The Price

he Maybach glided through the gates, the sensors hissed, and the massive steel doors swung open like the jaws of a silent beast. Amaka

already forty minutes behind schedule. The stylists have been waiting si

like a stain on a white silk sheet. Marcus led her inside, through a foyer tha

ed out of a fashion magazine. They didn't say hello. They didn't s

ka's shoulder. "Sun-damaged. Dehydrated. And the hair... it's a disaster

rom his touch. Her Nigerian blood was boiling. In Mushin, you didn't to

the five million Naira. For that price, you are a mannequin. You are a project. Sit down and le

r was a slap. She sat in the velvet chair, gripp

ew it into a trash bin without a second thought. They scrubbed her skin until it was raw, applied masks that stung, and spent

o one asked her what she liked. No one

as the sun began to set, casting long, golden

ized herself in the floor-to-ceiling mirror. Gone was the girl with the tired eyes and the market-stained hands. In her place st

estor. This is your first test. You will sit by his side. You will smile. You will speak only when spoken to

owly. "I underst

," Marcus

. At the bottom of the stairs, Alexander was waiting. He was dressed in a black tuxedo, looking so handsome it was almost

ed. His glass paused halfway to his lips. His dark eyes travel

was an observation, like a scientist seeing a successfu

exander," Amaka said, her

electric, sending a shiver through her that she hated. "Tonight, you aren't a girl with a dying mother. You are the daughter of a we

ked, her voice a whisper. "Because

who looked like she had something to lose. People with nothing to los

d, the doorbell rang. Th

twenty people, surrounded by gold-plated cutlery and crystal glasses. Across from he

r tells us your father is quite the recluse in Enugu. I don't believe we've d

der's hand found hers under the table. He didn't squeeze it for comfo

ght of her grandmother's small farm in the village. "He believes that the land is the only thin

elaxed. A small smi

d. "And how did a traditional girl like you capture

t. She forgot the money. She saw the way the candlelight hit the

he truth slipping out before she could stop

with a piece of lobster halfway to his mou

, forcing a laugh that sounded hollow in her ears. "He promised to show me a wor

to oil prices and offshore accounts. But under the table, Alexander

nder slammed his glass down on the sideboard. Th

he charming host was gone. "A 'deal you couldn't refuse'?

am wearing a dress that costs more than my life, eating food I can't pronounce, whil

y you to be perfect. If you ever-ever-slip up like that again, I will send you back to Mushin so fast you

with tears she refused to shed. "I underst

ected coldly. "Go to bed. Tomorrow, the dance les

. Amaka looked at her reflection in the glass windows. She looked like a princess.

ut the chains were already around her wris