The heavy silence in the auction hall was disturbed only by the quiet, shaky breaths of terrified guests. The air had grown thick with tension, pressing down like a suffocating blanket on every soul trapped inside. The flickering chandelier above cast eerie shadows across the room, bouncing off the terrified eyes and pale faces of men and women who had once strutted through the grand doors with pride and arrogance, now reduced to frightened spectators.

Raina sat trembling beside Aaron, her back ...