Romanowski and Rosemary

23. Althea Rosemary is it?

Coretta

Lorenzo was perfect in his act as he conversed with the shop owner. 

"What's the cost of this?" he asked.

"Two thousand drachmas."

This time, my anger soared to a maddening height. That was so much money for a measly slave like me. This wretched man! He outright doubled the price, seeing a royal warrior!

"Well, well, wasn't it a thousand drachmas?" Lorenzo lifted a brow, crossing his arms. "The others cost barely five hundred. What's so special about this one?" he waved.

'Omg, Cors, did you hear the wrong price? I didn't bring two thousand with me.' Lorenzo messaged me, fretting. 'That's such a huge cost, I'll probably have to take debts from Alexander!'

'This scumbag is snitching on you.' I grit out.

The slave master sniggered, bunching my hair in his hand. Lorenzo stared on, his fists clenched. "You see her exquisite beauty, gentleman," he cackled, "I may sell her no less than two thousand drachmas."

"But you were selling me at half a price to the man earlier!" I could barely control myself when I burst out at him. But that was a grave mistake.

For the slave master backhanded a slap at my face the moment he heard a slave talk.

It stung and tears overflowed my eyes, but I didn't want to cry in front of my friend. I couldn't even hear what the slave master was yelling about as the pain scorched my cheeks, his shouts just a buzz in my ears.

"How dare you hit her?!"

The slave master was thrown on the ground with a hard punch to his face, before I realised it was actually Lorenzo who'd hit him. His eyes seething with rage.

"I intend to buy her, and you are damaging my property, right in front of me?!" he roared. The slave women beside me shrunk in fear. Their faces were terrified to know such lethal masters existed in Greece, ever ready to buy them.

The slave master, trembling, raised from the ground. His bitter face directed my way, promising disaster.

"A- Apologies, gentleman. Kindly pay, and take your property," he gritted out, head lowered.

Lorenzo grunted a sigh, fetching an extra five hundred drachmas apart from the thousand. "Here," he handed the money, "My attendant will be arriving shortly with the remaining five hundred."

But the slave master was an ultimate money hog. Even after receiving a punch at the hands of Alexander's warrior.

"Gentleman, you can only buy her upon full payment," he scowled.

My heart was tearing up. Things were slipping from our hands, right in front of us.

"I'm bringing the money, right now," Lorenzo gritted out, jabbing a finger at his chest, "And you, slave master, if I get to know you've hurt her in my absence," the warrior stared at me, then at the owner, "Know your shop to be good as gone from a single order of Alexander." he threatened.

'I'll be back, Cors. Please endure a little more.' He gave me one last glance and climbed the horseback, pulling at the reins to go off from where he came.

"Ah! What are you doing?!" I cried out when the slave master gripped my arm, from where the whip lashes from earlier were still healing, and threw me across the room inside, heaving in disgust.

"You wretch! Because of you, I've lost two customers today!" he landed a punch at the door, seething.

"Hah, what does that warrior think? That he'll get away so easily with insulting me?! I swear he won't be getting his property till tomorrow!" he howled and returned to his slave shop, selling other slaves.