On the day we finalized our college applications, I chose Cromwell University.

The moment my brother saw it, his expression turned icy. Before I even understood what was happening, everything went black.

When I woke up, I was trapped inside a glass box.

All because our cousin Wendy had failed to get into Cromwell. To make it up to her, he ordered his men to carry me to an underground auction, putting me on display for a hundred strangers to gawk at for entertainment.

I pounded on the glass, crying and begging for someone, anyone, to let me out.

No one came.

Men gathered around, their gazes shameless and invasive, murmuring to each other as if I were an object, something to be assessed and priced.

My brother stood among them, watching.

Then he smiled.

"You brought this on yourself," he said lightly. "You had everything, our parents' support and my protection, and still you went after Wendy. You even had someone threaten her.

"Because of you, she missed her exams. Because of you, she lost Cromwell."

He took a step closer, his voice turning colder.

"Your life's been too easy. It's time you learned what it feels like to be humiliated."

I sank to the floor of the glass box, my body trembling, my mind going blank.

While I was being reduced to nothing, he booked an entire resort in Wendy's honor, hosting a grand celebration for her acceptance to Halvard University.

Later, when our parents called and asked him to bring me along, his assistant interrupted with a message.

"Mr. Lawson… the police have confirmed Miss Kelly's death."

The last thing I saw, right after the sharp pain stabbed into the back of my neck, was the icy, emotionless face of my brother, Sean Lawson.

When I regained consciousness, I found myself trapped inside a huge glass box. My hands and feet were bound so tightly that I could not move at all.

"Sean, you know I have claustrophobia! Please let me out!"

I kept screaming, my voice breaking as I begged.

Sean did not even look at me. Instead, he gently wiped the tears from Wendy Roberts' eyes.

"Don't cry, Wendy. I'll get justice for you right now. I promise she'll never harm you ever again."

"Sean, maybe just forget it. Kelly probably didn't mean it. It's my fault for being so useless and missing the final exams."

Wendy sobbed softly, but as she spoke, she lifted her eyes and shot me a quick, smug look. Then, she picked up the remote in her hand and pressed a button. The curtain covering the glass box slowly lifted.

Almost immediately, whistles and quiet laughter spread through the crowd below.

"Hey, isn't that the Lawson family's 'state top scorer'? She didn't get into Cromwell University, but she ended up here instead."

"Her skin's pretty fair, and she's got a nice figure. Wonder what she's really like in private."

"I heard she's pretty innocent. Looks like Mr. Lawson really gave everyone a show this time."

The humiliation hit me like a knife. My whole body shook with anger. I wanted to explain, to defend myself.

Right then, Sean's phone rang.

It was a video call from our parents. They looked thrilled.

"Sean! Your mom and I saw the news! Your sister is the state's top scorer! She's the pride of the Lawson family!"

Sean angled the camera carefully so they could not see me. He forced a casual smile.

"Yeah, Kelly did really well. I'm taking her out to celebrate."

"Make sure she has fun! Your mom and I will be back next week. We'll throw her a celebration party!"

He spoke to our parents gently, but the moment he hung up, his face turned ice cold.

"This is what you get for hurting Wendy."

I truly did not understand what I had done wrong.

The night before the finals, Wendy came to me with red, swollen eyes. She said Cromwell University was her only dream in life and begged me to help her cheat during the exam.

I refused immediately. So, she deliberately set me up, using a group of thugs to frame me.

I lifted my head and pleaded desperately with Sean.

"Sean, I didn't hurt her! Just send someone to investigate. You'll know the truth!"

For a brief second, hesitation flickered in his eyes.

However, Wendy suddenly clutched her chest and collapsed weakly into his arms, crying so hard she could barely breathe.

"Sean, those people are all Kelly's. How could they possibly tell the truth?

"I shouldn't have been so foolish, asking Kelly to lend me her mistake notebook... Of course, she'd be angry. She was just afraid I might score higher than her. I understand... I really do..."

That was the final push.

The doubt in Sean's eyes vanished, replaced by something colder, something darker.

"I've been too lenient with you. You refuse to admit your mistakes and now you're trying to twist the truth. Today, I'll make sure you know what it feels like to be humiliated in front of everyone."

Then the auctioneer's loud voice rang out.

"Viewing rights for Ms. Lawson, starting bid, one million and five hundred thousand dollars!"

The crowd stirred. The numbers kept climbing.

I shook my head frantically, tears blurring my vision, but all I could do was watch as Sean led Wendy into a VIP room.

Finally, the gavel came down.

"Congratulations, Mr. Harris. The final bid is fifteen million dollars!"

Two bodyguards dragged me into a suite in the mountaintop villa and threw me roughly onto the floor.

The moment I saw what was in the room, my stomach dropped.

Everywhere I looked, there were items meant for things no one should ever be forced into.

Something was very, very wrong.

I pushed myself up with everything I had and stumbled toward the door, slamming my fists against it.

"Let me out! Now!"

One of the guards outside snapped back, clearly annoyed.

