Chapter 4

The auction began. As I watched the orderly proceedings, I gave a slight nod to myself. This would be the last auction I oversaw in the country. I wanted it to end perfectly. The next second, Julia's excited voice rang out. She had been raising her paddle from the very first item. She practically bid on everything in the entire room. Many people seemed unhappy about that. My heart sank. Everyone present was basically a partner of Sullivan Group, and auctions were usually about give-and-take. But today, Julia was taking everything for herself just to show off. She wasn't after the items themselves. She only wanted to flaunt. Sure enough, when no one competed with her anymore, Julia cast me a provocative glance. I frowned deeply. Starting with the next item, I began competing with her again and again. What was originally worth one million soared to five million, even ten million! Meanwhile, Ethan gazed at her indulgently, feeding her fruit from time to time. A housekeeper's daughter like Julia could never afford such sums. Who was backing her up in this auction went without saying. My expression darkened. The next second, I was ready to go all out against her. After knowing me for over ten years, Xander and the others instantly understood what I was about to do. They quickly pressed my hand down, and Kyle even covered my mouth to stop me from speaking. In the end, Julia smugly won the item. She threw me another taunting look before nestling into Ethan's arms. Ethan paid no attention to my humiliation, gently stroking Julia's hair instead. The people around exchanged glances and began whispering. "Isn't Ethan one of Penny's fiances? He's always been treating her well, so why did he bring another woman today? Who is that beside him?" "Ms. Sullivan really… She can't even manage her own fiance. Just now, I saw the other three holding her back from competing with that woman. One of them even covered her mouth." I clenched my fists and broke free from Xander and the others. Then, I turned to leave. They kept following me, apologizing and saying they hadn't meant it. They had only done that to me because they pitied Julia for being too sheltered and inexperienced. Before I even reached the door, the smug Julia blocked my way. But the moment she saw Xander behind me, that timid, pitiful look reappeared on her face. I dug my nails into my palm at that sight. "Ms. Sullivan, I didn't mean to do that. Ethan told me to bid on whatever I liked. I don't know much, but I bid on everything because I liked all of them. Ms. Sullivan, I've prepared a gift for you. Will you forgive me?" Julia asked. As she spoke, she held out a cheap necklace toward me. I recognized it immediately. It was the complimentary gift Sullivan Group had prepared for every guest attending. Though finely crafted, it couldn't hide the fact that it was just a giveaway. Among the items Julia had just won, many were necklaces. She could have easily offered me one of those, but she wanted to humiliate me. When I realized that, I slapped her hand away without hesitation. Her eyes instantly filled with tears. "Penny! What on earth are you doing? Julia was kind enough to give you a necklace, and you treat her like this!" Ethan shouted at me the next second. Julia clutched the necklace, tears streaming down her face. "It's not Ms. Sullivan's fault, but mine. I shouldn't have competed with her just now." With that, she suddenly dropped to her knees. "I'll apologize right now. Ms. Sullivan, please forgive me. Don't go after my mom, okay?" As soon as she finished, she slammed her head hard against the floor. Blood instantly flowed from her forehead. "Julia!" The distressed Ethan quickly helped her up, then turned and shot me a cold glare. "Penny, it seems the last lesson wasn't enough for you. This necklace is Julia's gift to you. Whether you want to wear it or not, you'll wear it!" His gaze was sharp as he waved at the bodyguards behind him. Then, they dashed toward me in an instant. I was forced to the ground. Though I struggled with all my might, they still clasped the necklace around my neck. The sharp edges cut into my skin, leaving blood streaking down my neck. Yet, Ethan didn't even spare me a glance. "Julia slammed her head against the floor several times. You'll do it tenfold!" he said coldly. I lifted my head in shock, yelling furiously, "Don't you dare!" Ethan only sneered, and at his command, the bodyguards pressed me down. I fought desperately, only to be slapped hard across the face. With my cheek swelling and burning, I glared at Ethan with pure hatred. In that moment, I wished I could tear him and Julia apart on the spot. Ethan faltered when he saw my gaze. For a moment, it seemed he remembered something as he reached toward me with a flicker of agony in his eyes. But the instant Julia started crying in his arms, his gaze turned cold again. They forced me to slam my head against the floor brutally. By the time the bodyguards let go, my head was split open. I collapsed to the floor, completely drained. Ethan carried Julia away, leaving me behind without a glance. Only when they were gone did Xander and the other two rush over from the auction hall. I knew they had been standing nearby all along and watching me suffer. Xander carefully helped me up, and pain filled his eyes. He reached out to touch my wound, but I avoided him instantly. "How could Ethan do this to you? He's gone way too far." Kyle's eyes reddened when he saw my injuries. Henry even tried to lift me into his arms. "Let us take you to the hospital, okay?" I lifted my head, noticing the anxious look in their eyes and how they kept glancing in the direction Julia had left. In an instant, I understood. They just wanted to use helping me as an excuse to check on Julia openly. As I thought of that, I let out a cold laugh and pulled away from their hands. All three of them froze. Then, their gazes softened into lingering affection, just like before. For a moment, I couldn't tell if they truly loved me or if they had been pretending from the very beginning. I pushed my aching body forward, walking straight toward the parking lot without looking back. Xander furrowed his brows tightly, reaching out to grab my hand. "Penny, you're being too willful. How could you not care about your body?" When the other two were about to speak, I stated expressionlessly, "Do whatever you want. My matters have nothing to do with you." They hadn't expected me to be this angry. After exchanging glances, they hurried after me and kept apologizing. I ignored them and got in the car before leaving. Through the rearview mirror, I saw their figures turning away. As expected, they just wanted to go see Julia at the hospital. I let out a long breath, cutting off the last bit of my fantasies. Back home, I simply treated my wounds and went to bed. In my dream were memories of them. But just when things were happiest, they suddenly abandoned me without hesitation, leaving me to call after them in vain. When I woke up, the searing pain in my chest slowly faded. As I looked back on everything with them, I realized I no longer felt anything. Maybe I had already let go. I glanced at their messages on my phone and swiped them away without care. Julia had sent more photos and even voice recordings of them showering her with care and affection. She thought these photos would still hurt me, but I felt nothing. I was going to block Julia, but before I could even touch my phone, a loud crash suddenly came from the door.