Auction

"Heh, your leader really is a great guy, huh? Leaves all the good stuff for the old geezers while you young ones starve," Bobby couldn't hold back his laughter. It was just too ridiculous.

A few men stood up, angrily cursing Garrick and demanding to join one of the other groups.

Naturally, the three groups were eager to recruit more young men.

But there were still a few who refused, holding onto their sense of honor. Franklin didn't hesitate. "Cut them down."

"Darling!" One woman screamed, running toward her husband, but she was immediately yanked away by one of the lackeys.

"You animals! You'll burn in hell for this!" The woman screamed, cursing them with all her might.

But the three leaders didn't care. It wasn't long before several men were hacked to death right on the spot.

Turning his attention to the twenty or so women in their thirties, Bobby grinned. "What are you standing around for? Split them up."

"To be fair, we'll take turns picking," Franklin said, his voice dripping with arrogance. He was the oldest, after all, and already had his eye on one of the younger women—the one whose husband had just been killed.

The other two weren't exactly thrilled about it, but they didn't say anything.

Meanwhile, in the basement, Maggie huddled in the shadows, clutching her knees to her chest. Her entire body trembled uncontrollably, the cold seeping into her bones.

She had taken advantage of the chaos earlier to run down here and hide. It was what Garrick had told her to do if things ever went sideways.

Then, suddenly, a bright light pierced the darkness. It was the glow of a phone.

"Boss, there's still a woman hiding down here," one of the men shouted, excitement in his voice.

Maggie bolted, trying to escape, but she was caught almost immediately. One of the young men grabbed a fistful of her hair. "Bitch, think you can run? Where the hell do you think you're going?"

Maggie's screams filled the air as she was dragged across the floor, her hair pulling painfully at her scalp.

They reached the parking lot, and one of Bobby's men tossed Maggie to the ground in the center. "Boss, this woman knows how to hide, but luckily, I found her," he said, looking for a pat on the back.

With her hair a wild mess, Maggie didn't immediately catch the attention of the three leaders. But one of the men squatted down, brushing her tangled hair aside, and lifted her chin.

His expression froze, and he started stammering. "L-l-l-l... boss... this one's a gem..."

Bobby looked at his lackey's idiotic expression and kicked him to the ground. "What 'gem'? Look at you, pathetic."

But when Bobby glanced at Maggie, he froze.

Mallory stepped up to take a look as well, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Well, well, what a gem indeed," he muttered under his breath. To think that such a beauty was hiding in this dump of a neighborhood, not even worse than those two women they'd seen earlier.

She was stunning, and despite the days of chaos, her face was still clean—except for a little dirt on her skirt from being dragged.

"Let go of me!" Maggie slapped away the dirty hand that was holding her, eyeing the men around her warily. It was like a nightmare had come to life.

Franklin burst into laughter. "Still a little firecracker, huh? I wonder what it'd be like to ride her."

The men around them all turned to look at her, their gazes hungry. She was a hundred times better than those other women. Even without makeup, she looked incredible—imagine what she'd be like all dolled up. This was a real prize.

Bobby casually tossed a cigarette to his man. "This one's for you."

The lackey eagerly took it, grinning. In these times, a single cigarette could earn loyalty. "Thanks, boss!"

Bobby turned to Franklin and Mallory, his tone hardening. "Franklin, Mallory, this woman was found by my men. You're not thinking of stealing her, are you?"

Franklin chuckled. "Bobby, you're being too serious. We agreed already—everything from Building 1 gets split evenly."

At this moment, Mallory was clearly on Franklin's side, chiming in, "Franklin's right. Bobby, you're not planning to break our little agreement, are you?"

Bobby took a long drag from his cigarette, his cold, venomous gaze piercing through the smoke.

Then, suddenly, Bobby let out a laugh. "Just kidding, guys. Look at you two getting all worked up." His words were casual, but deep down, he wanted nothing more than to slice both of them open.

It had to be said—the beauty trap always worked. This one almost tore apart the fragile cooperation between the three of them.

As Bobby laughed, Franklin and Mallory followed suit, but had Bobby disagreed earlier, it wouldn't have taken long for Bobby's men to be put down.

But Bobby smiled and said, "There's only one of this kind. You think we're gonna take turns?"

Such a rare gem? No one would want to share that. Everyone wanted her for themselves.

Sitting on the ground, Maggie's face turned ashen as she listened to their conversation. She felt like a piece of merchandise, ready to be divided between them.

Staring at the nearby load-bearing wall, Maggie suddenly sprang to her feet and sprinted forward.

But Franklin was too quick. He grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her back. "You want to die? It's not gonna be that easy."

Maggie snapped. She swung her arms and shouted, "You bastards! You'll get what's coming to you!"

Mallory snapped, "Tie her up!"

One of the men quickly produced a rope and bound Maggie tightly. Tears, as big as pearls, streaked down her flawless face. After hiding for so long, she had still fallen into their grasp.

Franklin grinned as he looked down at her, clearly enjoying the moment. "This kind of treasure? No need to take turns. Weren't we talking about an auction?"

"Fine, an auction it is." Bobby agreed, while Mallory gave a nonchalant shrug.

But then Franklin's eyes gleamed with something darker, something sly. "Since it's an auction, we might as well check out the goods, make sure she's... well, presentable."

The men all understood immediately.

"What are you going to do? Don't come near me!" Maggie screamed as two men approached her, but her words only fueled their excitement, heightening the thrill for the men.

The three leaders' eyes gleamed with sharp focus, their bodies perfectly sculpted with no excess fat, their waists slim and toned, with visible abs, radiating both softness and strength. Their looks and physiques could rival any celebrity on TV.

"Bind her to the roof," Franklin ordered.

Maggie, crying and helpless, was forcibly tied to the roof of the car, positioned in a way that left her exposed, a display for the crowd to admire the soon-to-be-auctioned "item."

Franklin looked toward Building 1 and asked, "Anyone recognize her?"

Immediately, a woman spoke up, "She seems to be from the Garrick family."

Franklin smirked. "Well, well, who would've thought. Their family's hiding a gem like this. That old good guy hasn't touched her, must be saving her for us."

The men around them burst into laughter.

Maggie, lying on the roof, felt as though all her tears had dried up. The wicked laughter from all around made her tremble uncontrollably.

"She's a college graduate, I heard she's about to get married to the son of the CEO of one of the top 500 companies," another woman revealed.

Bobby grinned widely. "With that level of education, she probably wouldn't have even glanced at us before."

"Not a chance. Now she's just here to swallow cock," Franklin laughed maniacally.

Bobby cleared his throat, his excitement palpable. "Alright, alright, let's start the auction." His voice hinted at impatience.