The applause died down slowly, replaced by the soft hum of conversation as the auction moved on. Yet Javier could feel it—the shift in the air. People were no longer looking at him with disdainful amusement. Many now watched with narrowed eyes, reevaluating him. A few whispered to their neighbors, trying to piece together how someone from a “fallen” family had just outbid Arthur Hales, heir to one of the wealthiest dynasties in the city.Arthur, meanwhile, sat frozen.His expression was an ugly mix of rage and disbelief. The kind of rage born not from financial loss, but from humiliation—public humiliation.Javier didn’t spare him another glance.He had no reason to. Arthur wasn’t the real enemy.He was merely a loud, spoiled obstacle.The real threats never mocked him in public. They smiled, shook hands, and plotted in silence.“Congratulations, Mr. Everhart.” A staff member approached with a formal bow. “We will prepare the necessary documents and schedule the initial meeting fol

Javier stopped walking when the cool night air hit him. The harsh fluorescent lights of the VIP hallway spilled across the marble floor, but even they failed to wash away the sting of humiliation burning behind his ribs. The mocking laughter he had heard earlier—the businessmen whispering, the snickers hidden behind raised glasses—still rang in his ears like a cruel echo.His jaw clenched.He had been mocked all his life, but tonight… tonight it dug deeper.Because Seraphina had seen it. Because Arthur Hales had orchestrated it. Because Elise had witnessed it with horror in her eyes.Javier forced a slow breath, trying to steady himself. He wasn’t a boy anymore. He wasn’t powerless. He had promised himself he wouldn’t fall apart.But the weight pressing against his chest didn’t feel like defeat—it felt like pressure building into something sharp.“Sir?”Elise’s voice came from behind him—soft, hesitant, and trembling in the way only someone who cared too much would sound. Javier did

The following morning, the city moved with its usual rhythm—cars humming, people rushing, the world unaware of the storm quietly forming behind the polished glass of the Everhart Penthouse.Javier woke before sunrise.He never needed an alarm. Discipline had molded him into a man who rose before the world, a habit that once came from necessity but had since become his weapon.He dressed in a simple black shirt, tailored trousers, and a long coat—flawless, understated, and deliberately unremarkable. Most people would assume he was any other mid-level employee, or perhaps a man clinging to the last remnants of old family wealth.He preferred it that way.At seven sharp, he stepped into the private elevator. Elise wa