Chapter 1:The Auction Encounter

The call came just as Jade was about to walk out the door.

“Please,” Rob slurred on the other end, desperation thick in his voice. “I messed up. I need you.”

Jade froze mid-step, the phone trembling against her cheek.Her heart thundered beneath the silk of her dress. Outside her bedroom door, the air buzzed with excitement. Her family was nearly ready. She was already running late for the most exclusive charity auction in the city—the one Scarlett had manipulated her “connected” friends into securing invitations for—was finally here.

It was supposed to be Jade’s night too. A chance to be seen. To feel like she belonged. She’d even saved up for weeks to bid on something small. A gift for Rob. For their anniversary.

Now her mascara stung at the edges of her eyes.

“I’ll be there,” she whispered.

She didn’t know then that she was walking into a trap.

—

The moment Jade stepped into Rob’s penthouse, the air hit her like a slap—stale whiskey, sweat, and something sour underneath. The door had been ajar.

“Rob?” she called softly, her voice echoing against marble and silence.

Her heels clicked down the hallway.

The lights were low like the kind that made you feel watched.

He was sprawled on the couch like a fallen king. Shirt open. Zipper halfway down. Whiskey glass limp between his fingers.

“Babe,” he slurred, blinking slowly. “Thought you weren’t coming.”

“You begged me to,” she said, trying not to choke on the smell. “You called me, Rob. Said it was urgent.”

“Mmm,” he mumbled, patting the couch like she was a damn stray.

Jade took one look at the wreck of a man who was her boyfriend and turned toward the kitchen. Coffee.

He needs to sober up before I say everything I came to say.

She poured coffee, the scent rich and bitter, grounding her.

Just as she turned with the mug, the bathroom door clicked open.

And out stepped Scarlett.

“Really, Jade? Barging into places you weren’t invited to again?”

She was wearing nothing but a towel. Damp. Hair dripping. Water trailing down her thigh like a damn movie scene.

The mug nearly slipped from her fingers.

Jade’s chest caved inward.

“Of course…the rumors were true,” she whispered. “Tell me this isn’t what it looks like.”

Scarlett leaned against the doorframe, smirking like a cat with cream. “Oh, honey. It’s exactly what it looks like.”

Jade’s fingers clenched around the mug until the ceramic seared her skin.

“Six months,” she whispered. Her voice cracked, brittle. “Rob and I have been together for six months.”

Scarlett didn’t even blink.

“And I’ve been screwing him for six and a half,” she purred, stretching the words like silk. “Give or take a few quickies on the couch.”

Jade’s breath hitched.

Scarlett clicked her tongue in mock disappointment, shaking her dripping hair. “At one point, I thought I loved him. But please. I’ve outgrown that phase.”

She leaned in, lips curling into something feral. “I like men with multiple zeroes in their bank accounts. And let’s just say Rob’s credit card doesn’t get me wet anymore.”

Jade stared, hollowed out. “You’re my sister.”

Scarlett smirked like the word offended her.

“I’m the miracle child,” she corrected. “The one Mom and Dad prayed for. Cried over. The golden girl who finally happened.”

She paused—long enough for the knife to twist.

“You? You were just the leftover wish. The extra heartbeat that came five years too late.”

Jade had heard those words before—between whispered arguments, in her parents’ exhausted sighs, inside photo albums where she barely existed.

After ten years of trying, Scarlett’s birth was a miracle. A shock. A blessing.

Holy, their mother always said.

Scarlett was special. Chosen.

And Jade? Just… the extra.

But not like this….

Not weaponized with a smile.

Rob stumbled in, shirt hanging open. “Jade, I didn’t know she was still here—”

“You disgust me,” she hissed, and flung the coffee to the floor, scalding drops splashing his feet. “You both do.”

“I saved myself for you,” she said, voice cracking. “And you couldn’t even keep your pants zipped.”

“Every man slips,” he muttered. “You wouldn’t even let me touch you or see you naked.What was I supposed to do?”

“Be faithful,” she snapped. “Respect me.”

“You’re a virgin,” Rob said, shrugging like it was nothing. “Who waits forever?”

He leaned back, too calm, like he was the one who’d been wronged.

“You don’t get it yet, Jade. You’re too blind to see it, but I was faithful. I did respect you.”

He looked her dead in the eye.

“I only hid it to protect you. Because when I said I wanted to marry you, I meant it. I still mean it. That promise ring sealed everything.”

Scarlett laughed wickedly.

“You should’ve seen his face when I asked if he’d ever had you.”

She leaned in, eyes glinting.

“He said—and I quote—‘She’s holy, but I’m hungry.’”

Jade didn’t even blink.

