Chapter 199
“Oh, right.” Belinda fumbled to slide her finger across the screen, her hand visibly shaking.
On the other end of the line, Hudson’s breathless voice came through. “Ho
‘s it going? Did Ellie agree to forgive you?”
Belinda glanced at Theodore, whose face was blank and unreadable, then Eliana, who looked helpless and withdrawn. Her heart clenched. “Let’s not talk about me. What about your side?”
Hudson’s voice cracked. “By the time I got there, Hannah… Hannah had already
“What?” Belinda’s face went completely pale. “Wasn’t the auction supposed to start at eight?!”
Hudson, clearly furious, snapped, “Julian changed the schedule last minute! Didn’t even announce it. He pushed Hannah up as the first item. By the time I arrived, a masked man had already taken her.”
Belinda screamed, “Then why didn’t you stop them?!”
“You think I didn’t try?” Hudson barked. “I rushed in, but their men held me back. That’s why I called. What’s going on over there?”
Belinda didn’t even reply. She dropped the phone and grabbed Eliana’s hand. “Ellie, we’re out of time. We need to go, now! We have to get your sister
back!”
Just then, a loud cry came from the phone’s speaker.
“Ah! You can’t just hit people…”
“You old fool! We treated you like a guest, and now you’re asking for it. You brought this on yourself.”
Belinda burst into tears. “Ellie, your dad has a heart condition. I know you don’t like your sister, but your father… hasn’t he always treated you decently?”
Eliana hesitated. If they kept dragging this out, someone might really get hurt. She turned toward Theodore. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can stay and finish this birthday.”
“That’s fine,” Theodore said calmly. “I’ll go with you.”
By the time they reached the auction venue, they found Hudson slumped on the front steps, looking utterly defeated. “It’s over,” he mumbled. “It’s all over. The company, Hannah… everything’s gone.”
Belinda rushed up and grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him. “Hudson, what’s going on?! Where is Hannah? Why are you sitting here?!”
Hudson stared ahead blankly. “The guy with the mask took her backstage. I tried to follow, but they beat the hell out of me and tossed me outside.”
He broke into sobs, covering his face. “You were too late…”
Eliana and Theodore exchanged a look. Even with the Rolls–Royce going full speed, it had taken them half an hour from Russell Manor to get here. At this point, there was no telling what might’ve happened to Hannah.
Just as Theodore led Eliana to the entrance, a guard stepped in front of them with a threatening glare. “Stop!”
“I’m Theodore,” he said, unfazed.
“Oh, Mr. Russell.” The guard immediately straightened up and stepped aside to let them pass.
Seeing this, Belinda tried to follow, but the guard shoved her back roughly.
Chapter 199
“She’s with us” Ellana said firmly. “Let her in.“”
After all, Hannah was her daughter. They might need Belinda later.
The guard relented and let her through.
Just then, the auction organizer came out to greet them with a wide grin. “Mr. Russelll What a surprise. You and your wife decided to join the lin, tonight?”
Theodore cut straight to the point. “Where’s Hannah?”
“Hannah?”
He quickly corrected himself. At events like this, real names weren’t used. “The first item you auctioned off.”
The organizer’s face lit up in understanding. “Ah, that one. She’s probably done by now. Let me take you over.”
Belinda nearly fainted.
Eliana pressed her lips together tightly and followed the man without a word. They entered the main hall of the auction.
Inside, the guests, men and women alike, all wore masks. On stage, the “merchandise” was locked in cages. Human or not, they were treated like
animals.
“Oh, right,” the organizer said, reaching into his coat. “You’ll need these.” He handed them three masks.
Theodore gently helped Eliana put hers on, then wore one himself. As for Belinda, he didn’t care whether she put it on or not.
They made their way through the crowd and into the back of the building, only to find that the place wasn’t just an auction venue. It was a private club, lavishly decorated, with soft, sultry lighting.
One look was enough to know exactly what kind of business was being run here.
Just as Eliana was about to ask which room Hannah was in, the door to their right suddenly opened.
A large, overweight man stepped out, his greasy fingers adjusting the mask on his face. His exposed eyes curved into slits as he caught sight of the auction manager. “Next time you get something that high quality,” he said with a chuckle, “be sure to call me first.”
The manager laughed along. “Of course, sir. Always a pleasure.”
Once the man disappeared down the hallway, the manager turned to Theodore and the others. “This is the room.”
Belinda didn’t hesitate. She stumbled forward and burst inside. Moments later, a blood–curdling scream rang out. “Hannah!”
Eliana froze. She had never heard Belinda scream like that before. Her voice was torn with anguish, almost feral.
She stepped forward instinctively, but the manager lifted a hand to stop her. For once, his tone held something close to decency. “Mrs. Russell, I don’t think you want to go in there.
“The man who just left… let’s just say he had some unusual preferences. It’s not going to be pretty.”
As he spoke, a faint trace of something metallic, blood, unmistakably, drifted out from the open doorway. The nausea hit Eliana almost immediately. Her stomach twisted, and she had to steady herself to keep from retching.
The manager cleared his throat and added, “Mr. Black instructed me to tell you that if you have any concerns, you’re welcome to speak with him directly. He’s waiting in Room 102.”
Eliana glanced up at the number above Hannah’s door.
Chapter 199
It was 101.
So Julian had been in the room next door the entire time.
“That’s right,” Julian said coolly, lounging in an armchair in Room 102.
He poured himself a drink without the slightest sense of urgency. “I stayed next door on purpose. I wanted to hear every second of it, every stream –
He swirled the amber liquid in his glass and looked over at Theodore, a twisted glint of pride in his eyes. “Changing the auction schedule last minute? That was for you. Just wanted to make sure you wouldn’t get here in time to stop me.”
Theodore’s gaze narrowed, but he didn’t say anything.
Eliana stood a step behind them, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. The two men in front of her, one calm, one indifferent, treated everything that had happened tonight like it was some elaborate strategy game.
Then Julian turned to her. “Don’t blame him, Mrs. Russell”
It was the first time he’d ever defended Theodore.
“Men like me, guys with status, a name to protect, we can make money back. But our reputation? That’s the kind of thing that follows you for life.
“You really expect me to keep my head up in this world if word gets out that my woman was sneaking around behind my back, sleeping in some other man’s bed?”
Eliana knew that technically, Hannah was the one who crossed the line first. But that didn’t make it any easier to stomach what Julian had done. And as a Burke, she couldn’t just walk away from it.
Julian seemed to read her silence and gave a short laugh. “If you hate me for it and want revenge for your sister, I won’t stop you. Do what you’ve gotta
do.”
He knocked back the rest of his drink, then set the glass down with a deliberate, final thud. “But as far as I’m concerned, this chapter’s closed.”
