"One million dollars!"The words dropped like a thunderclap in the room. Gasps erupted."Did I just hear that right?""One fucking million dollars!"" Jason is doomed. He can never match that amount of money."" Do you think Derek was joking when he said he was going to bury him?"Phones slipped from hands. Mouths hung open like broken hinges. Even the auctioneer's ever-confident grin faltered for a second.I froze.Everything inside me shattered. My heartbeat surged in my ears like a roaring wave, drowning out the murmurs and laughter that erupted again. One million dollars?Derek stood tall, the microphone casually resting in his hand like a weapon, his other hand tucked into the pocket of his silk designer suit.His smug smirk was the sharpest thing in the room. “Oh, I’m sorry,” he added with mock pity, “Was that too much? You can still back out, Jason. No one will judge… well, maybe just a little.”Laughter. A brutal storm of it.I didn’t move.I couldn’t.I felt like a deer caugh