She looked down at her lap. Her hand was clenched into a soft fist.
"Starting bid: One million."
Her head snapped up.
One million…
She panicked silently. She had money but not enough.
She bit her bottom lip hard. Her eyes flicked to the stage, then to Leonardo, then back to the ring.
She couldn't lose it.
Not this.
Not the last thing her father ever made for her.
But what should she do?
Isabella's eyes went wide. Her heart dropped as she watched Alan raise his hand on Alexa's command.
"One million," he said lazily.
The auctioneer echoed the bid loudly, and the crowd turned to look.
Alexa sat elegantly, her black gown shining under the chandelier lights. She didn't even try to hide her smug little smirk as she tilted her head, eyes locked on Isabella.
She had seen Isabella reaction.
She knew and now she was doing what she always did–taking things just to make others feel small.
