Chapter 445

Her parents had been sold to the royal family as a commodity at an early age and had passed away while Brittany was still young. Being born a slave, she never knew freedom and had grown up to be timid and introverted. Thankfully for her, the princess had somehow taken a liking to her and had chosen her to be her personal maid. That very act changed her life forever as she went through a hell of pain as a result. But Brittany felt nothing but gratitude towards Carol for giving her a better life. Otherwise, she might have died without even growing up. Life as a slave without her parents, the possibility of surviving such an ordeal was infinitesimally small. She remembered how she tried to find her savior in every other person she came across in the most difficult time of her life. Looking at the little girl, Brittany felt that she must have appeared as helpless as the pitiful little girl as well. Thankfully, she had met a kind master this time who did not intend to harm her or the princess. Therefore, she wanted to be for the little girl what Zach had become for her. Her hope filled eyes filled Brittany with an immense urge to pull the little girl into her embrace so that she would never ever have to suffer the hardships of life. “We would like to take this girl with us?” Zach asked the shopkeeper while Brittany tried to give the little girl some hope. The merchant turned to look at Zach deeply and then something in his eyes changed for the worse. The urge to do business with Zach was no longer there. Instead, his gaze seemed to be filled with ill intent and unadulterated hatred. The man wasn’t even trying to hide it. “Not selling.” came the curt reply of the slave merchant as he cut Zach off from saying anything else. “Why not?” Zach wasn’t willing to back down. He was sure that the merchant was here to sell the little girl. Otherwise, why would he have bothered to bring her to the slave market.

