Page 31 of All The Pretty Little Lies

I watch her sashay away, mentally filing away her face and name for future reference. As the crowd settles into their seats, I find a spot near the back, close enough to observe but far from Dmitri's line of sight.

The first item up for bid is a newly discovered Fabergé egg, its enamel surface gleaming under the spotlights. The bidding is fierce, with paddles rising in quick succession. It goes for a cool fifteen million to a portly man with a thick Russian accent.

Next comes a set of Romanov jewels, each gem sparkling with history and bloodshed. I watch as Talon raises his paddle once, twice, before bowing out gracefully. The necklace sells for twenty-three million to a severe-looking woman in the front row.

As the auction progresses, I find my attention waning. Priceless artifacts and illicit goods change hands for astronomical sums, but nothing seems to justify the level of secrecy and excitement surrounding tonight's event. I begin to wonder if Ricky's intel was off, if we've risked everything for nothing more than an elaborate, high-stakes yard sale.

But then, just as I'm considering signaling to Zaire that we should cut our losses, the auctioneer's voice takes on a new timbre of excitement. "Ladies and gentlemen, we now come to the pinnacle of tonight's offerings. I assure you, what you are about to see is truly unprecedented."

The crowd stirs, a palpable wave of anticipation rippling through the room. I straighten in my seat, every nerve on high alert. I lock eyes with Talon, who waits for my signal if it’s her.

A hush falls over the room as a woman is led onto the stage. Her hands are clasped in front of her, her face hidden behind a black blindfold. A pair of noise-canceling headphones covers her ears, effectively cutting her off from her surroundings. She's dressed simply in a white shift dress that falls to her knees, her bare feet padding silently across the stage.

My breath catches in my throat. This isn't an object – it's a person. The realization hits me like a punch to the gut.

The woman in the red dress – Natasha – steps up beside her, a predatory smile on her face. With practiced ease, she begins tomanipulate the blindfolded woman's body, positioning her like a living doll. She turns her this way and that, showing off her figure to the salivating crowd.

"As you can see," the auctioneer continues, his voice dripping with false charm, "our offering tonight is in peak physical condition. Young, healthy, proven stock with an impeccable pedigree…and a virgin."

The crowd murmurs excitedly, and I can practically see the dollar signs in their eyes. I feel sick.

I scan the crowd, my stomach churning at the hungry looks on their faces. My eyes land on Dmitri, and I have to stifle a growl. He's laughing, actually laughing, as he watches the woman on stage. The blonde on his arm joins in, her tinkling laughter a discordant note in the tense atmosphere.

I study the girl on stage, my heart pounding in my chest. Her build is rounder than I remember Vesper's being, curves softened by what looks like a deliberate attempt to fatten her up. The long blonde hair cascading down her back is familiar, but without seeing her face, I can't be certain. I strain my eyes, searching for any identifying mark, any hint that this could be her.

The bidding starts at an obscene amount, paddles shooting up across the room. I catch Talon's eye, and he raises an eyebrow, waiting for my signal. But I hesitate, uncertainty gnawing at me. What if I'm wrong? What if this isn't Vesper at all, but some other poor soul caught in this nightmare?

"Five million," a voice calls out, breaking through my reverie.

"Ten million," counters another.

As the bids climb higher and higher, I notice a change in the woman in red - Natasha. Her smile grows wider, more predatory, as she slinks around the blindfolded woman. There's a gleam in her eye that sets my teeth on edge.

"Twenty-five million," someone shouts, and a ripple of excited murmurs sweeps through the crowd.

"Come now, gentlemen," Natasha purrs into a microphone, her voice a silky caress that sends shivers down my spine. "Surely you can do better than that? After all, we're not just selling a pretty face here. What we're offering tonight is power. The kind of power that comes with a name. A name that carries weight in our world. A name that opens doors and topples empires."

The crowd murmurs, intrigued. Natasha's grin widens. My blood runs cold. There's only one woman whose name could hold that much sway in our world.

"That's right," Natasha says, reveling in the crowd's growing excitement. "This is none other than Vesper Rossi, the jewel of the Rossi crime family."

The room erupts into chaos. Bids fly fast and furious, the amount skyrocketing to unimaginable heights. I see Dmitri lean forward, his eyes burning with a mixture of lust and greed that makes me want to tear him apart with my bare hands. But I can't move. I'm frozen in place, my eyes locked on Vesper. Now that I know it's her, I can’t look away.

She’s alive. She’s really fucking alive.

Zaire materializes at my side, his voice low and urgent.

My heart pounds in my chest as I watch the bidding war unfold. The room spins around me, a dizzying blur of greed and depravity. I feel Zaire's presence beside me, solid and reassuring, but it does little to quell the storm raging inside me.

"Oz," Zaire whispers urgently, his breath hot against my ear. "We need to move. Now."

I nod, my eyes never leaving Vesper's form on the stage. She stands there, blind and deaf to the world around her, unaware that her fate is being decided by the highest bidder. The sightof her, vulnerable and exposed, ignites a fire in my chest that threatens to consume me.

"Fifty million!" Talon's voice rings out, clear and confident. The crowd gasps, heads turning to locate the source of such an outrageous bid.

I see Dmitri's eyes narrow, his gaze sweeping the room. It's only a matter of time before he spots us. We need to act fast.

"Z," I murmur, my voice barely audible over the commotion. "Get to Alex. Tell him to be ready. We're going to need a quick exit."

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