Chapter 6

The moment Lillian finished speaking, James pulled her aside.

"Lillian, what the hell are you doing? You said this was just going to be a ceremony!"

Lillian shrugged, completely unbothered. "James, I'm just scaring Aurora a little. Didn't she say she wanted to divorce you?"

"I already arranged everything with a friend. He's going to pretend to buy her, and then we'll bring her back."

"That way, she'll never dare bring up divorce again."

James's grip slowly loosened. If Lillian said she'd arranged everything, then it should be fine.

He pushed down the strange unease gnawing at him.

'Scaring her a bit isn't a bad idea. It'll stop her from trying to leave me.'

'I'm keeping Aurora by my side for the rest of her life.'

He let go of Lillian and warned her not to let anything go wrong.

A flash of malice flickered in Lillian's eyes, but she forced a smile and assured him everything was under control.

Lillian returned to the stage and continued her introduction.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Aurora is a rare beauty—and extremely obedient."

She pulled open the front of my dress, exposing the tattoo on my collarbone.

"Whoever wins the bid owns her. Don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

I clutched the bars of the cage, too weak to speak. All I could do was shake my head desperately, tears streaming down my face as I looked at James.

James turned his head away, avoiding my gaze. He said nothing.

My heart turned to ash. I gave up.

If James hated me this much, it didn't matter where I ended up.

As long as I didn't have to see him and Lillian together, anywhere would do.

"Five dollars!"

"I'll bid ten!"

The crowd laughed and threw out bids like it was a game.

Lillian watched my humiliation with twisted satisfaction.

'This is how it should be. Why does Aurora get to be James's wife while I'm stuck being his foster sister?'

'Finally, I'm going to win.'

"Two hundred million."

A calm voice cut through the noise. Everyone turned to stare at the man who'd spoken.

A moment later, someone recognized him and gasped.

"Isn't that the youngest son the Smith family just found a few days ago?"

"That's him! The Smiths searched for him for over a decade. When they brought him home, they announced it to every media outlet."

"Right, right! Mr. Smith even updated his will. That guy's the sole heir to the Smith fortune."

At that moment, over a dozen media crews flooded into the venue, cameras flashing.

All the color drained from James's face. He stormed onto the stage and grabbed Lillian by the shoulders.

"You said you had everything arranged! What the hell is going on?"

"Where did all these reporters come from? You said this was a private ceremony! Who leaked it?!"

Lillian had no idea what was happening. She'd invited the media herself, but she had no clue where Louis had come from.

She stammered in panic. "James, I don't know anything—"

"I did arrange it! Someone was supposed to buy Aurora for a hundred dollars at the end. I have no idea where this man came from!"

Seeing the fury in James's eyes, Lillian finally realized the gravity of the situation. She burst into tears.

"James, I'm sorry—I didn't mean for this to happen—"

Louis had already risen gracefully from his seat. He gestured to the bodyguards waiting by the door to retrieve me and bring me back to the Smith estate.

James shoved Lillian aside, not caring that she collapsed onto the floor. He stepped in front of the cage, blocking Louis's path.

"Mr. Smith, this is my wife. Where do you think you're taking her?"

Louis glanced at James in his groom's attire, his voice dripping with mockery.

"Your wife?" He smirked. "I'm sorry, but I just bought her for two hundred million dollars. She's mine now."