ARIA
The music was too loud, the kind that sank into your bones and refused to let you think. Glasses clinked, men laughed too hard, and the smell of alcohol clung to everything like it belonged there, and so did I.
I balanced a tray of drinks carefully. Nights like this were always the same, too many hands brushing where they shouldn't, too many eyes lingering too long. But I smiled anyway, tips depended on it.
"Table six," my manager barked from behind the counter, not even looking at me.
"I'm on it," I muttered, already moving. This was my life. Late nights. Cheap pay. Endless exhaustion. But it was honest work, more honest than anything my father had ever done.
I pushed that thought away quickly. Thinking about him never ended well.
By the time my shift ended, my feet ached and my patience had run out hours ago. The cool night air hit my skin as I stepped outside, and for a moment, I just stood there, breathing.
The streetlights flickered like they were too tired to stay awake, casting weak shadows across the narrow road. By the time I reached our building, I was far too weak. The building looked the same as always, old, tired, and barely standing. The walls were stained, the staircase creaked under the weight of every step, and somewhere in the distance, a pipe dripped steadily.
Home. If you could even call it that.
I pushed the door open and stepped inside our apartment, and darkness greeted me instantly.
"Dad?" I called out. No answer. That wasn't unusual. He was either asleep, drunk, or pretending I didn't exist.
I sighed and shut the door behind me, sliding off my jacket and hanging it on the hook by the wall. Everything felt normal. The same worn-out sofa sagged in the corner, the same chipped table sat where it always had, and the air smelled faintly of stale alcohol and something older.
I took a step further inside, and that's when I saw him. Still and kneeling. My heart skipped.
"Dad…?" I frowned, moving closer. "What are you doing?"
He didn't answer. Something wasn't right. I rushed toward the wall, fumbling for the switch. "Why are you kneeling in the dark like this?" I muttered, flipping it. Nothing. I clicked it again. And again, still nothing. A chill crawled up my spine.
"Dad, this isn't funny." My voice wavered now as I turned back to him, closing the distance quickly. "Why are you kneeling like that? Did something happen?"
I dropped beside him, reaching for his arm. That's when I saw his face.Tears was streaming down like he couldn't stop them.
"Hey… hey, what's wrong?" Panic hit me instantly. My hands hovered, unsure where to touch, what to fix. "Why are you crying?"
Then I saw the blood. A thin line slipping from his nose, trailing down to his lips.
My breath caught. "Dad are you hurt? Who did this? What happened?" He didn't answer. He just cried harder, his shoulders shook, and his head bowed, like he couldn't even look at me.
Fear settled deep in my chest now, heavy and suffocating. "You're scaring me," I whispered, my voice breaking. "Say something please—" Hands grabbed me. It was rough and sudden. They tore me away from my father before I could even process what was happening. My back slammed against a hard chest as I struggled, panic exploding through my veins.
"Let me go!" I screamed, thrashing, kicking, clawing at anything I could reach. "Get off me!" They didn't budge. It was like fighting stone.
"Dad!" My voice broke as I twisted in their grip, desperate to reach him. "What's going on?! Say something!"
He was still on his knees, still crying, still not looking at me. Fear clawed its way up my throat, thick and suffocating.
"Why aren't you doing anything?!" I choked out, tears blurring my vision. "Dad, please—!"
"Enough."
The word wasn't loud, but it cut through the room like a blade.Everything in me went still.I didn't know why, and I didn't understand it. But the moment that voice filled the air, something deep inside me—something instinctive—went cold.
Slowly. painfully slowly. I lifted my head, and that's when I saw him. He stepped out of the shadows like he had been a part of them all along. He stood tall.
The dim light from outside barely touched his face, but it was enough. Enough to see the sharp lines of it, the unreadable expression, the eyes that felt like they were looking through me instead of at me.
My breath caught. Run. The thought screamed in my head, but I couldn't. Not with their hands locked around me. Not with him standing there.
I shrank back as fear gripped me, instinctively trying to make myself smaller, like maybe if I took up less space, he wouldn't notice me as much. It didn't work, his gaze was already on me.
"So…" His voice was calm. Too calm. "This is the daughter you want to trade to me." The words didn't make sense. Not at first. "…to settle your three thousand dollar debt."
My heart stopped. What? I blinked, my mind scrambling, trying to piece it together. Trade. Debt. Daughter. Me? No, That couldn't be.
He started walking slowly toward me. Like he had all the time in the world. My breathing grew shallow as he got closer, my body pressing back against the men holding me, trying and failing to get away.
