Louisa's POV
"Please don't..." I said in a whisper. "You don't need to say anything anymore."
Alpha Zackery looked at me in surprise.
"I've already known it isn't love that bonds us together," Feeling numb, I continued in a low voice. "He's incapable of love. The only reason I'm alive now is that I'm still useful to him. For someone like me, love is only an illusion. But even if it was an illusion, I would want it to be gone. That's how pathetic I am, dreaming of something that everyone takes for granted. Warmth, a meal, a gentle stroke of hair, kindness in a stranger's eyes..."
I paused, trying to hold back the tears in my eyes.
"You don't need to remind me that my life is a joke. If you want to humiliate me, you've done it. If you want to rape me, do it. But if you want me to leave Lucas, it's impossible. My father's in his hands. The moment I leave Lucas, he will peel off my father's skin and watch him die."
"Why do you want to save your father's life? He's the one who sold you to Lucas. Don't you hate him?" Alpha Zackery asked.
"He's my only surviving family in this world. I don't have any other choice."
"What if I give you a choice?" Alpha Zackery pushed himself closer to me and asked.
"I don't want it," I said determinedly. "I don't want anything from you. Whatever it is, I don't want it. Take away this Ring from me as well, because it doesn't belong to me. Do whatever you want to do to me and leave me alone. Stop manipulating my already pathetic life."
Alpha Zackery pressed himself up and stood up.
"You can go now." He picked up the champagne glass and said without looking at me.
There was no emotion in his words.
I stood up from the table and organized my dress and hair, trying to untie the Ring from my neck.
However, my hands were trembling and I just couldn't take it off my neck.
"Take that Ring and go away before I change my mind." He took the last sip from the glass and poured himself another glass.
I quickly ran out of the box. This time, the soldiers didn't stop me.
I ran down the stairs so fast that I lost my shoes. When I realized it, I was already on the first floor. My bare feet stepped on the cold marble floor. I didn't know where I should go. I just wanted to get out of this place.
But the halls, stairways, and corridors were like a giant maze. I ran like a headless fly and I just couldn't find the exit.
Eventually, I tripped over something and fell to the floor.
Feeling so exhausted and humiliated, I held my knees and curled up in a ball, and cried silently.
I didn't know how long I had been lying there before I started to hear the noise of steps and chatting coming from a distance.
I looked up and saw a giant door open right in front of me and people started to walk out of the door.
The auction must have been over.
I wanted to get up, but I had lain on the cold floor for too long to feel my legs.
While I was struggling to stand up, people walked past me like I wasn't there. None of them bothered to offer any help. Some of them even accidentally stepped on me.
But I knew they saw me because I could hear some of their discussion from a long distance -
"Isn't that the pathetic drunk girl who was standing on the table and swearing at Alpha Lucas?"
"Yeah. Why did they let a lowbred girl get into this place anyway?"
"I thought she was part of the entertainment arranged by the host for tonight. But Jill told me that they didn't see it coming."
"Look at her! She looked like a mad bitch. Totally disoriented."
"Does she bite? Shall we call some quarantine people to put her down or something?"
"I don't know. Maybe she was just a bit retarded. You know, like those inbred..."
"Shut up! You're getting us into trouble. Look at poor Alpha Cyrus. He almost got a heart attack today."
"Poor soul."
I didn't care about what they were saying. I was already used to being pointed at.
While I was rubbing my legs and trying to stand up, I saw Alpha Zackery walking down the stairs in a distance. He was surrounded by people and everyone was either smiling or trying to talk to him.
I didn't want him to see me, so I crawled to the corner of the door and tried to hide.
But suddenly, I was pulled up by someone from behind.
I turned my head back and saw it was Lucian.
Next to him, I saw Lucas with a dark look on his face.
Neither of them talked to me and I was almost shoved into a storage room.
"You fucking imbecile little bitch!" As soon as the door was shut, Lucas slapped me across my cheek.
"I've fucking told you to distract him," He said next to my ear with full rage. "And what the fuck did you do?!"
"I tried, but he asked me to go away." I covered half of my swollen face and whispered.
"What the fuck did you just say?!" Lucas pulled up my hair and said.
I felt so painful that I couldn't say a word.
Lucas slapped me again and said, "I'm fucking talking to you!"
"I'm sorry..." I said quietly.
Lucas pushed me against the wall and said, "You're so fucking useless and you've ruined everything. He bid for the fucking piece of statue and he got it! Do you think you can get away with this by fucking apologizing?"
"Luke, she doesn't look well..."
"Shut the fuck up, Lucian! I shouldn't have listened to you in the first place! This fucking slut is useless!"
"She's out of breath. She's going to faint..."
"I don't give a fuck! Get the fuck out of this room, Lucian. Don't you even say one more word. Nobody can save her today, not even if the fucking King is here!"