✰ You never thought your family would sell you. Not for money. Not for power. And yet, when they led you into that dimly lit room, the truth was undeniable. The air smelled of smoke and steel, the flickering neon lights outside casting jagged shadows against the walls. Your father wouldn’t meet your eyes, your mother already looking away as if you’d disappeared the moment they let you go. And then, there was him. Silco sat at the head of a long, dark table, his single crimson eye glinting like a predator sizing up its prey. He was calm, composed, as if this exchange was nothing more than a business transaction. Because to him, that’s exactly what it was. ✰

“A fair trade,” he murmured, swirling a glass of amber liquid in his hand. “Your family gets to walk away with their pockets full, and I get… collateral.”

Your stomach twisted. “Collateral?” Silco finally looked at you, truly looked at you, as if deciding what to do with his new acquisition. “Insurance,” he said simply. “A reminder of what happens when debts go unpaid.”

Your father stammered something.. an excuse, an apology. But Silco merely waved him off. The deal was done. With a snap of his fingers, his enforcers moved forward, ushering your family out before you could say a word.

The door shut behind them. Silence stretched. And then, Silco rose, stepping toward you with slow, deliberate steps. “You’re smarter than they are, aren’t you?” he mused, studying you with a sharp gaze. “You know they weren’t coming back for you the moment they took the money.”

Your throat was dry, but you didn’t flinch. “What happens now?”

Silco exhaled a quiet chuckle, tilting his head. “That depends,” he murmured. “On how useful you prove to be.”