He stopped right in front of me. Too close.
I could feel his presence, his heat, the sheer weight of him. It pressed down on me, suffocating, making it hard to think. His eyes moved over me, not hurried, like he was measuring me.
My fingers curled into fists as I trembled, my gaze dropping because I couldn't hold his. It felt like if I did, he'd see every fear, every weakness. I hated how small I felt. I hated how scared I was.
Then he stepped back.And just like that, the pressure eased, and air rushed into my lungs.
"What are you talking about?!" My voice came out shaky, breaking as panic finally took over. "What debt? What… what is he saying?!"
I struggled harder now, shaking my head wildly. "Let me go! I didn't do anything! You can't just take me…!"
"Wait!"
My father's voice cracked through the chaos. I froze. He was still on his knees, but now he was looking up for the first time.
"Please, Alaric …" he begged, his voice shaking, broken. "Just… just give me more time. I'll get your money. I swear I will. Just don't take her."
My heart twisted painfully in my chest.
"She's all I have," he choked out. "Please… Don't take her. I'll pay you back. I will." Something inside me shattered.
"Dad…" I whispered, my voice hollow.
The man in front of me, Alaric, tilted his head slightly. Then, in a blink, he moved. Too fast.
A sickening crack filled the room as his fist connected with my father's face.
"Stop!" I screamed, my entire body jerking forward. "Leave him alone, you monster!" Silence followed instantly.
Alaric slowly turned his head to look at me, and my heart dropped. What did I just do?
I swallowed hard, fear crashing over me in waves. Every instinct screamed that I should've stayed quiet, that I shouldn't have said anything.
But I couldn't just watch, even if Magnus wasn't the best father, he was still mine.
My chest rose and fell rapidly as I stared at him, terrified of what he might do next. But he didn't move toward me. He just… looked. Then, without a word, he turned away.
"Take her." My stomach dropped.
"No… no, wait!" Panic surged as the men tightened their grip and started dragging me again. "Where are you taking me?! Let me go!"
I kicked, screamed, fought with everything I had.
"I'm not going anywhere with you! Do you hear me? Let me go!" No one answered. They hauled me outside like I weighed nothing, my cries echoing through the night.
"Dad!" I screamed one last time, twisting to look back. "Do something! Please!" But the door slammed shut behind us, and he didn't come
The car door was shoved open, and they pushed me inside. I scrambled back against the seat, breathing hard, my hands shaking violently.
"No… no, please…" My voice cracked as I looked at them, desperation pouring out of me. "Don't hurt him. Please don't hurt my dad. What is he doing in there? What's happening?" They didn't respond. Didn't even look at me.
Tears streamed down my face as I shook my head. "Please… just tell me. What are you doing to him? Please…"The door shut, and I was left there. Waiting. Listening to my own heartbeat thunder in my ears.
ALARIC
Pathetic. That was the only word that came to mind as I looked down at the man trembling before me.
Magnus. A man who thought he could waste my time. A man who thought I would keep giving chances.
I crouched slightly, grabbing his chin and forcing his head up. Blood dripped from his nose, his face already swelling.
"You begged for time," I said quietly. "I gave it to you." His body shook harder.
"Once." Magnus inhaled sharply.
"Then twice." A broken sob followed
"Three times." His eyes squeezed shut, tears spilling freely now. "And yet," I continued, my voice dropping, "here we are."
"I… I was going to pay you," he stammered, his words slurring slightly. "I swear, I just needed—"
"You needed to learn," I cut in coldly, releasing him with a shove that sent him back to the floor, "that my patience is not endless."
He collapsed, coughing, barely able to hold himself up. I stood to my full height, looking down at him with nothing but disinterest.
"You should be grateful," I added. "Most men don't get this many chances."
"I'll get it," he cried desperately. "I'll find the money. Just don't take her, please"
A humorless smile tugged at my lips. It was too late. "You already made your offer," I said. "And I accepted."
His face crumpled. "No… no, please…"
I stepped closer, my shadow falling over him.
"This," I said, my voice low and dangerous, "is your warning." He froze. "If you ever try to deceive me again…" I leaned down slightly, my gaze locking onto his, "I won't be taking something as replaceable as your daughter."
A strangled sound left his throat.
"Next time," I finished, straightening, "I take your life." Silence swallowed the room.
I turned toward the door, already done with him.
"Clean yourself up," I added without looking back. "You're still alive. Don't waste it."
And with that, I walked out.