"Veronica!" The voice, filled with urgency, echoed through the air, accompanied by the seductive rhythm of footsteps advancing into the cramped confines of the room.
'Not again' Veronica sighed. Her stepmother, Claudia, had come to disturb the peace yet again.
Claudia swung the door open with force, yet her face bore no trace of the anger and frustration that had become all too familiar over the years.
"Yes Miss Claudia" Veronica answered. Her eyes touched the ground. As Veronica slowly carried her eyes up, it instantly caught Claudia's disgusted expression on her face. This wasn't the first time she had endured mistreatment in her own home. The true source of her suffering always led back to her father. He was the epitome of selfishness, ignorance, and irresponsibility.
"Come downstairs," Claudia says in a calm, yet cold tone. With that, she turned her back and faced the door before towering her head over her shoulder.
"Now" she ordered
As she left the room, Claudia gulped in and stood up from the dirty mattress lying on the ground.
'What could she want that sounded so- serious?' Veronica questioned herself. Whatever it was, Veronica's heart was beating at an uncontrollable speed. She was getting tense.
Maybe she had forgotten to water the plants and Claudia just wanted to find a reason to put her hands on her. No- that couldn't be the case. Normally, Claudia would have beaten her to her death point the minute she stepped into the room. As Veronica's thoughts continued to linger, she descended the stairs with cautious steps. But the moment her feet touched the final staircase, her breath caught in her throat as she beheld Claudia, Sharon, her father, and two unfamiliar men seated in the living room.
From what she could tell with just a blink of an eye, this wasn't an ordinary visitor visit. These men didn't even look like any random man you could just pick from the streets. They were clad in black suits, with dark sunglasses shielding their eyes, giving off an aura reminiscent of bodyguards. Their dress code told otherwise. As Veronica stood from the corner of the living room, the two men's gaze was instantly pointed at Veronica, their frown nearly making Veronica's heart jump out of her chest.
"Veronica honey! Can you come here for a second?" Claudia's voice hallowed from afar as she waved a gesture at Veronica.
'That's a first' Veronica's mind was set still in her instant mood. This wasn't the first time she had shown this angelic side of her. Whenever guests were present, she effortlessly assumed the role of God's perfectly crafted angel, oblivious to the fact that she was merely a devil masquerading as an angel. She and her daughter were the epitome of a two-faced duo.
As Veronica approached the table with a questionable look, she buried her eyes to the ground before taking a seat.
"Good evening" A soft murmur left her lips but she was replied with a nod by the intimidating men.
"Okay! I'm sure you're wondering why you're here. These two men- are here to pick you up" Claudia pointed.
Veronica was quiet, yet, her eyes still stung in a confused look on her face. Veronica fixed her eyes at Veronica, then at Sharon who had this evil grin on her face.
At this point, Veronica knew something didn't seem right. This conversation surpassed any other intellectual conversation.
"From today, this man will take you away and you will be working for a wealthy man" Claudia explained.
'They are selling me out?!'
Veronica was out of words. Seeing the stuttering expression on Veronica's face, Sharon's grin turned into a scoff. But it was obvious she was trying not to laugh, Hence, all Veronica could think about was why her father was just sitting there numbly like he was under the spell of her stepmother.
"Dad?" Veronica turned to her dad, her eyes crying for help and disbelieving but all he could do was carry his eyes away, acting like nothing ever happened.
She had expected this kind of treatment from Claudia, but she never thought her own Father could scoop this low into selling her daughter for money. At this point, Veronica felt like a hopeless cause, a discarded dust particle left to drift aimlessly in this world. The urge to flip the table and pound the desk, to unleash her anger and demand answers from her father, surged within her. Yet, despite the turmoil raging inside, not a single word could escape her lips. She was paralyzed by a suffocating sense of powerlessness and despair.
Only a thought of pity for herself.