had many people to meet in the mafia territory, I just wondered what they wanted.
• "Get her ready in ten minutes!" Matteo instructed the lady. His eyes met mine for a brief moment before he turned to the lady. “Do your work.”
• Without another word, he left.
• Confused, I gazed up at the lady approaching me. She had dropped the box on the floor and resumed opening it. I watched keenly, only to notice the box had some make up. Once she opened it, she picked the bag and took out two dresses. A white lace dress, and a golden one. The two dresses could expose every damn part of my body.
• “Which one do you prefer?”
• “Why?” I asked, needing clarification as to what was happening. Unless they wanted to kill me while dressed fancy.
• “Look, I am doing my job here. I have ten minutes and I suggest you cooperate so I won't be in trouble.” She had a calm voice and I could see it all on her face. You'd tell she was interested in doing her job.
• She was roughly my mother's age. Her dress code screamed fashion. A vintage sleeveless top and a pair of tailored trousers. She had styled her shoulder-length hair perfectly that gave her a nice shape to her face.
• “Am I in trouble?” I asked with the same calm voice.
• "Don't worry, I will take care of the eyebags. Your hair is great, it only needs a retouch and you will be good to go."
• “Why are you getting me ready?"
• "Because it's my job?" She offered a warm smile. "I love the job and hate it at the same time. Because I am getting you ready for the first and last time."
• My heart stalled an entire beat. I could take in her word both positively and negatively. I was to either be released and go home, or get killed. "Am I leaving this place please?”
• “Yes.” She took care of my hair.
• “Really? I am free?" Everything felt unreal. It was too good to be true.
• She sighed. "No. You will be auctioned. But I hope whoever takes you will be nice on the other side."
• Her words sank in me, bringing out the reality that Clara warned me about. I was to be sold to another mafia team. I hated the life in here but I feared what awaited me on the other side. What if they were worse than the Lazzas?
• I forced a lump down my throat. Everything seemed to be getting worse every day. You'd think I was taking baby steps to death. It's that moment I knew I should get ready for the worst. Mafia people were heartless and I had to be thankful I was still alive.
• The lady got me ready, I did not bother asking her name because it was not necessary. I would probably never see her again.
• The auctioning took place in an old cruise. That's where Matteo took me after I got ready. He did not speak to me and I did not bother talking to him. After all, he was doing what the boss instructed him. Nothing could change his heart because he had a good heart hidden in his stern face.
• A law music played on the cruise as Matteo walked me through several hallways. We came to a guarded door where two guards opened it for us and we strolled inside. The atmosphere inside the room reeked of alcohol and cigarettes. There were people inside who sat on different settees. I did a quick scan and noticed each settee had a man wrapped up with a lady doing lap dance. By the look, they were all insanely rich and sick in the head.
• The lights were dimmed, so I could not see their faces well. It appeared hilarious how grown up men could be so quiet just smoking and enjoying the naked dance they received from the strippers. They all lived a dirty life. A filthy life that stirred all my insides, causing some sickness to settle in my head
• My presence caught their attention. Glances were directed on me as I ambled through the aisle following Matteo. He led me to the stage.
• Some men whistled when I walked past them, others murmured as though trying to make me hear them. "Fuck! Boss better get this one.” I noticed it was one of those guards standing around to guard their bosses.
• "Lazza always give good items but this one is worth a fortune." The conversation continued.
• Glad enough, we walked away from them, getting to the highlighted stage. Matteo handed me to a certain lady who made sure I stepped on the right position on the stage before she walked down.
• Silence settled. I was being feasted upon by the hungry ugly looking men.
• "The auction will start in two minutes." The lady announced and I doubted anyone paid her attention. They all stared at me as if I stood naked. Oh, of course I was naked. The golden dress hid nothing in my body.
• I surveyed the men seated. Two men were old enough to be my fathers age. One of them wore a brown suit. A lady sat on his lap, probably tired of lap dancing on his bulky physique. He took a glass to his mouth and sipped his drink, his eyes locked on mine. I drifted my gaze to the other aged man in white suit. He seemed to have a deep conversation on his phone but I did not miss the look he gave.
• Sighing, I gazed at the other man who had two ladies all over him. He seemed younger than anyone, clad neatly in a fitting gray suit. There was a filthy smile on his lips directed to me. I did not like the smile, but I liked it better than Romeos.
• Maybe I was stupid but I prayed he would take me. I couldn't stand aged men making my life more difficult than it was. So I settled on the young man, at least he did not have a cold face like Lazza, speaking of Lazza, he walked in.
• The Satan himself in black suit.
• I wondered who cursed him at his young age to be that cold and inhumane. He was not even a human being, I doubted he had a heart behind his limbs. His heart was probably made of stone.
• He occupied an isolated sofa directly in front of me. Not to exaggerate, but his presence felt heavier than anyone else in the place. You'd easily tell he carried himself a world that everyone respected. But he needed a great help. He couldn't have good looks and no heart, that was a rotten combo.
• "The auction starts now." The lady announced, they all had to wait for Lazza to arrive. "Alessia Romero is nineteen years old. A daughter of a CEO of a small bank in Rome. She was involved with one of Lazza's enemies thus making her a mafia enemy.”
• I scoffed at that. Who could have thought that I would stand in front of men to get sold? This had to be the depths that the love took me. Only if I knew, I could have given my relationship with Luca a chance to work
• "Her hair is natural as well as her hazel eyes. Her height is 5'5 ft and her body is natural."
• Oh, she knew a lot.
• "The bidding starts." She announced and a beep sound echoed, marking the start of evilness.
• I hadn't taken a few inhales when the price began shooting. It felt like a bird singing in my ears as the lady spoke too fast to keep up with the prices.
• Each second that passed made my heart pick its pace. I never expected to see men fighting to buy me. But I could not smile on the situation because I was being bought like a damn property.
• Suddenly, an overlapping sound echoed and silence settled. "Anyone else to take from Leonid." She announced and I swallowed.
• I shifted my eyes to the man whose bidding board remained up. It was the man in gray suit, the routed guy whose mere appearance gave me chills.
• Nothing went the way I wished. I prayed hard for it to be someone else but it had to be him. A father or better still, a grandpa. The grin on his face said it all, I was his to play with. Sick scenarios flashed before my eyes. The old man forcing me to strip, compelling me to lap dance, or worse, making me his concubine.
• I despised Lazza but at that moment, I searched for his eyes. Mine were blurry but I saw him looking up at me. A cigar resting leisurely on his lips. He studied me without a blink. He saw me looking at him, hoping he would see beyond the tears in me. That I was innocent and did not deserve everything.
• Our stare lasted for almost a minute before I got the lady’s attention again. "Sold to the Leon—" She paused before finishing her statement.
• Murmurs hovered around.There seemed to be a disagreement and I had to blink my tears away to look around.
• Every gaze had settled on Lazza whose bidding board was up. I squinted my eyes for a better view and saw he held a red board, different from others.
• Declined
• Confused, I gazed at Leonid to read his expression and know what happened, the man was burning with anger.
• The lady spoke again. "The price has been declined. The item remains to be owned by Lazza."
• A beep followed. Matteo walked in and just then, Lazza left. I was back in the hands of Matteo. As much as it relieved me, something felt strong inside me, fear. The fear in me grew stronger.