When he saw the corpses, he only praised me, no fear, no concern, not even a flicker of hesitation.
I stared at him, my voice low and soft. “Brother came to restock, right? Well, since the collection at home was smashed, it does feel a little empty.”
Zavier’s expression froze as his gaze shifted toward Evie.
She stammered, twisting under his cold stare, before finally admitting that I had sent the photos of the smashed antiques.
“I… I thought they were just some broken vases, probably not worth much, so I deleted them for you,” she mumbled.
Zavier’s face darkened, sharp as a blade, yet when he caught Evie’s pitiful expression, his tone softened. “Don’t make decisions on your own next time.”
The auction continued, dozens of lots passing by until the climactic finale.
With a snap, the lights went out. On the screen, 365 intimate photos of Evie appeared, every kind imaginable.
Her scream split the air, sharp and piercing.
“Ahhh!...”
“How are these even here?!” she shrieked, trembling.
In the next heartbeat, Zavier stormed in, the door slamming against the wall. “Tiffany! Delete those photos, now!”
I lifted my head slowly and signaled the auction staff.
“Sorry, sir. This item is registered for auction. To claim it, you’ll need to pay. Bidding starts at two million.”
My nails tapped against the table in a steady rhythm as I watched him, amusement curling my lips. His face twisted, rage, helplessness, bitterness, but not a trace of remorse.
“You’ve crossed the line this time!”
“She’s just a young girl!”
I let out a soft laugh, my smile bright as a blade.
“Then what will you do? It’s already on the floor. I’ve raised the bid to ten million. Will you keep up? Otherwise… I can’t promise where those photos might end up.”
Zavier slammed the door as he stormed out, every movement radiating pure fury.
Soon, the next private room announced its bids. No matter how high I went, he always topped me by another million.
Finally, when the photos sold for eighty million, I allowed myself a nod of satisfaction. I didn’t pursue it further; making him bleed this time was only the first step.
A message flashed on my phone from an unknown number.
[Tiffany, just you wait!]
[Your turn is coming soon!]
The final lot appeared: a so-called relic said to protect pregnancies. I laughed bitterly.
So this was the little girl’s revenge? How quaint. Truly, it barely scratched the skin, let alone hurt.
But my smile froze.
The screen shifted, revealing my daughter’s unearthed grave. The urn was empty.
“I heard this was your first child, and it was because of this child that you… broke.” “Too bad there weren’t enough ashes, only enough to make a relic.”
“Tiffany, do you like this gift?”
My breath caught in my throat, nails digging into my palm. I kicked open the door to the next room.
Evie lay in Zavier’s arms, her smile bright and triumphant.
“I like this lot. Zavier, can you give it to me?”
“It was meant to vent your anger in the first place. If you want it, keep it.”
Rage boiled through me. I drew my dagger and pressed the blade to his throat.
“You know what this means to me! Zavier, you bastard!”
That was our first child, and the only one.
When I was pregnant, he had been caught in a bloody gang massacre, barely clinging to life. I hid in the villa’s basement, but even there, enemies found me.
With a five-month belly, I gripped the dagger he had given me and drove it through a man who dared approach.
By the time Zavier returned, the villa had already been reduced to ashes by my hand. He held me in the sea of fire, tears streaked with blood, raw and endless.
“I swear, not one of them will be spared. I’ll use their blood to honor our child, to pave her way to reincarnation.”
