Regency Romance: The Rake's Fake Marriage (Historical Arranged Marriage Romance) (19th Century Victorian Romance) (63 page)

“But?” Nigel extended his neck, waiting for her to continue.

“Mama is going to
jail,
and we’ll
be evicted
soon.” Tasia looked away, trying to restrain the tears welling up in her eyes.

“What?” He asked in disbelief. He’d never imagined them being destitute. As a young lad, he remembered her father giving him money just to attend school. His death was hard for him to accept, but ascertaining his beloved aunt would
be imprisoned
was even harder to take in.

“What happened?” He continued.

“Don’t ask!” Tasia said rudely, turning her back on him.

“Look, I don’t mean to offend you in any way, but I need to know how I could help you.”

“I need money. And I-I
don't
know where to get it. I don’t earn as much as you probably do, and all my wages go towards the bills. Oooh…. I don’t know what to do.” She cried silently, not wanting to attract anyone’s attention.

Nigel felt guilty. While he was earning tons of money by illegal trading on the Black Market, his cousin was problematic about her mother’s debts.

“Look. I know of something that could help you pay off your mom’s debts.”

Tasia’s countenance brightened. A glimpse of hope lightened her heavy laden.

“Really? Oh, thank goodness. What is it?”

“Before that, I just wanna ask you something.”

“Yeah, sure. Tell me.”

“Whatever you heard in this place, stays in this place alone, ok?”

Suspicion dimmed her mind.

“Ok?”

“Ummm… Not sure. Tell me first.”

“No. Deal or No Deal? Choose one.”

Sighing, she could not say anything but to agree.

“Deal.”

“Alright. Here it goes.” Then he paused and looked at her in the eyes.

Please, just say it. She thought.

“I work as a trader in the Black Market.” He began.

“What?” His words drummed against her ears. She couldn’t believe it.

“Remember what you said.” He reminded her, making sure her tongue wouldn’t slip off and put him in tremendous trouble.

“Right. Continue.” Tasia inhaled deeply.

“That’s why I get a lot of money to buy these.” He pointed at his jewelry.  

“So… if you want to earn a lot of money in an instant, I would introduce you to my boss. He’s black too like us, so I think you’d be fine. Just make sure you dress properly. No skirt. No tight-fitting blouses. And most of all, no stripping naked.” He laughed.

“Hey…. I
ain’t
a whore.” She laughed as well, sharing her cousin’s humorous jokes.

“So, what do you think?” He whispered, making sure no one was listening.

“Ummm… Let me think.”

“You can’t prolong this opportunity. There’s many out there who’re waiting to get in. So what? Yes, or no?”

“Oh, man… I don’t know….”

Fist
clenching her arms, Nigel wanted an instant answer. “Tasia. Look, you’re doing this for your mother. Think of her first.”

Drawing a deep breath from within, Tasia finally said, “Yes.”

Although against her will, she had no choice. Family first before herself.

Sorry, Papa. I’m not doing this for myself, but for Mama. She’s going to jail, and you don’t want that, right?

Her eyes
fixed on
the cloudy sky.

Chapter Three

Ivories from Africa lay on the floor, perfectly aligned, allowing the traders to choose the best ones with the best prices. Guns. Armalites. Bombs. All sorts of stuff were laid out for everyone to
choose from
.

“Welcome back to the Black Market, Anton.” Sam placed his left arm
around
his shoulder as they discussed the matter intimately.

“I’ve told you already about the shotguns that you’ve ordered, right?” Anton spoke.

“Yes, son. Don’t worry about it too much now. Let me do the talking to our other
brothers
. I know they’d understand. If they don’t, they know what’s
gonna
happen.”

“Make it sure!” Anton replied.

Just around the corner, Tasia was standing still, letting everything sink into her head. She couldn’t believe she was
actually
taking part in illegal trading in a notorious market that the majority of average people did not
know about
.

She had been in the industry for a week now. But it felt like she was in a dream. A dream she hoped to be unreal with real money. It did not make sense. Nothing made sense. Everything happened in a blink of an eye.
What am I doing here
?

“Hey, don’t just stand there. Look for customers!” The other traders in her group yelled at her as if they were the boss.

Trembling. She opened her mouth to respond. “Yes, sir.”

“Hello everyone….. Come and see our cheap products here
….
Yooohooo….” She tried her best, but it was not enough. In fact, it was not good at all.
This was
not a normal market. Professionalism
was highly required
in this field.

“What are you doing? That’s not how you call for customers. You’re booing them away.” Nigel told her in a quiet voice.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I-I just don’t know if I can do this any longer. It’s hard.”

“It’s just in the beginning. You’ll get used to it. Keep on trying.”

Anton noticed their muttering. It intrigued him. But what got his attention was Tasia. He had never seen her before, and he knew by experience and the way she acted, she was new to this field.

“Alright. I’ll try again.” She inhaled as she bravely spoke, not wanting to put her cousin in trouble.

“I’m gonna go now,” Nigel said. “They need me inside. We’re having a meeting.”

As soon as Anton saw him leave, he raised his foot towards Tasia’s direction. Hands in his pocket, he kept walking as his shoes made ticking noises of a clock. Approaching, she noticed him coming. Her heart gladdened. Finally, a customer who would purchase their products.

