Love's Cruel Game, A Second Chance

The last thing I saw in my previous life was the Auctioneer's cold face. My sister, Sarah, had just jumped from a rooftop, her manipulated private photos still flickering on a giant screen for a jeering crowd. They wanted to steal my perfect SAT score, my family's fortune, and our future. All orchestrated by the girl I loved, Ashley Stone, and her boyfriend, Kyle Peterson. Then, I opened my eyes. I was back in the same opulent ballroom, and Sarah was alive, terrified, clutching her hands in front of her. The same giant, blank screen loomed, ready to display her photos. My world had reset, but the nightmare was beginning anew. As Kyle began to bid on Sarah's "private collection"-a humiliating ten thousand dollars-my stomach churned. He then grandiosely offered a million, claiming to protect her honor, a sickening charade that infuriated me. In my past life, I' d been bled dry trying to outbid him; this time, I knew his true motive: my perfect SAT score, the real prize that would elevate Kyle to scholar status. "One million dollars from Mr. Peterson. Do I hear another bid?" the Auctioneer announced. But I knew this wasn't about money alone; it was about abstract assets: reputations, futures, lives. I also knew that the system, once a bid was accepted, was absolute. The memory of Ashley, in my past life, whispering to Kyle, "With his score, you'll get into Harvard. We'll be unstoppable," fueled my resolve. They had repaid my family's kindness with ultimate betrayal. "Ethan?" Sarah whispered, her voice pleading. "Do something." I stepped forward, facing my tormentors. Kyle' s smug face awaited my surrender, oblivious to the storm I was about to unleash.