He stared at me, and only after a long moment did he force the words through clenched teeth.
"Psycho!"
"Laugh it up! We'll see if you're still laughing in a minute!"
Lucas asked a server for scissors.
He cut my wedding dress to shreds. What remained barely covered anything.
Then he walked over to Vanessa. "Raise the stakes. Whoever lights the sky and buys all the photos gets one live photo of Serena. On-site. Any request satisfied."
Vanessa smiled and tapped the auction hammer. "You all heard that, right? This chance doesn't come often—get those bids in!"
The room went silent for a heartbeat. Then the bidding exploded.
Lucas's addition had poured gasoline on an already raging fire.
Adrian stood beside Vanessa, holding her microphone, an indulgent smile playing at his lips. As if he were watching a harmless little game.
[World detachment countdown: 30 minutes.]
My consciousness started to blur. Everything looked like it was behind frosted glass.
Finally, the hammer came down.
A greasy fat man lit the lantern and bought every single photo.
Mr. Finch.
In their circles, he was infamous—a lecherous predator who got off on tormenting women. He'd once kidnapped me. Almost succeeded.
My three brothers had arrived just in time, beat him until he couldn't walk, and saved me.
Now he propped himself up on a cane and limped onto the stage, his face dripping with lust and venom.
"The three young masters of the Sullivan family. Long time no see."
His poisonous gaze swept over Ethan, Marcus, and Lucas.
"Back then you treated her like a treasure. Protected her like she was everything."
"And now? You're delivering her to me personally?"
"Since young master Lucas said any angle is fine—I won't hold back!"
All three brothers' expressions darkened instantly.
Ethan slammed his hand down on Vanessa's hammer. "Vanessa. That's enough."
Marcus fixed Mr. Finch with a cold stare and pushed up his glasses. "Looks like you don't need that other leg either."
Lucas signed a check and threw it in Mr. Finch's face. "Get lost. I'll pay ten times. I'm buying those photos."
Mr. Finch didn't get angry. He laughed. Turned to Vanessa and spread his hands.
"Miss Gill, is this your auction or not? Highest bidder wins—you're just going to say it doesn't count? So this is just a children's game you're playing to amuse yourselves?"
Vanessa's face fell.
She shoved Ethan away and turned on all three brothers. "You want to back out again, don't you! We had a deal—this was the last time! Once I've had my fun, I'd never appear in front of you and Serena again! Why do you always lie to me!"
Tears streamed down her face like rain on flower petals, and all three men panicked.
They backed down.
Mr. Finch laughed, smug and satisfied. He walked up to me and used the tip of his cane to lift my chin.
"Don't be scared, little beauty. I'll treat you well."
Filthy words poured from his mouth, each one slithering like a venomous snake.
He took a fluffy fox tail from his assistant and pinned it to the back of my ruined dress.
"Put this on. Now give me a little spin."
I hung my head like a soulless puppet. Didn't move.
[World detachment countdown: 1 minute.]
Mr. Finch's irritation grew. He grabbed my face roughly.
"Damn it, you're like a corpse!"
He turned back to Vanessa with a complaint. "Ms. Gill, this auction item of yours is a total dud. No fun at all!"
Vanessa snorted and clicked over in her heels.
"Serena, quit the act. It's getting boring."
She reached out, fingers closing on the last scraps of fabric barely covering my body.
"You were way more uninhibited in those photos. Just make the expression already—"
Her hand had just touched the thin gauze on my shoulder.
My body gave out. I crashed off the rack and hit the floor.
A dull thud. Like a heavy bag of trash, casually thrown away.
[World detachment countdown: 0.]
Every head in the room lifted at once.
Floating in midair, I finally understood—the System's final broadcast was audible to everyone.
My three brothers froze as if struck by lightning, then rushed toward my lifeless body.
Shouting for a doctor.
But the System's voice cut through their panic.
[Host chooses reward: sever all karmic ties with all associated characters in this world.]
