Melody's POV
“Forget it. Let's watch the auction first. We’ll deal with this later.”
When the auction began, Marcus didn’t even glance at the items and simply raised the stakes all the way. As such, a collective intake of breath rippled through the room, while my face went cold.
Lot after lot fell under the hammer. When they reached the last three items, I jumped to my feet.
Those were my mother’s bracelet, the God statue my father had sculpted, and the antique my grandfather left me.
I called over the auction staff. “Those three stays with me no matter the price.”
Their faces went pale. One of them stammered, “Miss, you know the rules in the auction. Don’t put someone like me in such an awkward position. Maybe you should speak to Mr. Stokes directly?”
As suggested, I went to Marcus’s private box. But before I could say anything, Judy pointed at the stage and said, “Marcus, those three are my favorites. I want them.”
Marcus’s expression hardened. “Didn’t you just say those things were tacky?”
“Well, I want them now. Aren’t you going to give them to me? I’m pregnant, you know. When the baby is born, I’ll tell him his dad is cheap!” She threw out the last remark like a weapon.
I paused, looking at her flat stomach that hadn’t swelled yet. So that was it. This woman had the nerve to come after me because she was carrying his child.
Marcus’s face grew cold. “Melody, I promised these to Judy. If you like them, I can find similar ones later.”
“You know what these things mean to me.” My voice went cold.
Eight years ago, our syndicate was massacred by enemies, and those family heirlooms disappeared. I killed hundreds of their men, but the man responsible never spoke until Marcus put him through a month of torture and finally got him to confess.
Marcus’s tone was controlled but angry. “They’re items from the dead. Do you have to care so much? I told you I would make it up to you later. For now, give those to Judy. You owe her, remember.”
Then he leaned back as if settling the matter.
Judy stepped closer with a fake sympathy. “Right, Miss Fairbank. Your parents are gone. Wouldn’t keeping those things only bring more pain? Maybe they died because of their own sins. I heard they were cut to pieces, sewn into dolls. When I first heard it, I was terrified.”
Her words drove a blade into me. Swiftly, I grabbed her, slammed her down on the table, and drew a dagger from my thigh, pressing it against her wrist.
“Too many words.” I snarled. “Do you want the items or your hand?”
As quickly as I, Marcus sprang up and kicked the knife away. But I pulled a gun and pressed it against Judy’s belly.
“Melody! Let her go!” Marcus roared. “Judy just spoke the truth. You killed so many people and you can’t even hear one hard fact? You think your parents didn’t deserve it because they offended too many people? Look at you now, I barely recognize you.”
The gun in my hand trembled, and it nearly went off. I was shaking all over. He knew exactly how my parents died. Those enemies came after him, not them. They kidnapped three people and forced me to choose between my parents and him.
Seeing me torn, they told me they were old and couldn’t protect me anymore. They also begged me to hand over our family to Marcus so I wouldn’t be tormented.
They didn’t die at someone else’s hands. They killed themselves to save me from more trouble. Afterward, the enemies released Marcus and took my parents’ bodies away.
When I finally found them to exact revenge, the house was empty. Only two rotten, stinking dolls remained. I dug a grave for them with my bare hands until my fingers shredded, the flesh torn from my fingertips.
