Last Born Of The Desdemona

Chapter 174: Chapter 174: Auction [3]

Chapter 174 – Auction [3]

”And besides, I would rather die than drink anything you have already touched, brother-in-law.” Anesthesia answered with a smile that was not a smile at the same time.

Cassius’s smile deepened. ”How rude to reject a gesture of goodwill.”

”Right?” Isolde chimed in, looking at her sister with a bright smile. ”You are hurting my husband’s feelings, you know, Thesia?”

Anesthesia trembled, her eyes burning instantly with cold fury. ”Don’t you ever dare call me that again.”

The simple name brought with it terrible memories and emotions she would rather have left untouched at that moment.

”Why?” Isolde asked with a knowing smile. ”Did it land somewhere sensitive?”

”Your words are meaningless, sister. But what is annoying is that you think they have an effect on me. Can you shut up and stand behind your husband like you always do?” She smiled provocatively. ”Let your master do the talking, yes? Stay silent.”

Cassius and Raven’s eyes both widened slightly at those words.

How Anesthesia could say something like that to her own sister was something neither of them quite had an explanation for. Until each remembered exactly who Anesthesia was.

Cassius knew her as the new Main Villainess the world hadn’t yet fully recognised. Raven knew her as the woman prepared to kill an innocent young woman over her belief that he belonged to her.

Isolde, meanwhile, was not particularly surprised. After what she had gone through with her own mother — who had literally threatened to kill her — her tolerance for insults had risen considerably.

So with a smile, she stepped behind Cassius, leaned close to his left ear, and whispered loudly enough for Raven and her sister to hear.

”Well, master, you heard her. Do the talking for me.”

Cassius smiled with amusement. ”What should I say?”

”I don’t know. Maybe something like, ’You are finally using your body after failing to keep him with useless manipulation. I am proud of you, sister.’ Oh, but for you it would be sister-in-law, surely, right, master?”

Anesthesia’s eyes hardened. Raven, beside her, watched the scene with a strange familiarity.

Anesthesia and Isolde reminded him of his own mother and his great-great-grandmother, Hel Hood. The Prince was almost amused.

In the end, Isolde told Cassius to say nothing.

”Let’s just go sit.” She said, taking his arm and guiding him toward the couch. ”The auction is starting soon.”

She spared one last mocking glance at her sister and settled onto the couch, laying all the snacks on the table and leaning against Cassius as though they were the only people in the room.

Anesthesia didn’t give Isolde more attention than she deserved. She turned sharply toward Raven, took a menacing step forward and whispered so only he could hear.

”If you touch my family, you will deeply regret it, Raven Hood.” She hissed.

”That is what will happen if you touch Sarah.” He whispered back. ”You wanted to play, didn’t you?”

”We shall see. And one last thing,” she stepped closer, ”speak to me that arrogantly again, calling me Tier Three, and I will show you exactly what a Tier Three can do.”

”Nothing but talk, from what I have seen.”

”And make a weak prince obsessed with her.”

Raven fell silent. He looked at her and saw the fierce, satisfied gleam in her purple eyes.

Unexpectedly, a smile appeared on his face. ”Good one... Thesia.”

Her jaw snapped shut. And Raven, smile still in place, went and sat on the couch.

”A drink, uncle?” Cassius asked.

Raven nodded, smiling wider. ”Yes, Cass.”

Anesthesia rolled her eyes and mimicked Raven’s tone. ”’Yes Cass.’ Tsk. Stop fawning over him. Are you not a Prince?”

”It seems there are flies in here.” Isolde said immediately, looking around with exaggerated attention. ”I could have sworn I heard a loud buzzing just now.”

”Nah, darling.” Cassius laughed, glancing at Anesthesia from the corner of his right eye. ”Must have been the wind.”

...

Meanwhile, at that exact moment in VIP room number two, Cole Amaris looked at Faye Kanam with a pleasant, cold surprise.

”This must be fate.” He said, wearing his usual large black robe adorned with musical notes. ”Who would have thought we would end up in the same room? I am certainly not regretting coming here after all.”

Faye — a purple-haired, black-eyed woman of around forty — smiled sensually at Cole, who was holding her right hand. ”A pleasant surprise, yes. I will enjoy this auction more than I expected. Shall we sit?”

Cole nodded and sat beside Faye on the couch, ignoring completely the woman standing behind them wearing a maid’s dress.

She was quite tall, with long, strong legs that had clearly seen both training and discipline. Her hair was silver and tied in a ponytail, her eyes ocean blue. Her features had gathered themselves into a cold and dissatisfied expression, one that deepened into something close to hatred every time her gaze landed on Faye Kanam.

This was Veronica, maid and mistress — or more? — of Cole Amaris.

”Do you think that is fair?” Faye said, sparing a brief glance at Veronica. ”You asked my maid to wait outside the room yet kept your own inside. Do you trust her that much?”

”She already knows everything.” Cole said, looking at the glass window in front of him. ”And she has been loyal all this time. She will not say anything.”

”Everything, you say?” Faye whispered, pressing herself closer to Cole until their bodies were nearly touching. ”Even this?” Her voice was sensual.

