Chapter 2

Ava's fingers curled into fists.

"Mr. Smith," she said, her voice dangerously low.

"Signal our initial team. Subtle extraction. Get Chloe out."

"Immediately, Ms. Kingman," he murmured, already tapping into his secure device.

Ava focused on Chloe, trying to project strength, reassurance, anything to cut through her sister's terror.

The crowd was getting uglier, shouting out names, figures.

Chad and Krystal lapped it up, their faces alight with malicious glee.

They were destroying Chloe piece by piece, and reveling in it.

The air crackled with a perverse energy, the thrill of the powerful preying on the vulnerable.

Ava saw the exact moment Chloe's eyes found hers across the room.

A flicker of hope, quickly doused by a fresh wave of despair as the reality of her situation pressed in.

Ava gave a small, almost imperceptible nod. *I'm here. Hold on.*

But subtlety was rapidly becoming a luxury she couldn't afford.

The situation was spiraling.

Krystal leaned into the microphone, her voice dripping venom.

"And to ensure absolute fairness in our little game," she announced, a cruel smile playing on her lips, "we'll be taking a DNA sample from our reluctant star right now!"