Chapter 2

The auction block. It was a nightmare that had haunted my sleep for three years, a vivid replay of the night my life shattered. It began with Brenda, always Brenda, her sweet, innocent façade hiding a viper' s cunning. She played the victim, weaving a tale of my reckless drug use and scandalous behavior. Chandler, my fiancé, my guardian, swallowed every lie. He believed her. He always did.

He didn' t believe me when I swore I was innocent, when I pleaded with him to see through her charade. He just looked at me with those cold, judgmental eyes, a stranger in the face of the man I loved.

That night, my twenty-first birthday, was supposed to be our engagement party. Instead, it became my public execution. He led me to the auction block, my body reeling from the drugs Brenda had slipped into my champagne. I saw Brenda then, nestled against Chandler' s side, a smug smile on her face. Her eyes, triumphant and cruel, met mine. She had won. She had stolen everything.

The room was a blur of leering faces, a sea of greedy eyes undressing me. My skin crawled. The auctioneer' s voice boomed, chilling me to the bone. "Her first night, gentlemen! Who will be the lucky bidder?"

My heart hammered against my ribs, a trapped bird desperate for escape. I met Chandler' s gaze, a silent plea in my eyes. Please. Help me.

He just stared back, his expression cold, devoid of emotion. "You brought this upon yourself, Charlotte," he mouthed. "This is your punishment."

The bids soared. My dignity, my innocence, my very being, stripped away, commodified, sold to the highest bidder. The shame was a physical weight, crushing me, suffocating me. I screamed, a raw, primal sound that was drowned out by the roar of the crowd.

When it was over, when the last bid was placed, something inside me broke. A fire ignited, not one of passion, but of cold, destructive rage. I saw the faces of my tormentors, their triumphant sneers, and I snapped. I grabbed a torch, fueled by alcohol and fury, and set the place ablaze. I wanted them to burn. I wanted to burn everything that had touched me, that had soiled me.

The sirens wailed, a terrifying symphony of judgment. The police arrested me, accusing me of arson and attempted murder. Chandler, ever the dutiful guardian, testified against me. He swore I' d tried to kill Brenda, to burn her alive. The media feasted on the scandal, painting me as a deranged heiress, a danger to society.

I was sentenced to three years in prison. Three years in a concrete cage, where I learned to fight, to survive, to become as hard and unyielding as the walls that confined me. My only lifeline, my only hope, was the brownstone. My parents' home. I swore I would get it back. It was the last piece of them I had left.

Upon my release, I found myself in the grimy, unforgiving world of underground MMA. It was a brutal existence, a constant fight for survival. Every punch, every kick, every drop of blood was for the brownstone. I needed the money. I needed to buy it back before it was lost forever.

Now, lying in a hospital bed, my body aching, my mind a whirlwind of pain and betrayal, the first words out of my mouth were for the money. "Is the payout secured? Is it enough?"

The fight manager, a burly man with kind eyes, shifted uncomfortably. He looked away, his silence a punch to the gut. My heart sank. It wasn't enough. It was never enough.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. I was a fool. A naive, desperate fool. I would just have to fight again. Harder. Faster. More brutally.

"Get me out of here," I said, trying to push myself up. "I have to fight again. I have to earn-"

"Charlotte, stop." The manager' s voice was gentle, but firm. "You can't fight anymore. You're... you're banned."

My brain struggled to process the words. "Banned? What are you talking about?"

He sighed, running a hand through his thinning hair. "Chandler Cox. He made some calls. Said if anyone lets you fight, they'll lose everything. Your name is poison now, kid. No one will touch you."

My world spun. Chandler. It was always Chandler. He wasn' t just trying to shame me; he was trying to break me. To bury me alive.

The manager placed a thick wad of cash on the bedside table. "This is from Mr. Cox. For your... medical expenses." He didn't meet my eyes. He turned and walked away, leaving me alone in the silent, sterile room.

The air felt thick, suffocating. My throat burned. Every hope I had clung to, every dream of reclaiming my past, shattered into a million pieces. The brownstone. It was gone.

I stumbled out of the hospital, the crisp night air biting at my exposed skin. Rain lashed down, cold and relentless, mirroring the storm raging inside me. I walked aimlessly, the city lights blurring through my tears, until I found myself standing in front of it.

The brownstone. My home. A beacon of warmth and love in a world of cold cruelty.

Then, the flashing lights. The throng of reporters. Chandler, standing tall and imposing, a predatory smirk on his face. And beside him, Brenda, radiant in white, her arm linked through his.

"I am pleased to announce," Chandler' s voice boomed, amplified by the microphones, "that the historic Graves family brownstone has been officially transferred to the Brenda Richardson Philanthropic Foundation. Brenda, my fiancée, is the rightful owner of this legacy. She, not Charlotte, is the true daughter of this family."

The words sliced through me, each one a fresh stab to the heart. My legacy. My name. My home. All stolen. All twisted into a grotesque mockery. My vision swam. I clutched at my chest, a gasping sob tearing through me. The world went black.

As I fell, my hand instinctively reached for my phone. A name flashed before my eyes, a forgotten friend, a distant memory of kindness. Brien Ross.

"Brien," I whispered, the word a desperate plea, "take me away. Please. Anywhere but here."