Bartered (The Encounter #1)(21)

“As the saying goes, there are a lot of fishes in the ocean…” my rebuttal came with a smug look. “So I’m not bothered by your threats.”

Julee became tomato red as she instantly stood up, glaring down at me. “Hugo won’t tolerate this disrespect towards his family. I’ll make sure he knows how selfish you are.”

Seriously? “Be my guest, Julee,” I murmured before I watched her walk away, raving mad with anger.

“My mother… She’s something, isn’t she?”

My head spun to the side to glance at Elena. “She definitely is.” My riled up emotions started to ebb away, making me sigh with relief. “I had no idea that you were paying attention to the conversation.”

“I always pay attention,” she blurted out, giving me a wicked smile. “I can’t stand my mother. One gets creative in ignoring her.” She considered me a moment, studying me. “Don’t mind her. She’s just bitter that my father divorced her for a younger woman.”

Very well. She was a scarred woman; scorned and bitchy. They were the best ones, out to get whomever they could to join their miserable lot.

“Hugo told me you’re going to be my vacation buddy,” she started saying before I gave her a curt nod. “Tonight. Eight p.m. We’re going out to meet some of my friends that are here for a week. So take out that little mini black dress; we’re about to come out and play all night long.”

Party. With people that were my age. Sounds like a perfect way to end my night. I needed some fun after being confused ever since I moved in the Villa Blanc.

“Sounds brilliant.”

Elena stood up, stretching like a tired feline. “Time to get a little beauty rest before getting ready for tonight. I’ll see you at eight.”

“See you.”

All by my lonesome, I thought about the night ahead of me. Maybe having Elena around wasn’t so bad after all. Because, truth be told, I was dying to let loose and forget about Hugo for a few hours.





Hugo arrived when the sun was about to set. It wasn’t that I was scared to face him because I challenged his aunt, but for some reason, I didn’t feel like facing him just yet. Subsequently, I decided to take the stairs that were carved from the very rock itself that led to the shore below.

I needed reprieve from the chaotic life I lived in at the moment. It was one of the reasons why I had decided to study in England, even though my father had been completely opposed to it.

The azure water looked marvelous, aglow with the sun’s last rays. Watching the sun setting low, I thought of my mother who loved watching it out from the balcony. It was a daily ritual for her. She’d stare at it, as if saying a prayer. When I was little, I used to sit on her lap with her hugging me tightly from behind. I remembered her saying, “No matter how bad our day goes, you can always count on this moment to make you feel good. We take a moment to appreciate how beautiful life is. There’s always beauty amidst the ugliness this world has to offer. Never forget that, Isobel.” Those words had stuck with me most because it was a reminder of how my mother’s life was. She was unhappy and knew the ugliness my father was made of, yet she wouldn’t ever leave his side. All she had were those sunsets to remind her that life wasn’t always dark and cruel.

My mother. My poor mother. There was a time when I thought my father was only verbally abusive to her until that day where he had done something to prove the lengths he’d go through to punish me.



“You are not going anywhere, Isobel. You’re staying in Athens. End of discussion!” he roared at me, looking enraged with his neck turning the shade of crimson and eyes that made my bones shake.

I had never seen Father this angry, yet I knew if I didn’t stand my ground and fight for what I wanted, I would be stuck here in Athens, living under the same roof with him. Going to England to study was my only legit way out without rousing too much suspicion.

I’d had an idea he wouldn’t be pleased, but somehow, I had sort of convinced myself I had the means to persuade him this was for the best. Seeing him beyond furious at my audacity to even contemplate leaving our home, let alone leaving the country, I wasn’t so sure I had the capacity to make him understand my reason.

“Father, please—”

He marched towards me, eyes bulging out of its sockets as he breathed down on me before he unleashed his fury. “My decision’s final! Don’t you dare defy my authority as the man of this house. No more about this nonsense.”

No… please, I quietly begged him through my eyes. I had to make him understand that even his authority wouldn’t stop me from achieving my dreams. This was my time, and I wouldn’t let him steal this away from me, too.

With my heart ramming against my heart, my will pushed me to the inevitable. “I’ve accepted… and I already bought an airplane ticket. I’m going, Father, whether you approve or not.”

Before I even managed to take a breath after I finished speaking, my father’s strong, furious hand wrapped around my neck, choking me. “You insolent child! You want to leave this house because you long to be that boy’s whore. You’re worthless, just like your mother.” Each word he said made him look like he was Satan before he started to lift me off the floor. My air passage was completely blocked as I tried to detach his hand from my neck, but he was too strong for me to fight off.