A Second Life, A Fiercer Love

The gavel fell, sealing my fate as a spectacle on a hidden auction stage in New Orleans.

My once-great family, the Sinclairs, was bankrupt, and my parents had sold me.

Just hours before, my fiancé, Liam Vanderbilt, had broken our engagement, his handsome face a mask of pity as he declared a Vanderbilt couldn't be associated with disgrace.

Now, I was a piece of property, and the man who bid for me was Jax Devereaux, my lifelong rival.

In my first life, I spat at him, screaming I'd rather die than be his charity case.

I still believed Liam would save me.

I was a fool.

My rejection humiliated Jax, and a man named Julian Croft bought me instead.

He was a monster, putting a diamond choker around my neck, and my life became a living hell.

When Liam saw me later, he laughed, calling me "high-class trash."

I learned Jax died trying to save me-the woman who publicly shamed him.

The abuse, the betrayal, Jax' s sacrifice… it was too much.

I found a way to end it all.

Then I woke up, back on that stage, the auctioneer's voice booming: "Jax Devereaux bids one million dollars. Going once…"

This time, I didn't hesitate.

"I accept."

My voice was quiet but clear, cutting through the silence.

Jax, typically arrogant, was utterly speechless.

He had expected a fight, a scene, another public rejection.

He didn't get one.

Instead, he got me, and I kissed him, hard and desperate-a silent 'thank you,' 'I'm sorry,' and 'please, don't let Julian get me.'

But Julian Croft, the monster from my past, was already banging on Jax's penthouse door, screaming that I was his property.

My body trembled, the memories of torture flooding back.

How could I escape him again, now that he knew where I was?

And what was Julian' s real connection to this horrifying human trafficking ring?