Chapter 3

Sarah's POV

My phone buzzed against the nightstand, shattering the quiet peace of the bedroom. It was a message from Mike. Attached was a link to a private live stream and a single line of text.

“Boss, you’re going to want to watch this.”

I tapped the link. The screen instantly filled with the beautiful lights of the city’s most elite charity auction. The camera, likely held by one of Mike’s hired informants, was focused perfectly on the front row VIP tables.

There he was. John sat in the center, holding a glass of expensive bourbon, looking like the perfect, untouchable billionaire CEO.

Beside him sat Lily. She was clad in a designer gown he had purchased for her just hours. Diamonds sparkled at her throat and wrists, catching the flash of the press cameras.

She was surrounded by a small group of wealthy women, sipping champagne and giggling. Because the streamer was seated directly at the next table, the microphone picked up their voices loud and clear.

"Is it true Sarah misbehaved today?" one of the women asked, leaning in close, her eyes glowing with the thrill of gossip. "I heard she practically threw a tantrum."

Lily rolled her eyes, scoffing as she took a sip of her champagne. "Oh, please. She’s completely unhinged. She’s just a maid that clings to my brother because she has absolutely nothing else in her pathetic life. John only keeps her around out of pity."

She paused, her arrogant smirk stretching into a wide smile. "But tonight, he promised to buy me the star of the auction to make up for her crazy behavior. He said I deserve the best."

I watched the screen, my expression flat, my heartbeat perfectly steady.

Awww, such a pity you won't be getting that, Lily.

I leaned back against the bed, gently stroking Jessica’s hair as she slept beside me.

Let them worship their diamonds and their status.

Oh, I'll also take that from them.

But in exactly twenty nine days, a billion dollars in cash wouldn't buy a single loaf of bread, and a diamond necklace wouldn't spark a fire to keep them from freezing to death.

On the stage, the auctioneer stepped up to the podium and unveiled the final item of the night. A rare diamond necklace rested on a black box. The crowd murmured in awe.

"The bidding for the Tear of the Ocean will begin at one million dollars," the auctioneer announced, his voice echoing through the hall.

"Three million!" Lily called out immediately, not even waiting for anyone else. She raised her banner proudly, lifting her chin as she turned back to her group of friends with a bright smile. "It's gorgeous, isn't it? John insists it matches my eyes."

Before the auctioneer could even acknowledge her bid, John’s cell phone, resting on the white tablecloth, suddenly lit up.

Through the screen, I watched his composed, arrogant expression completely shatter. He picked up the phone, staring at the screen. His hand began to tremble, the bourbon splashing over the side of his glass onto the table.

It was the freeze notice from the bank, followed immediately by urgent alerts from his legal team. The capital chain had officially broken. Without my hidden funds holding his fragile empire together, he was utterly bankrupt.

An auction attendant approached their table with a silver platter holding a payment machine to verify the initial deposit required for the VIP bidders.

John, sweating profusely, shoved his phone into his pocket and quickly swiped his black card, desperately trying to maintain his composure.

Beep. Declined.

John’s jaw clenched. He pulled out another card from his wallet, his fingers slipping on the plastic. He swiped it again.

Beep. Declined.

"Sir," the attendant said. He wasn't loud, but in the tense silence of the VIP section, his voice could be heard perfectly. "Your accounts have been frozen due to insufficient funds and pending legal action. I'm afraid I must ask you to surrender your bidding paddle."

Lily's smug smile vanished instantly and the women at her table leaned away from her as if she were suddenly contagious, exchanging mocking glances.

"Wait, declined?" one of the women laughed loudly, covering her mouth, though she made no effort to hide her amusement. "I thought you were rolling in cash, Lily? Why come to a luxury auction and bid three million dollars if you're entirely broke? What a shame?!”

"John, what’s going on? What is the meaning of this?" Lily demanded, her voice heavy with panic. She shook his arm anxiously, her face reddening with humiliation as the whispers in the hall grew louder.

"Pay them! Tell them it's a mistake! They're laughing at us!"

"Shut up!" John hissed, his gentlemanly facade entirely gone. He grabbed her arm with force, digging his fingers into her skin, and dragged her out of her chair.

Through the pointing fingers, the mocking laughter, and the flashing cameras of the city's elite, the two of them fled the hall like pigs.

I locked my phone and a deeply satisfying smile crossed my lips.

My tablet chimed immediately after. It was a direct line to Mike.

