Chapter 1 Trap

• "Babe, I've been calling you, but I can't seem to get through. If you're listening to this... I'm on my way."
• Taylor ended the voicemail with a soft smile, her thumb gently brushing over the lock screen photo of her and Stan. They looked so happy. She packed the last of her things, carefully lifting the elegantly wrapped gift box she’d prepared for him, and hurried toward the grand exhibition hall.
• The stakes tonight were everything.
• As she neared the double doors, the muffled, drone of the auctioneer filtered through.
• "...One hundred thousand dollars!"
• The auction was already underway.
• Taylor quickened her pace, but as she rounded the corner, she collided head-on with a solid chest.
• With a sharp gasp, her purse slipped from her shoulder, scattering its contents across the polished marble floor.
• "Oh! I'm so sorry," Taylor gasped, immediately dropping to her knees to gather her things.
• A tall, sharply dressed man knelt beside her. His movements were calm and deliberate as his long fingers gathered her fallen items, handing them back to her.
• "Thank you," Taylor said breathlessly, offering a quick nod before standing up.
• "Sis."
• The sweet voice made Taylor freeze. She turned to find her stepsister, Mira, standing a few feet away wearing a warm smile that tinstantly put Taylor on edge.
• "Mira? The auction has started. Why are you still out here?"
• "I was waiting for you." Mira stepped forward, slipping her arm through Taylor’s with practiced ease.
• Taylor blinked, entirely thrown off. "What's going on?"
• Mira sighed softly, "Can't we just forget the past, Taylor? We’re adults now. Can we finally just be sisters?"
• Gently, Mira reached down and slid the sleeve of Taylor’s silk blazer up, exposing a faint, jagged scar on her wrist. "I still feel terrible about this... I was a child when I burned you. I'm so sorry, for everything."
• The memory flashed in Taylor’s mind, but looking at Mira's pleading eyes, she softened. She gently pulled her sleeve back down. "It's fine, Mira. We were kids. It’s in the past." Seven months ago, Taylor might have wanted to argue, but she wanted peace.
• "Thank you," Mira beamed. "Oh, by the way, Mom is looking for you inside."
• "I'm heading in now. Have you seen Stan?"
• "Your husband?" Mira’s eyes darted around the hallway before she smiled. "No, I haven't seen him. But if I do, I’ll send him your way."
• Taylor clutched her gift tighter, gave Mira a final smile, and slipped into the grand auction hall.
• The atmosphere inside was sophisticated.
• Standing near the stage, was her stepmother. Dressed in a dramatic, floor-length black gown. Her eyes locked onto Taylor, lowered her head slipped into an empty seat near the back, her heart hammering against her ribs.
• Taylor eyes went to the massive diamond necklace at the velvet pedestal.
• "If this diamond sells for one hundred million dollars, Taylor, I will finally accept your marriage to Stan," her stepmother’s voice echoed in her memory. "Consider this auction the ultimate test of your worth. Fail to bring in that amount, and you will resign from the company and never call Stan your husband again."
• The bidding was already climbing.
• "Five million!" a woman in the front row raised her paddle.
• "Twenty million!" another voice called out.
• "Fifty million!"
• Taylor clenched her fists, her knuckles turning white. Come on... please keep bidding...
• "Fifty million going once..." the auctioneer’s voice boomed through the microphone. "Fifty million going twice..."
• Suddenly, the heavy doors at the back of the hall open with a deafening crash.
• Every head in the room snapped backward. The bidding ground to a halt.
• Silence fell over the crowd as a team of stern-faced federal investigators strode into the room, badges glinting under the crystal chandeliers.
• "CBI..." someone whispered.
• "What is going on?" another muttered.
• The lead investigator scanned the crowd with cold, clinical eyes before his gaze locked dead onto Taylor.
• "Which one of you is Taylor Gale?" he demanded, his voice echoing off the high ceilings.
• Taylor’s breath hitched. Trembling, she slowly rose from her seat. "I am."
• The investigator marched toward her, pulling a pair of steel handcuffs from his belt.
• "Taylor Gale, you are under arrest for the trafficking and distribution of counterfeit luxury jewelry."
• The entire hall erupted into a frenzy of gasps and whispers. In the front row, her stepmother’s lips curved into a slow smile.
• Taylor’s face drained of all color, the world spinning around her. "What...?"