chapter 3: the mafia's Dark Embrace
The auctioneer's voice echoed through the warehouse, the bids growing higher and more frantic with each passing moment. Lia's mind reeled, her terror threatening to consume her.
She scanned the crowd, desperate for a glimmer of hope. But the faces were all the same, hidden behind masks and hoods, their eyes gleaming with a sinister intent.
The bidding war raged on, Lia's fate hanging precariously in the balance. She was a commodity, a prize to be won, and the thought filled her with a sense of utter despair.
Just when it seemed the bidding would never end, a figure emerged from the shadows. He was tall, imposing, with piercing eyes that seemed to bore into Lia's very soul.
The auctioneer's voice faltered, the room falling silent as the figure approached. Lia's heart sank, a sense of foreboding washing over her.
The figure raised a hand, his voice low and commanding. "I'll take her."
The room erupted into chaos, the bidding war reigniting with renewed ferocity. But the figure stood firm, his eyes never leaving Lia's face.
Finally, after what seemed an eternity, the auctioneer slammed down his gavel. "Sold."
Lia's world went dark, her mind reeling with the implications. She had been sold, her fate sealed.
The figure approached, his eyes gleaming with a sinister intent. Lia shrank back, her heart pounding in her chest.
But as he reached out, his hand closed around her wrist like a vice. Lia felt a jolt of electricity run through her body, a spark of fear that ignited a fire within her.
She was dragged from the warehouse, thrown into the back of a waiting limousine. The figure slid in beside her, his eyes never leaving her face.
As the limousine sped away, Lia realized she was trapped, caught in a web of deceit and corruption. The mafia's dark embrace had closed around her, and she was powerless to escape.