Chapter 6

It wasn't long before the auction officially began, but the moment the first item appeared, Megan's vision went black, and she nearly fainted. The first item up for auction was a nude photo of her. Caspian had promised the photos were deleted. He had lied to her again. The room erupted. Dozens of eyes locked onto Megan, full of contempt, ridicule, and cruel delight, pressing down on her like a suffocating weight. "Private intimate photo. Starting bid: one million dollars." Before the auctioneer even finished, someone raised their paddle. "Two million dollars" "Three million. A secret photo of the Stone family's daughter-in-law? Now that's a collector's item. I'm hanging it by my bed." "Eight million. Don't bother trying to outbid me." As the price climbed higher and higher, Megan bit her lip until she tasted blood. She looked at Caspian with desperation in her eyes. "Caspian, please," she pleaded. "Help me, I'm begging you." Under the lights, Caspian's gaze was cold and sharp. He pulled her into his arms with a look she couldn't read. "Meg, I didn't bring my black card, and I don't have enough on me to compete. But don't worry—whoever gets it, I'll buy it back tomorrow for double." Megan felt her heart hollow out. Her face drained of color as the last bit of light faded from her eyes. She gave up. In the end, the photo sold for ten million dollars. Arianna smirked, and when the second item came up, she lifted her paddle without hesitation. "I'll take it." Gasps filled the hall. A staff member approached respectfully and took the black card from Arianna's hand. "Thank you, Ms. Maxwell. This item is yours." Megan caught a glimpse of the black card out of the corner of her eye, and her chest tightened so painfully she almost laughed. It was Caspian's card—the very one she had marked with a tiny red heart. And in that moment, it hit her. She had never truly mattered to him. He could be ruthless, yet strangely sentimental. He didn't hesitate to humiliate her by auctioning off her photo, all just to make Arianna smile. For the next hour, Arianna got everything she wanted, and all the while, Caspian would glance at her with a gentle, doting expression. During the interval, Megan quickly found an excuse to step out. Just as she reached the hallway, Arianna yanked her into the lounge. Triumph lit up Arianna's face. "Pathetic," she spat. "So what if you smashed the tiara? Caspian still gave me his black card just to make me happy. And you? He wouldn't even help you get your nude photo." Megan ignored her and headed for the door with a blank expression, but Arianna shoved her hard from behind, causing her to hit the floor with a painful thud. Arianna stepped on the back of Megan's hand, grinding it under her heel. Megan's face twisted in pain. "Bitch!" Arianna spat venomously, glaring at her. "I've hated you from the start. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been kicked out of the White family or had my engagement with the Stone family called off." She let out a cruel laugh and continued, "Dumping you into the ocean, having you whipped, and auctioning off your nude photo were barely the beginning. One day, I'm going to throw you out of the Stone family and destroy you completely." At that moment, the sound of Caspian's footsteps echoed outside. Arianna's eyes gleamed with a calculating look. She grabbed a fruit knife on the table and stabbed herself. Her piercing scream tore through the air, drawing everyone's attention. Megan froze as she looked at Arianna sprawled in a pool of blood, staring back at her with a cold, triumphant smile that sent a deep chill through her. Caspian rushed into the lounge. His face twisted with fury as he took in the scene. He trembled when he pulled Arianna into his arms, then turned a chilling gaze on Megan. "Megan White!" "If I said it wasn't me, would you believe me?" Megan asked softly. Caspian shut his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them again, all warmth was gone. "Meg, I've covered for you more times than I can count, but you hold onto grudges too tightly. This time, I can't help you. I have to answer to Cedric. You stabbed Ari once, so you'll pay five times over. I'll have the bodyguards do it. You don't have a problem with that, do you?" For a moment, Megan's heart simply stopped. Then a crushing pain swept through her, like her entire body had been run over and left hollow. She staggered to her feet and grabbed a knife. "I don't need anyone else. I'll do it myself." With both hands on the knife, she drove it hard into her abdomen. Blood spread across her clothes like red blooms on snow. Her pale, delicate face stayed eerily calm. She pulled the knife out and stabbed herself again and again. Five times in total. Then she let the knife drop to the floor and met Caspian's eyes calmly. "Is that enough?" Caspian stared at Megan, now covered in blood, and felt his chest tighten. It was as if vines were coiling around his heart, making every breath a struggle. He couldn't make sense of his own feelings. She had been vicious, repeatedly hurting Arianna. And yet, seeing her drenched in blood filled him with an unexpected, aching sorrow. "Take her to the hospital too," he ordered the bodyguards, then turned and carried Arianna toward the ambulance. Arianna's eyes widened in disbelief, yet the gaze she leveled at Megan burned with even more hatred. Megan didn't see it. Her vision blurred, and her legs gave out. Darkness closed in, and she slipped into unconsciousness.