Brooke twisted her diamond tennis bracelet for the sixth time in ten minutes.Her eyes kept darting sideways across the table toward Carina's emerald gown catching every single chandelier light in the room. Two men at the next table were openly staring at Carina with captivated admiration.A waiter had already brought Carina a complimentary glass of champagne that she never ordered. Even the photographer circling the ballroom had stopped twice to capture her from different angles.I spent three hours getting ready tonight. Brooke's manicured nails dug into her own palm beneath the tablecloth.I am wearing over two hundred thousand dollars in jewelry. My hair was done by the most expensive stylist in the city. And every single pair of eyes in this room keeps drifting toward her like I do not even exist.The burning jealousy churned in Brooke's stomach like acid. It was the exact same feeling she had swallowed every single day in college when Carina walked into a room and effortlessly s

Greg gripped his paddle with white knuckles and forced his voice to stay steady. The masked stranger had just thrown two hundred thousand dollars into the ring like it was pocket change. The entire ballroom was watching. Greg could not afford to back down now."Two hundred and twenty thousand." Greg raised his paddle with strained aggressive determination."Two hundred and fifty thousand." The masked man's flat voice landed before Greg's arm had even fully lowered back to his side.Greg's left eye twitched violently. He turned to Brooke who was still clutching the velvet display case near the stage with desperate white knuckled hands. She nodded at him frantically with wild panicked eyes."Two hundred and seventy thousand." Greg's voice cracked slightly on the last word."Three hundred thousand." The masked stranger did not pause for even half a second. His cold calm voice crushed Greg's bid like a boot stepping on a dry twig.A collective gasp swept through the massive ballroom. Gues

Carina stood in the warm golden spotlight with the velvet box resting gently in her hands. The platinum and sapphire bracelet sparkled through the gap in the lid, catching every chandelier light in the massive ballroom. Hundreds of admiring eyes were fixed on her. Women whispered with open jealousy. Men stared with undisguised captivated admiration. The applause had faded but the electricity in the room still buzzed around her like a living thing.So this is what it feels like to stand at the top. Carina's heart beat fast against her ribs. After months of bleeding money and kneeling in the rain and eating alone in my dark office, I finally understand why people chase this feeling. It is absolutely intoxicating.A small ache tugged at the center of her chest. Part of her desperately wished it was Darius behind that black mask. If it were him, she could accept the glory without a single shred of guilt. But the masked stranger was just that. A stranger. She closed the velvet box softly a

Vivian stepped back to the golden microphone with a radiant electric smile that silenced the entire ballroom instantly. Two uniformed attendants carried a glass display case onto the stage with almost ceremonial reverence. Inside the case, resting on a bed of black velvet, sat a pair of stunning Italian stilettos that caught every chandelier light and scattered it across the room like captured starfire."Ladies and gentlemen, prepare yourselves for something truly extraordinary tonight." Vivian placed her hand gently on the glass case with visible awe. "These are from the legendary Empress Collection, handcrafted by the most exclusive designer house in all of Italy. Only twelve pairs exist in the entire world. Seven are held in private royal collections. Two belong to heads of state. Tonight, one pair sits on this stage waiting for its queen."The ballroom murmured with electric anticipation. Women across the room straightened in their chairs with wide hungry eyes."These shoes are no

Vivian tapped the golden microphone with bright electric energy as the bidding for the Empress Collection stilettos officially opened at five hundred thousand dollars."Five hundred thousand to start!" Vivian scanned the massive ballroom with eager sparkling eyes. "Who will claim these legendary shoes tonight?"Greg raised his paddle instantly with aggressive determined force. His jaw was set like concrete. He had lost the sapphire bracelet to the masked stranger earlier and the humiliation still burned like acid in his chest. He was not losing again tonight."Five hundred thousand." Greg's voice boomed across the hall with commanding authority."Five hundred and twenty thousand." A young man three tables away raised his paddle with nervous excited energy. He wore a slim fitted navy suit and a smartwatch that probably cost more than most people's cars. His name was Tyler, a twenty eight year old tech executive whose startup had just received massive investor funding. His high maintena