Chapter 4

The next few weeks were a blur. My father suggested I throw myself into planning my birthday party, a massive gala that was one of the biggest social events of the year. He said it would be a good distraction. I knew it was more than that. It was the perfect stage.

I became cold and distant, even to Ethan. I focused all my energy on the party. I met with caterers, florists, and designers, my mind a whirlwind of logistics. Anything to keep from thinking about the betrayal.

Ethan was patient. He never pushed, never pried. He would just sit with me in the evenings, sometimes talking about his company, sometimes just in comfortable silence.

"You seem far away," he said one night as we looked out at the city lights from his balcony.

"I'm just busy," I lied.

He looked at me, his gaze steady. "You don't have to go through this alone, Ava."

His kindness was a stark contrast to the years of calculated cruelty I'd endured. It was unnerving.

The night of the party arrived. The ballroom at the Green family estate was glittering. Hundreds of guests mingled, a sea of tuxedos and gowns. The centerpiece of the evening was an auction for charity. The final item was a one-of-a-kind necklace, a cascade of blue diamonds called the "Heart of the Ocean."

I had loved it since I was a little girl. My mother wore it once, before she passed away. It was my father's most prized possession. He'd put it up for auction to raise money for a new children's hospital wing. I wanted it more than anything.

Ethan stood beside me as the bidding began. "I'll get it for you," he whispered, his hand gently resting on the small of my back. His touch was warm and reassuring. The simple promise, spoken with such certainty, made my heart flutter. It was a feeling I hadn't experienced in a long time.

"Thank you, Ethan," I murmured, a genuine smile touching my lips for the first time in weeks.

The bidding started high and climbed quickly. It came down to two people: Ethan, and another bidder on the phone. The price soared past ten million, then twenty.

Just as Ethan was about to place the winning bid, a new voice cut through the room.

"Thirty million."

All heads turned. Liam was standing at the back of the ballroom, his hand raised. Chloe was clinging to his arm, looking pale and beautiful, a picture of fragile innocence.

My stomach clenched. I knew what was coming. This was another one of their games.

Ethan gave me a questioning look. I just shook my head slightly, my jaw tight.

"Thirty million going once," the auctioneer called.

"Thirty-one," Ethan said calmly.

"Thirty-five," Liam countered immediately.

"Thirty-six," Ethan replied, his voice still even.

Liam smirked. "Fifty million."

A collective gasp went through the room. The air crackled with tension. All eyes were on our small group. They were watching a rivalry play out, the rich boys fighting over a toy for the spoiled heiress. The whispers started, hushed and excited. They saw it as romantic drama. I saw it as a public execution.

My face burned with humiliation. Liam wasn't bidding for me. He was bidding for Chloe. He was going to buy my mother's necklace and give it to her, right in front of me, in front of everyone. He was showing me, and the world, who he truly chose.

The final hammer fell. "Sold! For fifty million dollars to Mr. Liam Hayes!"

The room erupted in polite applause. I stood frozen, my hands clenched into fists at my sides.