Chapter 3

The room was dead silent. The air crackled with shock. Even the Auctioneer seemed to pause for a fraction of a second.

Kyle's face, which had been a mask of smug superiority, was now pale and slack. Ashley grabbed his arm, her knuckles white. This wasn't part of their plan. They wanted to bleed me, not face a single, all-or-nothing kamikaze attack.

"He's bluffing," Ashley hissed to Kyle, her voice just loud enough for me to hear. "He's lost his mind. He wouldn't risk everything."

But she was wrong. I would risk everything because I had already lost it all once before. And I knew a secret they didn't.

Kyle stared at me, his mind racing. He was a predator, but a cautious one. This was too big, too fast. He looked desperately around the room and his eyes landed on a man in the back.

Mr. Stone. Ashley's father.

He looked ashen, his face a mess of fear and greed. He had been a silent partner in this scheme, hoping to ride his daughter's treachery to new heights of wealth and status, finally escaping the shadow of his debt to my family.

Ashley saw where Kyle was looking and immediately rushed to her father's side.

"Dad," she pleaded in a frantic whisper. "We need more. We need everything. He's trying to price us out."

Mr. Stone hesitated, wiping sweat from his brow with a silk handkerchief. "Ashley, this is madness. To risk it all on one hand..."

"It's the only way!" she insisted. "Think about it! With the Miller fortune and Ethan's score for Kyle, we'll own this city! This is our one chance!"

Her words, fueled by pure avarice, seemed to strike a chord in him. The fear in his eyes was replaced by a familiar, desperate glint. He nodded slowly, a man signing his own death warrant. He pulled out a checkbook and a pen.

Ashley returned to Kyle's side, a triumphant look on her face. Kyle's confidence flooded back, his pallor replaced with an ugly flush of excitement. He had the backing he needed. He was ready to play.

"You think that's a big move, Miller?" Kyle sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. "You think throwing your family's legacy on the table scares me?"

He held up a hand to the Auctioneer. "I'll see his Miller family fortune... and I'll raise him one dollar."

The crowd erupted. Some laughed, others gasped at the sheer audacity of the insult. To raise a bid of hundreds of millions of dollars by a single dollar was the ultimate act of humiliation. It was a statement. Your entire world is worth nothing to me.

"And one more thing," Kyle added, his eyes locking onto mine, a cruel smile playing on his lips. "When I win, before I collect, I want to see you on your knees. I want you to beg me to be merciful to your sister."

Sarah gasped behind me. The crowd roared with delight at the added drama. This was the kind of bloodsport they lived for.

But I didn't flinch. I didn't even blink. I just watched them, letting their arrogance and cruelty build. It was exactly what I wanted.

"Is that your final bid?" I asked calmly.

"For now," Kyle shot back. "Unless you have something else to offer? But what could you possibly have left?"

I smiled. A real, genuine smile this time. It felt strange on my face.

"Oh, I have something else," I said. "Something much more valuable."

I turned to the Auctioneer.

"I'd like to add to my bid," I announced. "I'm adding something new to the pot. Something unique."

The Auctioneer tilted his head. "Specify the item."

I took a breath. This was the part that would feel like swallowing glass. But it was necessary.

"I'm adding private videos of my sister, Sarah," I said, my voice cold and hard.

The room, which had been buzzing, fell into a stunned silence again. Sarah stared at me, her eyes wide with betrayal and horror.

"Ethan, no," she whispered, her voice breaking.

I didn't look at her. I couldn't.

I kept my eyes on Kyle and Ashley, whose faces were a mixture of shock and morbid curiosity.

"But here's the special part," I continued, my voice cutting through the silence like a razor. "The winner doesn't just get the videos. The winner gets to direct them. Any scenario they want. Any script they can imagine. A fully customizable experience."

The trap was now baited. I was banking on their depravity. And I knew I wouldn't be disappointed.