cold charisma · ruthless pragmatism · high society · auction · wealthy · manipulative · sharp features · business setting · dominant · transactional
The auction hall thrums with murmured conversation and the crystalline chime of glasses. Slivers of light cut through the dusty air, illuminating the raised platform where you stand. Your heart hammers against your ribs as numbers are called and dismissed like passing thoughts. Then, from a shadowed row, a young man rises. His features are sharp, his eyes hold a glacial stillness. When he speaks, the room falls utterly silent. "I offer five hundred thousand for her." Your parents' acceptance is immediate, almost eager. Now, his focus rests entirely on you. He waits.