Chapter 2

The opening bid was one hundred thousand dollars. Laughter rippled across the ballroom.

“Five hundred,” a man called.

“One million.”

My mother stood. Her voice shook, but she made herself heard. “I’ll keep bidding.”

Ethan gave her a thin smile. “Do you have a million dollars, Mrs. Hart? You work double shifts cleaning offices.”

The woman beside him, Linda Cross, tilted her head. “Let her try. It’s a family night, after all.”

The auctioneer paused. “Mrs. Hart, we’ll need to verify your funds before you can remain in the bidding.”

My mother opened her palm. A small silver coin lay there, worn smooth at the edges. The Sinclair crest was stamped into one side.

“Please check this.”

Linda laughed. “A token from a toy store?”

The auctioneer took it to the appraisal desk. While the crowd murmured, James leaned close to me. “The coin is a family collateral seal. The bank will honor it against the Sinclair trust.”

“My mother knows that.”

“She’d have to. She’s never used it.”

The auctioneer returned with a pale face. “Mrs. Hart’s credit line has been verified. Her bid is valid.”

Ethan’s smile vanished.

My mother had never wanted to ask the family she’d left for help. She’d given up her inheritance when she married Daniel. The coin was the one thing her father had insisted she keep, a promise that she could always return.

“Two million,” one of Ethan’s friends called.

My mother lifted her chin. “I’m still in.”

The auctioneer asked if she wished to continue. She nodded. “Until my daughter comes down from that stage.”

The ballroom quieted. For the first time, people looked at her instead of through her.

Lily’s shoulders lowered by a fraction. I wanted to run to her, cut the restraints, and carry her out. James touched my sleeve.

“The local police contact is ready. The venue staff are blocking the east exit.”

“Keep the exits open for the guests. Have our security secure the loading dock and the service hall.”

This wasn’t an auction. It was a trap designed to humiliate a woman who had already lost everything. But the people who built it had made one mistake: they’d brought it onto property controlled by my family.

The auctioneer announced a second lot. “A private medical placement, tied to Miss Hart’s rare blood type.”

Lily’s face went blank with fear.

My mother gripped the edge of the table. I stepped forward, ready to end the show.