I know a young woman who was just in her prime when her life became a tragedy. This is her story.
Once upon a time, there were two conglomerate companies caught in a rivalry. One was an old family business enterprise that had come under mismanagement, while the upcoming rival was a foreign trade firm that had a shorter history but had made a name for itself elsewhere. The older one had established different subsidiaries in key industries, a stable hold on its consumer market, and is pretty much self sufficient, but while the younger company wanted to break into that market, it was unable to find a product that can take on the older one.
Yet by chance, the younger company found that there was a demand for a recreational drug (something such as tobacco), which it had, and while the older company also produced this product, the foreign company’s one was cheaper, and of higher quality. Soon, this foreign company began to overtake the old enterprise in the sale of this recreational drug, so much so that the market became lopsided towards it. This concerned the old family enterprise as the consumers were spending all their money on this recreational drug and less on the other products.
One day, a general manager in the old company decided to stop this deficit by getting the government to label the once recreational drug as an illegal narcotic, forcibly seizing them and banning further sale of it by the younger company which caused much upset and anger, as it was considered as unfair trade practices by the latter. The conflict between the two companies turned into an armed one, with agents of the old enterprise attacking the younger one’s supply transports; subsequently, the younger one retaliated in kind and won due to having superior firearms. The old enterprise sued for peace, and part of the deal was to have a child by the older company’s chairman being given over to the CEO of the younger company as a hostage for a long period of time. The chairman decided to hand over an unassuming daughter from a concubine.
The girl was made to work as an attendant to the CEO’s daughter Britannia, to be her companion and servant, and as such the former concubine’s daughter had to go through a difficult training period in acting civilized and ladylike. The girl went through schooling that not only made her ladylike in appearance and behaviour, but also a basic education, as she was expected to accompany the lady Britannia on official settings and not cause an embarrassment to the CEO. While everything was new and alien to the girl, with many things she was used to doing being banned – and occasionally received corporal punishments for some transgressions – life was better than living as a concubine’s daughter, which was as low as you can get.
The concubine’s daughter was a smart girl. She learned quickly and soon became a valuable assistant to the lady Britannia, who allowed her much free rein when Lady Britannia took over as CEO of the conglomerate. However, the company had a major setback previously in another corporate battle to prevent an aggressive takeover, losing much of its holdings in the process. Seeing this former enemy’s decline, the successor to the old family enterprise where the concubine’s daughter came from, a non-blood related relative by marriage, demanded that the concubine’s daughter be returned to the family enterprise.
The problem was, it was well known that this particular family which now hold reign over the family enterprise was an abusive one, and while Lady Britannia tried her best to argue out of handing over her valuable companion and assistant, she was in no position to have that family enterprise as an enemy. Using whatever leverage she could get, Lady Britannia managed to arrange a deal with the family enterprise, guaranteeing the concubine’s daughter to be free from harm and immune from being forced into things she doesn’t want. The new chairman of the family enterprise agreed, but only after making his own additions to the contract.
When the day came, there was much tears shed between the concubine’s daughter and Lady Britannia, but inevitably she returned to her family home that no longer was, as her old family had died and the house was taken over by the non-blood related relatives that had assumed the family enterprise. It was soon revealed that these so called relatives-that-were-not wanted her to return to the family enterprise to legitimize their role in taking over the conglomerate, and to do so she was to be married to their son, who was not only a sleazy, disgusting slob but a control freak with a taste for BDSM.
At first, these so called relatives allowed her to roam around as she pleased – albeit within the mansion’s confines – but she would not go anywhere near that disgusting slob she was now betrothed to. However, that was the least of her worries, as the old father of this family made occasional passes at her, making suggestive contacts with her, and when she objected, the concubine’s daughter was beaten up and told that she needs to know her place in this ‘family’. She was taken out of her assigned bedroom and made to sleep in the attic, much of her belongings she bought with her from her days living in Lady Britannia’s mansion were distributed to the old father’s children, who were also allowed to go into her ‘room’ as they pleased, do what they pleased and abused her as they pleased.
Ever since she said no to the old father’s sexual advances, the concubine’s daughter no longer had some of the privileges she was used to, as she was made to do hard labour inside the house day and night, leaving only two hours a day to herself and four hours of sleep. With each day, the concubine’s daughter’s mind deteriorated, hallucinations began and soon she started developing a split personality. The new one initially was just a whisper, telling her to give in and everything will no longer hurt, but her own mind held strong; however, with each abuse she received, the new voice became stronger and more coherent.
The concubine’s daughter started writing to the Lady Britannia in secret, not only hoping the Lady can do something about her situation, but also because it made her feel she still have some connection to her better past, which gave her strength to resist that new voice inside her. Unfortunately, her secret letters were discovered by this new ruling family, and as expected her captors flew into a raging fit, screaming and yelling at her, roughly manhandling her and telling her that she is lucky to have returned to her ‘family’, that she should be grateful she was given so much privilege upon ‘returning’. The matron of this family started constantly berating her, telling her she should be proud of being part of the family business once again than being someone else’s hostage and servant, twisting the truth by saying that her Lady Britannia was nothing more than a drug lord’s inheritor.
Hoping there will be no more of this silly business of reminiscing about her Lady Britannia, the matron began regular indoctrination lessons for the concubine’s daughter, telling her what is expected of her and laying down strict boundaries she must abide by on the pain of heavy punishment. Without the time she had writing to Lady Britannia as her anchor, the concubine’s daughter fell into despair and began contemplating suicide. In fact, she did try to commit suicide but she was stopped when a house servant happened upon her attempt.
While this new ruling family couldn’t care less if the concubine’s daughter died, her premature death would be a great problem in taking full control of the company, as many major shareholders still consider this particular family as upstarts trying to usurp the leadership after the old chairman and his family perished suddenly. Their son’s marriage with the concubine’s daughter would seal their rights to take over the family enterprise, but that wouldn’t happen if she died too soon. No longer satisfied with waiting until the betrothal period is over, this family decided to hurry along the marriage between their son and the concubine’s daughter, much to the horror of the concubine’s daughter.
The concubine’s daughter hatched an escape plan and it almost succeeded, had not some house servants she thought was sympathetic towards her betrayed her to the old father and the matron. When the guards came to arrest her, the concubine’s daughter was just within reach of the estate boundaries, outside of which she could be free, that’s when it was as if the very ground on which she stood ensnared her foot, tripping her. Realizing she could never reach the other side of the gate in time, the concubine’s daughter decided to fight back, or die trying. She picked up whatever large rocks she could lay her hands on and hurled rains of stone at the approaching guards. It was a brave attempt, but ultimately failed, and in their anger the guards raped her then and there, in a dark corner of the estate garden.
Carried back to the mansion, the concubine’s daughter was restrained with ropes and whipped by the old father and matron. Crying out in pain, the concubine’s daughter was approaching that breaking point where a person loses their sanity, as that sinister voice in her head reached its crescendo, telling her to give in. It was so easy, it said, just do whatever these people wanted and it would be all over, that she might even be given some sort of place in the family. Just as she was about to throw in the towel, that disgusting slob the concubine’s daughter was supposed to marry came in, all decked out in BDSM gear, there and then she was raped for a second time that night.
As the concubine’s daughter blacked out from the painful ordeal, the last sane part of her mind floated back to her days with Lady Britannia, the one safe place she had all her life, where she was free and held in esteem by her ladyship. Randomly, it occurred to her that it had been 20 years since she had left that home she cherished.
How is she now? I don’t know, but this concubine’s daughter we all know her too.
Her initials are H.K.