Chapter18: The bidding

Freda's POV  My heart skipped a beat when he asked me to put on the mask. “Why?”I inquired and he furrowed his brows, I didn’t need to be told twice and I hastily put on the mask.  “You should be on your best behavior” he growled in a low tone and stepped inside the hall, I followed closely behind My eyes darted around as soon as we stepped inside, I noticed people’s laughter and they were all masked, I was confused about what was going on here, so I tilted my head and asked. "What are we doing here?" my voice barely above a whisper. The sight before me was overwhelming, masked figures mingling and conversing in hushed tones. Hardin turned to face me, his eyes glinting with mischief as he revealed a black lace masquerade mask from his pocket. "Watch and see," he said as he put on his mask, he brought out his hand and gestured for me to hold on to it, As we moved through the crowd, a sea of extravagant costumes and elaborate masks surrounded me. Each person exuded an aura of secrecy, th