The intensity of the merchant’s hatred distorted his face in its entirety. It was as if Zach had committed a heinous crime, so severe that it could be equated to the cold-blooded murder of both of the merchant’s parents and the merchant, still grappling with the enormity of his animosity, struggled to find the right expression to convey the depths of his inner hatred. The merchant’s countenance contorted into a snarl, his eyes shooting daggers at Zach. The intensity of his gaze conveyed a deep-seated resentment, leaving Zach with the uneasy feeling that the merchant harbored a personal grudge against him. The intensity of the merchant’s hatred distorted his face in its entirety. It was as if Zach had committed a heinous crime, so severe that it could be equated to the cold-blooded murder of both of the merchant’s parents and the merchant, still grappling with the enormity of his animosity, struggled to find the right expression to convey the depths of his inner hatred. Zach couldn’t help but be taken aback by the sudden and naked display of hatred emanating from the merchant. The intensity of the man’s animosity seemed disproportionate to any interactions they might have had, leaving Zach perplexed and searching for the root of this unexpected enmity. As he observed the merchant’s scowling face, he wondered if there were hidden layers of resentment or past grievances that he was unaware of. The unexpected hostility injected an air of tension into the atmosphere, and Zach couldn’t shake off the feeling that there was more to this encounter than met the eye. With a smug smile on his face, the merchant rebuffed Zach’s proposal, stating emphatically, “I have no intention of selling this one to you.” The merchant’s demeanor suggested a level of vindictiveness that hinted at some perceived cruelty on Zach’s part, leaving one to wonder what actions could have provoked such a strong reaction. Perplexed, Zach couldn’t fathom the merchant’s motivations. A typically avaricious trader, he should have eagerly seized the opportunity to profit from the slender girl, especially with a willing buyer like Zach in the picture. It was a golden chance for the merchant to earn more profit as Zach was acting like a person who would be willing to pay any price to buy the girl. The notion that the merchant might be seeking greater profit crossed Zach’s mind, prompting him to delve into this possibility. He couldn’t bear witnessing the despondent expression on Brittany’s face as the merchant declined the offer. “I will pay double…double what you are expecting to be paid for that little one.” Zach offered to pay double the price of the girl but was shocked to find that the merchant still refused to budge. The merchant’s stubbornness resembled an unyielding mountain against the tide, impervious to the tempting waves of Zach’s offers. Each entreaty from Zach crashed against this human fortress, met with a resolute denial that carved a smirk onto the merchant’s face, a smirk akin to a cunning fox reveling in the futility of the hunter’s pursuit. It was as if the merchant held the key to a secret treasure, relishing the power he wielded over the desperate Zach, who found himself entangled in a frustrating dance of negotiations. There was still that mocking smile on the merchant’s face which made Zach feel especially irritated. “You can name your price, whatever you are expecting to make from her, I will give you many times that. Money is not an issue. Tell me what it would take for you to part with the girl?” Zach’s plea echoed in the dimly lit space, a desperate symphony of urgency and determination. His final offer laid bare his willingness to break the shackles of monetary constraints, allowing the merchant to dictate the ransom for the young girl. It was as if Zach had opened a blank check, inviting the merchant to inscribe his desired sum, signaling a willingness to pay any cost to liberate the captive from her plight. The air lingered heavy with the weight of this pivotal moment, a silent negotiation between the despairing plea and the unyielding resolve of the merchant. Zach’s financial might stood as an impenetrable fortress, fortified by the amassed wealth under the banner of the Smith family. Even the once-illustrious Hunter family, the top family of Byzantium city, now under his sway, contributed to the bulwark of resources at his disposal. The magnitude of his wealth was so vast that he could generously offer a hundredfold more than any conceivable price for the girl and still not notice any change in his wealth. It was as if Zach’s coffers knew no bounds, an inexhaustible reservoir of riches waiting to be unleashed in order to fulfill the wish of his competent maid. Zach wielded the power of opulence, prepared to break the chains of financial restraint for the sake of his maid’s mental health. A small expenditure to encourage Brittany was a very small price in his eyes. To Zach, extending a helping hand to the girl for Brittany’s sake was a trivial expense, a mere drop in the vast ocean of his wealth. The resources he allocated to support Brittany’s cause were akin to a minuscule offering, a nominal investment in the face of the grandeur that defined the financial empire of the Smith family. In the grand scheme of his affluence, it was a gesture of benevolence, a gesture that spoke volumes of his willingness to expend resources for those he considered a part of his extended family. The glimmer of hope in the little girl’s eyes mirrored the spark of anticipation that danced in Brittany’s gaze as they both absorbed Zach’s words. It was as if a ray of warmth had penetrated the cold veil of their circumstances, thawing the frost of uncertainty that had gripped their hearts. Even they felt that the offer was far too generous to decline and were of the opinion that the merchant would definitely sell in the face of the benefits. To the little girl, it seemed that the stranger was more than eager to buy her out of the hands of the cruel merchant. It made her doubt his intentions somewhat, but she wasn’t in any position to bother about his motives. She just wanted to be saved from her cruel master by anyone…literally anyone would be better than her current master. Even though Zach was a stranger and could potentially be even more dangerous than the merchant, the little girl was comforted by the presence of Brittany who seemed to be a warm person who kept smiling at her to comfort her from the beginning. She drew comfort from her and hoped that Zach would prove to be a better master. “I couldn’t care less about your money. I just don’t want to sell her to YOU.” The merchant put enough stress on the last word to convey the true reason behind his stubbornness. The merchant’s disdainful words hung in the air like a bitter aftertaste, emphasizing his vehement refusal. His emphasis on the final word, “YOU,” carried the weight of personal animosity, as if there were an invisible barrier between him and Zach, an unspoken grudge that fueled the merchant’s unwavering obstinacy. It wasn’t a matter of wealth or monetary enticement; rather, it was a visceral objection rooted in some undisclosed history or resentment, leaving Zach perplexed and Brittany disheartened at the unwarranted rejection. It was obvious that the slave merchant had a problem with Zach which also meant that the man recognized him and was unwilling to take his offer despite knowing about his position. The tension in the air became palpable as it dawned on Zach that the slave merchant not only harbored a profound dislike for him but also had the audacity to refuse a lucrative offer, fully aware of Zach’s influential position.

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