6. FAMILY ISSUES

"He's going to sell me to someone.." she sobbed in her mother's bosom while she caressed her only daughter's hair.

Her heard broke into several pieces, thinking of nothing but getting sold.

"I've heard it, mother. Richard is brainwashing him. They were talking about some rich men." Amelia added whining and sniffling.

Hearing this, Grace was fuming with anger. She stood up and walked out of the room.

Confused Amelia, followed her mother, wiping her tears off.

As Grace stepped out the stairs, she saw both of the men chatting in a cheerful tone.

Richard noticed the presence of his best friend's wife, he stood up and spoke in an amused tone, "Hi, Grace. It's too good to see you.."

Without seeing him, she just strode towards her husband, grabbed him from the collar and slapped his face hard.

As the man was drunk, he quickly fell, on his wife's foot while she kicked him the ribs.

"What the hell..." Richard said in bewilderment while Rowan hissed in pain.

Amelia ran towards her mother and tried to calm her down, "Mother, relax..."

Rowan whirled and tried to stand up on his feet, then spat in anger, "You crazy woman! Now you want to get your hands cut off?"

"Father!" Amelia shouted at him, all anger.

"What does he mean?" Richard asked Grace, who scoffed while Amelia answered, "He cut the tongue of my mother."

"What?" Richard was startled, in a trance.

How could someone be so cruel? He just cut the tongue of his wife? Just like that...

"Oh, she deserved it... She had a long tongue... now I'm at peace.." Rowan replied tipsily.

"Now I will sell my ill-mannered and filthy daughter to men.," he added in an arrogant tone.

Grace, then scratched the face of her husband with her sharp nails, just like the wild cat.

She was angered by his terse answer.

"Mother!" Amelia quickly pulled her mother towards her.

"You!" as Rowan was about to walk towards her to beat her, Richard held his hand and stopped him while Amelia immediately took her mother upstairs with her.

"Mother.. why would you do that?" Amelia asked her mother, knitting her brows.

She, carefully placed her mother on a large bed, looking all annoyed.

As her mother could not speak, she tried to write it down but her daughter snatched the notebook from her hand saying, "No mother. Not now.."

Amelia sighed and walked at the window, looking out, the beautiful scenario.

This world is quite astonishing when you claw your way out of the mire of dysfunction. When you first peek over the horizon and see nature without the haze of discontent. Without any filter, with the naked eye and the brain open to the beauty of this reality, amazement comes. It is the amazement of the baby when they first meet a dog or see a leaf move in the wind. And when you see those simple things, when you can in love with the small, everything gets so much better. The larger things become almost overwhelming, the sense of love so much stronger. It is then you realize that before you lived a half-life, grayed and without the warmth, each human is born with.

Lost in deep thoughts, she was admiring the view outside the window until the low snore of her mother reached to her ears.

A ghost of a smile touched her sweet lips, a feeling of warmth rose in her heart.

She then thought to hear the conversation going on between the two men.

"No! Richard, you get me the men. She must go from here. Also, I want a good price.." Rowan was, in deep rage, shouted at his friend who nodded assuring him.

After Richard went back home, Amelia decided to talk to her father, face to face.

"Father.," she spoke in a low voice, her heart beating hard in her ears, fearing from the cruel man in front of her.

He took a quick look at her, then turned to sip his drink, then spoke, "What do you want, girl? Pack your bags you are going.."

"Father, please don't let me.." another second and she was on her knees, pleading her merciless father.

Rowan just eyed her like some kind of trash and pushed her away from him.

"You deserve it. After all, the money I spent on you must be refunded, right? You were such a disrespectful child.."

Then after a slight pause, he continued, "At least, give some happy days to your father. Go with the man and give me money.."

"Father, please. No.." she cried, hands on the feet of her father, who seems to sit proudly on a sofa chair, as if the girl was the slave..

By the time she was born, he cursed her, she grew up listening to the rude and heartbreaking words of her father. That she was a mistake.. a burden.

Rowan wanted a son.. his legal heir.. who will take after his name and then the name of Butler's will go on.

But she was a girl, a burden, such a curse.

He was the father of a daughter, he cannot raise his head among the people just because of her.

Only if he had a son... things would be different by now.

The door on the knock interrupted the pleading of Amelia.

"Go, open the door..." he said in a loud, angry voice to which she startled and quickly managed to open the door.

There were, there three men standing.. one was Richard.. the other two, dressed in business suits, stared her from tip to toe.

Her eyes were red and swelled, freshly tears around her eyes.. her nose was red due to crying and she had the face of the innocent little girl.

"So, she is the lamb.," Richard spoke in a respectful tone, his greedy wolf-like eyes roamed in her neck, moving down to her chest.

And luckily Amelia, this time was wearing jeans and a shirt, covering her cleavage completely.

But who are these men?