She just tore the promise ring off her finger, her hands shaking.

It flew across the room, landing against Rob’s chest with a hollow, metallic thunk.

“Keep it,” she spat. “Fits better in your cesspool.”

But Scarlett wasn’t finished. Not even close.

“Oh, please,” she rolled her eyes. “Why the dramatics? We were just friends with benefits. No strings. No feelings.”

Then she smirked.

“If it makes you feel better, I ended the ride last week. But hey—anniversaries make things hotter, don’t they?”

Jade’s hands curled into fists, her heart pounding with fury.

But somewhere—deep beneath the rage—there was still that last, foolish flicker of respect…for her elder sister.Because once she snapped—There’d be no coming back.

She stepped closer, her towel shifting dangerously. “Oh, and by the way? You’re banned from the auction tonight. I made some calls.”

Jade blinked. “You what?”

Scarlett’s whisper was venom. “You’re not welcome. Your name is scrubbed. I mean—You can’t even keep a man, Jade. And guess what, baby sis? Kain Wolf is the star package tonight. The city’s most eligible billionaire. I plan to win him. So do yourself a favor—Stay home. Watch it all online like the sad little fan girl you are …in your knockoffs.”

Jade’s jaw locked. “You’re a greedy, climbing parasite.”

“And you,” Scarlett said with a yawn, “can go cry into your clearance dress and last season’s heels. Maybe Rob will hold you. He’s free again”

Jade stepped back. Her voice was steel. “You’ll regret this.”

Scarlett just smiled. “Doubtful. But it’ll be fun watching you try.”

—

Jade arrived at the venue alone.

The guards didn’t even let her finish speaking.

“You’re not on the list.”

“But I was invited. My name’s Jade Miller—”

“Still not on the list.”

When one of them reached for her arm, shame coiled in her chest. Her voice cracked.

“I just want to sit. Just… a seat at the back.”

“Wait!” A refined voice cut the tension.

Jade turned.

Evelyn Hartley. Powerful. Poised. Silent partner of the venue.

“I know this girl,” she said firmly. “She saved me once—from buying a counterfeit Monet painting.”

“What are you doing here dear?.”

Jade blinked. “I just… wanted to sit in. Just a spot at the corner—”

“Nonsense,” Evelyn said, looping arms with her. “You’re with me.”

—

Inside, everything shimmered. Chandeliers. Gowns. Laughter like crystal breaking.

Scarlett preened, draped in a sequin gown , flitting from group to group. Her laughter too sharp. Her cleavage too obvious. All aimed at one man.

Kain Wolf.

Until…

The emcee tapped the mic. “Ladies and gentlemen. We have a surprise addition to tonight’s auction—a rare piece known as The Heirloom Flame. A vintage diamond bracelet appraised at over one million dollars, anonymously donated…”

Whispers flew. Gasps. Phones came out.

The donor’s name? Privately revealed to the hosts: Jade Miller.

Scarlett choked on her champagne.

Jade was stunned.

Security whispered into their earpieces: “Ms. Miller gets anything she wants.”

Scarlett’s smugness twisted into horror.

“What is she doing here?” she hissed.

Across the ballroom, Kain Wolf’s gaze locked onto Jade like a heat-seeking missile.

“She’s the one,” his assistant whispered behind him. “The donor.”

He didn’t blink.

He moved

Measured. Commanding. Lethal.

The crowd split for him like silk under a blade, hushed gasps echoing with each step. And when he reached her—

“You,” he said, voice low, smooth. “You’re the one who donated the bracelet?”

Jade’s heart stuttered. Her breath fought to stay even. But her chin lifted. “Is that a problem?”

His smile wasn’t soft. It was devastating. “No. It’s the first real thing I’ve seen all night.”

Across the room, Scarlett’s expression shattered.

And then—Kain extended his hand.

A single, precise gesture.

Fingertips brushed hers. Warm. Certain. Claiming.

And the contact?

Lit her nerves like fuse to flame.

Her skin buzzed. Her lungs forgot how to breathe. His touch wasn’t gentle—it was exact. As if he already knew every part of her story.

As if he’d been waiting for her.

He was older—early forties—but built like control had a body. Tailored suit, jaw like carved stone, and eyes that didn’t just see you—

They undressed the walls you hid behind.

Kain Wolf didn’t look at her.

He read her.

He chose her.

Not with noise. Not with pity.

But with that single, undeniable touch as Kain walked her to her seat.

And in that moment—Jade smiled.

A small, dangerous thing.

Passing by ,she leaned in, her voice low enough for only Scarlett to hear, who stood frozen, color drained, pride collapsing.

“You’re not ready for me,” Jade said.

But Kain?

Oh dear, he already was.