those big men possessed, and drawing unnecessary attention to myself would only get me into more trouble. So, I blended with the other girls and followed the foreign woman's lead. I put on the outfit she had chosen. I let her put layers of ugly, exaggerated make-up on my face, and for the first time in my life, I wore high heels. When I observed my reflection in the mirror, I felt broken and robbed of my sense of self.
But there was no time to wallow in sadness because the two men lost their patience and shoved us toward the exit. We took a flight of stairs, and the men led us outside the front door and straight into a van parked at the sidewalk. The giant was already sitting inside, waiting for us. The moment the last girl took her seat, the van sped off down the road, and nobody bothered to tell us where we were being taken. Even though the windows were tinted, the busy streets we drove along were recognizable. A shaky sigh escaped my lips. I was still in New York. The ride lasted a long time until we entered a secluded area filled with rich houses. Suddenly, the van stopped in front of a large gate. The giant took out his phone, dialing a number. In a matter of seconds, the gate opened, and we drove onto a huge estate. A mansion awaited us at the end of the road. The giant and his men forced us out of the van and made us walk to the door. A cold sweat broke out over my body as I had imagined all kinds of horrors that waited for us inside. As we crossed the threshold, we entered a luxurious hall filled with elegant people who mingled with drinks in their hands. Soft music played in the background, and the atmosphere was pleasant and relaxed. We stood out so much among these people. Our tasteless clothes gave away who we were and why we were there, but they didn't seem bothered by our presence. Instead, they mostly ignored it. As we headed further into the crowd, I caught the stares of a few men. Although some smiled, there was an underlining of something terrifying in their eyes. I couldn't name it, but that particular look scared me to death. The rest of the girls spread around the hall, and I was left standing alone and confused. The nape of my neck tickled as I felt an eerie presence behind me.
“You’re coming with me,” the giant's voice instructed as he snagged my elbow.
He lugged me behind him, and I stumbled in the high heels, struggling to follow his lead. We walked straight toward the old man that stood in the far corner, leering at me from the distance. When we stopped before him, he smirked, and his gaze held mine for a short moment before they slowly lowered down my body. In an instinctive reaction, I wrapped my arms around myself, and the old man chortled. Dread coiled through my entire being; immediate and unavoidable. The man's gaze made me feel stripped bare and threatened. I could almost taste the danger lurking in the air. He quickly averted his eyes to the giant.
“Is this her?” His tone, calm and amused.
“That's her,” my captor confirmed.
The man nodded. “How much?”
“Five thousand.”
“I'll give you three,” the old man retorted.
I just stood there, completely mortified and frozen while they bargained over me like I wasn’t a person, but something disposable.
“Four,” the giant said.
“Three and a half,” the old man sneered. “My last offer.”
The giant stroked his chin for a nanosecond, then nodded. “Deal.”
I shivered at the sound of that word, unable to grasp what had just happened. My body had just been sold to a man old enough to be my grandfather, for three and a half thousand dollars. The giant propelled me toward the old man, and I staggered and almost fell.
“You've got one hour,” he said. “No permanent damage! I won't let you get away with it this time.”
My breathing accelerated. My heartbeat pounded in my ears. He expected the old man to hurt me. There was no time to evade the danger. The old man downed his scotch and set the glass on the side table, then snared my hand and made me follow his lead. Devoured by fear, I scanned the room, desperately searching for somebody to help me, but nobody paid us attention. Every time I