"Boss," Mike said the words slowly , but I could feel the excitement in it. "He just called his executive assistant from the parking lot. He was screaming so loud I could hear the audio distortion. He was demanding to know where the operating capital went. When the assistant finally got him to understand that his biggest investor pulled out and triggered the debt, he nearly had a heart attack on the spot."

"Good," I said smoothly, stepping out of the bed and walking toward my closet. "Let him panic. Let him realize he is nothing without me. But we don't have time to celebrate, Mike. The clock is ticking."

Twenty nine days until the apocalypse.

I walked past the rows of designer dresses, the Hermes bags, and the shelves of shoes. In a month, this entire room would be nothing but useless. I pulled a simple bag from the top shelf.

"I'm looking at the asset map now," I said, holding my phone between my ear and shoulder as I began throwing thick sweaters and Jessica’s warmest clothes into the bag.

Buying supplies was just the beginning. Having a warehouse full of food meant nothing if you were frozen solid while trying to eat it. We needed an impenetrable fortress to survive the extreme cold that was about to swallow the earth.

My eyes landed on a specific property file I had pulled up on the tablet.

The Silver Peak Resort Villa.

It was a masterpiece, originally designed as an exclusive, private resort for billionaires. But more importantly, it was perfect. It was built directly in the middle of the valley, surrounded by mountains on all sides. They would act as a natural shield, and protect the fortress from the winds that would soon tear cities apart.

John had purchased it a year ago using fifty million dollars of my investment capital. He had arrogantly put the deed entirely under his own name.

"Mike, the resort villa," I said into the phone.

"Already ahead of you, Boss," Mike replied, the clicking sound of furious typing echoing in the background. "When you originally approved that investment, I buried a drawback clause into the contract. Since he defaulted on the capital requirements the second we withdrew the corporate funds, I have already legally transferred the Silver Peak deed back under your shell company's name. It's fully authorized. It's yours."

"And the mansion?" I asked, looking around the glorified cage I had lived in for so long.

"Seized," Mike confirmed with a satisfied tone. "The bank is foreclosing on it immediately to use as collateral for his broken supply chain. They aren't taking any chances with his debt. The recovery workers are already on their way to seal the doors."

"Perfect."

I didn't waste another second. I zipped up the bag, packed a smaller backpack with Jessica's favorite toys and her rabbit, and gently woke her up. I wrapped her in a warm coat, grabbed her tiny hand, and walked out of that house forever, leaving the keys on the table.

By the time I was down the highway, miles away from the city center, I pulled up the security feed on my car’s dashboard.

I watched through the camera as John's car violently swerved into the mansion's driveway, tearing up the grass as he slammed on the brakes.

They jumped out of the car in panic, only to freeze on the front steps. A team of men in bank issued uniforms were actively taping seals across the doors.

"What are you doing? Get away from my house!" Lily cried.

She lunged forward, trying to rip the tape off the pillars.

"Touch that seal, ma'am, and we'll have you arrested for tampering with a federal seizure," the lead worker warned sternly, shoving her back down the steps without an ounce of hesitation. "This property is now under bank foreclosure. You are trespassing."

Lily hit the pavement, scratching her knees. She completely broke down, bursting into sobs. She turned to John, her fake, pitiful expression instantly replaced by anger.

"How could you lose the company?!" she screamed at him, her face twisted in rage. "Where is all your money?! We have nowhere to live! Do you expect me to sleep in the streets? I can't live in some cheap apartment, John!"

John just stood there.

He didn't comfort her.

He didn't yell back.

He stared blankly at the sealed doors of the mansion, looking like a man who had just watched his entire soul burn to the ground.

I reached forward and tapped the screen, turning off the feed. I didn't care to watch the rest of their pathetic downfall.

An hour later, my SUV pulled up at the private mountain road, finally arriving at the Silver Peak Resort Villa. It was beautiful and just what I needed.

I parked in the underground garage, unbuckled my daughter from her car seat, and carried her up the steps to the main entrance. The cold evening wind blew past us, but for the first time in two lifetimes, my chest finally felt warm.

I unlocked the doors and stepped inside the living room.

"Do you like it here, baby?" I asked softly, setting her down and gently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "This is going to be our home from now on."

She looked around at the windows and the fireplace, her innocent eyes taking in the size of the fortress. Then, she turned back to me, wrapping her tiny arms around my legs, and looked up with a bright, beautiful smile.

"It's pretty," she whispered softly. "But as long as I'm with you, Mommy, anywhere is home.”