Cole looked at her, a vicious gleam passing through his purple eyes. ”Yes, even that.” His voice dropped into a low grunt. ”Now get on your knees and do your job.”

Faye’s smile almost faltered but she kept it. ”Here? Now?”

”Did I speak any foreign language to you?”

”But this is not the moment.” She said softly, running her hand along his arm as if to soothe him. ”We can do anything you want later. I will act however you want me to act.”

”Like what?”

Faye’s throat tightened at that question. A flash of disgust moved through her eyes, but she buried it immediately.

She had no choice.

All she needed to think about was the future of her family and the revenge burning inside her heart that begged to be fulfilled. Every time she thought of them, no act was humiliating enough.

So slowly, with a tense but practised voice, she whispered the words Cole wanted to hear.

”Like your slave, master.”

The moment those words left her mouth, she noticed the immediate reaction in him.

”Good. Good.” He grunted with a pleased smile. ”Let this event finish so we can attend to other things.”

”I am very eager, master. However,” her voice dropped, ”what about the plan concerning the Desdemona? It has been over a week.”

”Don’t worry.” He dismissed it lazily. ”Sophia has been making excuses to avoid me lately. But I will have my answer today when I return home. You have nothing to worry about, she cannot go against me. Not if she wants to be destroyed by the Stormblessed.”

Those words brought some comfort to Faye’s heart at least.

She smiled, and turned her eyes toward Veronica, who was glaring at her.

”I am relieved then. And, master,” her gaze stayed on Veronica as she spoke, ”how about you have your first slave please you here, in this room? I can watch and learn more about your tastes.”

Veronica’s eyes went wide with shock. She snapped her gaze toward Cole, silently praying he would not go that far in a place like this.

”No.” Cole said curtly, with complete disinterest. ”I had her this morning. And besides, I have been with her for years, I have done everything already. I want something different.”

The maid felt her heart shatter.

Cole was indifferent. He looked at Faye.

”You are next.”

”Oh, and will you discard me the same way?”

”Not if you know how to keep me entertained.”

Faye smiled with hidden contempt. ”You can trust me on that.”

At that moment, the lights on the amphitheatre platform cut out, swallowed by thick shadows. They came back on seconds later, but this time, two people stood at the centre of the stage.

A man and a woman.

The man was Omm Min Jambar, standing with quiet composure.

As for the woman...

Black skin and a luxurious black dress adorned with white crystal, Meadow Wealth stood tall and proud, her pink eyes behind her glasses sweeping across the crowd in front of her, who had risen to their feet and were applauding her entrance.

In the VIP room, Cole and Faye watched with mild interest while Veronica was spiralling, feeling as though she might pass out.

She staggered, and opened her lips weakly. ”My Lord—!”

”It’s master when we are alone.”

Veronica fell silent. Biting her lip, she tried again. ”Master, I am feeling unwell. May I go to the bathroom?”

”Go.” He said simply, his attention already on Meadow.

”Ladies and gentlemen, I am Meadow Wealth and I welcome you to the Devil’s Advocate First Auction. First of all, I must express my gratitude to all of you who responded to the invitation of an inexperienced young woman like me, willing to make time for this. I am immensely grateful, and I shall remember each of your names. Now, I know all of you must be asking: ’Why is the daughter of Willow Wealth creating her own company when she was born into money?’ If you were not asking that question, you should have been. And here is the answer, simple and clear: I want something of my own. I want — call me arrogant if you wish — to reach the level of my mother. To no longer only be the daughter of Willow Wealth, but Meadow Wealth, a successful merchant known by all. Now, of course, I am not arrogant enough to discard my advantages. And it is thanks to those advantages that I am here today, ladies and gentlemen, to introduce my newly founded company. For this event, as any respectable heir of the Wealth name would know, I must do it with extravagance, or spit on that name. So allow me to introduce the one and only item to be auctioned today. I will say this, ladies and gentlemen, I hope your pockets are full and your desire is sharp, because this is...”

Meadow smiled widely. The audience was already entranced, blood running hot with anticipation.

”...going to be a short but explosive dash. In this case, money does the heavy lifting. Now let me ask you, are you ready?”

”YES!”

She smiled wider.

”Then let’s begin...”

Veronica barely heard the rest of Meadow’s speech as she stepped out of the room. She ignored the maid waiting outside for Faye Kanam, walked past VIP room number three, where her eyes briefly landed on two maids.

One of them she knew rather well.

Aissatou herself.

But Veronica didn’t spare her more than a glance and walked on, heading straight to the bathroom after asking directions from a busy worker.

Aissatou smiled strangely at Veronica’s back, then turned and looked at Océane.

”Go inform the young lady, dear, please. Tell her she is out of the room before we even needed to act. The bathroom, it seems. I will wait here.”

Océane nodded immediately and slipped inside to deliver the message.

The old maid remained outside, staring in the direction Veronica had disappeared. Her face twisted into an expression of pure cruelty.

”Just wait a little longer.”

She licked her lips.

”Only a little longer.”

—End of Chapter 174—