Empty and Defeated

At the entrance of the building where he lives, a clean and sleek black car is waiting. I stretched my neck more to see the surroundings because men in black are just everywhere. A bald man in uniform is standing at the side of the car that this ‘Mr. Evans’ approached.

I moved a few meters and stopped. I noticed that, as the man handed him the key, his lips appeared to have just finished speaking. The uniformed bald man simply nodded.I looked around and noticed more men.

I find it odd that he is being so closely watched. As though this man deserves to live. Money will, in fact, keep you alive. Look at him; if he were poor, no one would be interested in him. He is evil and conceited.

"Alia."

He caught my interest. He was holding the car door open when I saw him. Because of how strong the wind was, I pursed my lips and held the hem of my dress as I moved in his direction. Before he shut the door next to me, our cold eyes briefly met.

His car exudes a robust, masculine scent just like him. I had an urge to become irritated at once. I feel utterly defeated every time his scent fills my nose. I have no idea why. I'm just annoyed by it. Or perhaps I should say "he" irritates me.

As soon as he got into the car, he said, "Today we'll be having brunch with my client."

"Why must you take me along with you?" I said, bitterly, "Like as if I'll gain something from it."

His jaw clenched sternly. I turn my head to the window to avoid catching a glimpse of him. Curse him.

"You should have just left me in your unit. I’ll not escape if that's what you’re thinking about."

"We’re not going through this anymore." he said with intense diction.

I chuckled without any emotion. "Yeah right."

I'm mentally burning wood, but I remained emotionless. I merely attempted to amuse myself by observing the city's skyscrapers and activity. We can get home easily from here. I believe we didn't travel very far last night, so I don't think this is very far away.

How is my dad doing these days? Now a millionaire, given that he now had the money, did he even locate my mother? The reason he was forced to sell me to various men before. I exhaled heavily.

"Alia."

Although my eyes shifted, I didn't look at him.

"I brought you with me because it’s dangerous for you to be left alone. It’s the best thing to do for now." He explained it out of the blue.

"What?" I spat out a sarcastic laugh. "You mean I’m not in danger when I’m with you?"

I turned to him. I was so damn sarcastic and had a hint of amusement. He took a glance at me, then his eyes went back to the road again.

"You have to trust me—"

"Trust you?" I concurred with him. Now a strong emphasis is placed on the tone of amusement.

His eyes, which scream danger and authority, began to turn pitch black once more as he stopped speaking.

"Why would I trust someone who had brought someone to be his sex slave huh?" I asked him a question, even more obstinate now.

He squeezed the wheel so tightly that veins appeared on his forearms.

He said with a sly grin in his mouth, "This is not what I learned about you, lady."

I wrinkled my forehead in confusion.

"I've heard you're modest and obedient. Do you really hate me that much, or was it all just a bluff? "

My lips parted, signaling the impending explosion of my simmering rage.

I said with disgust, "So you hired men to know things about me."

He cast a bored glance my way. I gritted my teeth and fought through his looks.

"Get your money back. Hire more proficient men." I rolled my eyes when I removed my eyes from him.

He laughed. I simply ignored him and remained silent throughout. That someone like him would be this brutal is just beyond my comprehension. Did he really hire some men just to observe my demeanor? What other things did they record? When do I take my bathroom breaks? Damn.

Before I knew it, we had arrived at another high-rise building. Based on how it appears, I assume that this is some sort of hotel. Before he could even do that, I opened the door on my side. When I stepped outside, I disregarded his stern eyes.

I walked past him and continued on. But he was able to keep up because of my baby steps. I simply rolled my eyes in annoyance. As soon as I entered the building, I recognized it as the hotel's restaurant. There aren't many people inside.

We were approached by a woman who had a big smile on her face and who I believe was staff. I unknowingly moved back and hid behind his back. This "Mr. Evans" glanced at me with a hint of confusion.

"The VVIP room, sir?"

"Yes, please." he muttered coldly.

He spat more words at the woman. His hands unconsciously traveled to my back while I silently listened to them. I gritted my teeth and didn’t move.

"Alright," were his final words to the woman.

Now that he's focused on me, he's looking down at my face. I quickly turned away from him. I briefly felt him take his hands off of me at that point. He did that, and I felt a little more at ease.

We are both in a private room with a  four-seat table in the middle of the room. Except for the waiter who was waiting at the door jamb, no one was present.Without any words, I came to the table. ‘Mr. Evans’ was quick to pull a chair, and then I sat on it without looking at him.

He gave a brief throat clearing before sitting down in his chair. While he was sitting, he was trying to look into my eyes, but I was able to act unconcerned.

In recent years, I've encountered abuse and other things. Men have only occasionally taken me to a hotel or other nice location. I've never had a man take me out to dinner in a restaurant. Everything is just outright sex abuse.

The past began to flash through my mind. Once, my father tried to sell me to an elderly businessman. He paid for a week, and the entire time, he mistreated me. After a day, he came into the hotel room he had rented and locked me in, just when he felt like it.

Perhaps just one of those brutes bought my body. That man, however, is not the same. The things he did to me are things I wouldn't even want to bring up. However, it was traumatic. It's something that will always be ingrained in my memory.

"Are you alright?"

He caught my attention. He appeared to have been watching me the entire time and may have even spoken to me, but I was too disoriented to hear him. I didn't respond to him and allowed him to infer my response from my silence.

He sighed heavily and made a single jaw click. Before turning to face me once more, he touched the bridge of his nose.

"Alright. I am aware that you don't want to accompany me. Just so you know, I had to bring you along because I didn't have a choice.

"And that's fine," I said, cracking a small fake smile.

He stared at me with his lips parted. Observing his face made my heart slightly ache. I'm not sure why it hurt me to look into his eyes. Maybe from all the internalized rage and frustration. And the knowledge that I could never count on the heavens to be on my side. that at this point, I am powerless to act.

"Next time, I'll make an effort to ensure your safety. In order to increase your security, I'll hire more men."

I pursed my lips, remained silent, and only gave a quick nod as I touched the food with my fork. He only made heavy breathing and sighing noises that I could hear.

I felt so empty.