“Hello there, sir. How are you today?” She smiled as if she were a sales lady in a department store.

He was impressed by her attitude. In his mind, she had a place that could help his business grow. He could use her.

“What are you selling?” He asked.

Hearing his voice, she knew he was not an American. His accent was so strong that made her wonder which country he
came from
. Whenever he spoke a word, she found it cute. His golden brown hair that gleamed by the light of the yellow bulb made him so attractive. She liked brown-headed guys. They were sexy.

“Are you, ok?” He asked as he noticed her staring at him continuously, following his every move.

“Ha? Oh, yes. Of course. Sorry.” She stuttered.

He smiled. Seeing her freak
out put
a smile
on
his face. He liked whenever a woman was in a hurry. Her true
self came
out.

“We’re selling electronics, sir. The brand new IPhone 6 and 6S are here, look.” She pointed at the mobile phones
on
the left-hand side.

He was not genuinely interested in the stuff she was offering. He was more interested in her. He saw a potential in her – something that could benefit him.

“Let me ask you something. How much do you earn?”

“Come again?” She asked, surprised to
be questioned
such a private matter.

“I didn’t know you’re a bit deaf. I said, how much do you earn?”

“Sorry, sir. But in this country, privacy matters the most. I don’t think it’s necessary for me to answer your question.”

Smart woman
. He thought. Instead of being annoyed by her rude response, his interest in her grew even larger.

Recognizing his voice, Nigel came out just to see what was going on. Eyes widened. Heart pumped wildly. He could not believe it.

“Anton Belinsky?” He was astonished. He’d only seen his photo on T.V as one of the most wanted mafia leaders in the world.

Anton looked up in
wonder
of who called his name.

“It’s you. Oh, goodness gracious me. Is this real?” Nigel asked himself as if he’d seen a celebrity.

“Who are you?” Anton asked in annoyance. He knew he was popular, but not with guys. He was a straight male.

“Oh, let me introduce myself. I’m Nigel Smith, from Chicago. I’m her cousin.” He pointed at Tasia.

She was shocked.
What’s going on here
?

Teleporting to her direction, Nigel pulled her in to whisper something that would change Tasia’s life forever. Something that would make her regret about what she said.

“He’s one of
Sekret
Rynka’s
leaders. He’s from Russia and he’s freaking rich.”

Her eyes bulged out. Yes, she was convinced she was in a dream. Everything that was happening was unreal and fabricated by the figment of her imagination.

She laughed. Her white teeth exposed. Her eyes twinkled.

Anton smiled, finding her reaction amusing. Whatever the boy said to her, it did not matter to him.

Hearing something funny was going on, every member of Nigel’s team went out to join the conversation, including Big Boy, the boss who was a member of a rival
mafia
group.

“What’s going on here?” Big Boy asked.

After recognizing each other, Anton and Big Boy’s expressions fell in great dismay. Their mafias were not in harmony with each other.
In the industry, everyone was so competitive.
Greed. Hatred.
Fear
were
the words
to describe accurately their memberships
.

“What are you doing here?” Big Boy asked again.

“I want to buy her. How much?”

Buy me?
Tasia looked around for any woman. She tried her best but found none. Her heart beat raced. Every sprint made her gasp for air. Were they selling her?

“I don’t sell anything that I own.” Big Boy
spat
.

How dare you! I’m not even yours, asshole!

“$1 Million. Cash.” Anton said stoically.

“No Deal.”

Tasia cut in. She couldn’t help but to break her silence. She needed to make sure she was not
being sold
. Human trafficking was illegal. But in this industry everything was legal. No law. No rule and regulation. Nothing at all. They did as they pleased. 

“Wait….” Before she could even say the next word, one man grabbed her aside by the mouth to keep her from talking.

“I’m not going to make this any longer. $3 Million. Fixed. Take it or leave it.”

Big Boy knew that a mafia leader like him never made any joke. They were always serious. Covetousness took over.

“Deal.”

What?
She thought she was going to pass out. After he had
announced
that she
was sold
, every word she heard was like a loud cymbal. What could she do? Just before she started working for Big Boy, she signed a contract allowing him to govern parts of her life in exchange
for
a large amount of cash. She was heedless that it was going to be this big.

Mama and Papa, forgive me. I didn’t know what I was doing. Please, help me!
She cried.

Chapter Four

A
bolt
of pain struck Tasia’s head. Every nerve in her brain must have
been shaken
up as she felt so dizzy.
Oh, I think I drank too much
. She thought.

As she opened her
eyes,
she found out she was not in a dream. Not at all.

Casting the duvet cover away
, a cold breeze touched her delicate skin. She looked down. Sure enough, she was naked. She had neither clothes nor underwear.

“Aaaah…..” She screamed at the top of her voice. She almost reached the dolphin note.

She heard someone running to her direction. Quickly, she grabbed the duvet back and covered her voluptuous body. Her breasts were quintessentially round. And her nipples were a little darker than her skin tone. Her vagina was impeccably flawless.

“What’s the matter, ma’am?” The housekeeper asked.

By the look
on
her visage, Tasia knew she was a few years older than her. She was twenty-six. The housekeeper must have been in her late twenties to early thirties. She had a great body like her. Only, she was lighter.