"Shut up! Stop wasting your energy and stay put! Take a good look at yourself. Mr. Lawson doesn't even care about you anymore. Do you still think you're his precious little sister?"

Rage burned through me.

"I'm part of the Lawson family! If anything happens to me, none of you are getting away with it! My parents will never let you off!"

That seemed to shake them a little. One of the guards lowered his voice and called Sean. "Mr. Lawson, something's not right with Ms. Lawson. She looks seriously terrified. Should we…"

On the other end, Sean sounded confused.

"What do you mean not right? The fifteen million dollars was something I arranged with Mr. Harris in advance. He wouldn't dare to do anything to her. It's just for show, to scare her a little."

After a pause, his tone softened slightly. "Maybe open the door and check what's going on inside."

However, before the guard could respond, Wendy's voice came through the phone, soft and aggrieved.

"Sean, Kelly is really good at pretending to be pitiful. Don't fall for it. If you don't teach her a lesson this time, what if she tries to hurt me again?"

Seeing how shaken Wendy sounded, Sean's hesitation disappeared.

After a brief silence, his voice turned icy.

"Do what Wendy says. Keep the door locked. She won't die."

The call ended. The guards ignored my cries after that. My last bit of hope shattered completely.

If I could not get out, then at least I could not let myself be humiliated.

Struggling to my feet, I tried to grab a lighter and set fire to a stack of newspapers, hoping to trigger the smoke alarm. However, my hands and feet had been tied for too long. I could not even pick up something as small as a lighter.

Despair closed in around me. I curled up in the corner, my vision blurring as consciousness slowly slipped away.

Just as I was about to pass out, the door suddenly swung open.

A greasy-looking man in his forties walked in, his beer belly leading the way. His eyes crawled over me with a sickening grin.

I shrank back, my voice shaking. "Who are you?"

He chuckled, the sound making my skin crawl.

"That doesn't matter. What matters is your dear cousin paid me a nice sum to take good care of you. She said Mr. Lawson doesn't care about you anymore, so I can do whatever I want."

"Get away from me!"

I struggled with everything I had, but he overpowered me easily.

Tears streamed down my face, unstoppable.

Then, through the haze, a memory surfaced.

When I was little, I was chased by the neighbor's big dog. I was so scared I could only cry.

Sean had rushed over without hesitation, shielding me behind him and driving the dog away. He carried me home on his back, comforting me the whole way.

"Don't be scared, Kelly. I'll protect you from now on. I won't let anyone harm you ever again."

His words still echoed in my ears.

However, the one who abandoned me… He was the same brother who once promised to protect me for the rest of my life.

I closed my eyes, and my heart went completely still.

I did not know how much time had passed.

After the man was done with me, he tossed me into a storage room in the villa like I was nothing.

I lay on the cold floor, barely conscious, wrapped in what was left of my torn dress.

Every once in a while, someone would come in to grab something. They would glance at me curled up in the corner, then look away, assuming I was just a pile of discarded junk.

Then, they would leave.

I gathered what little strength I had left. When an old woman came in to fetch something, I reached out and grabbed the hem of her pants.

"Please… Help me…"

She jumped in shock.

Leaning closer, she realized I was a person. Her eyes widened in horror. She instinctively reached out to help me up, but the moment she saw my disheveled clothes and the blood running down my legs, she froze. Her hand pulled back.

"Oh, my child… Who did this to you? This is too cruel… Too cruel…" She kept murmuring to herself, then turned and hurried out.

For a moment, I thought hope had finally come.

However, after a long, long time, she came back alone.

"Child… Mr. Lawson's assistant won't allow anyone to interfere. He said Mr. Lawson reserved the whole villa and doesn't want anyone interrupting him while he's with his cousin…"

I clutched her hand tightly, tears streaming down my face. The old woman looked at me, sighed, and finally made up her mind.

Using the excuse of delivering something, she rushed to Sean. Her voice trembled as she spoke.

"Mr. Lawson! There's a girl in the storage room who's dying! Please, you have to help her!"

Sean had been chatting happily with Wendy. Being interrupted, he frowned slightly.

"Who?"

The old woman hesitated, unable to answer. She could only look at him helplessly, her eyes full of pity.

"I don't know, but that girl is too pitiful! Mr. Lawson, please, save her life!"

Sean nodded and ordered someone to call the medical team.

It should have felt like a moment of salvation. However, instead, my heart felt like it was being crushed in an invisible grip, numb with pain.

For a complete stranger, he could offer help without hesitation.

However, for me, his own sister, I was not even worth as much as a stranger.

For Wendy, he really could give up anything.

When the doctor saw me, his face filled with shock. "Ms. Lawson! What happened to you ?"

My lips were cracked and dry. I could not answer.

He hurriedly opened his medical kit, but quickly realized the equipment inside was not enough to treat the injuries to my lower body.

He immediately called Sean.

"Mr. Lawson! The injured person is your sister! Her lower body is severely hurt, and she's been hypothermic for too long. She needs to be sent down the mountain to a hospital immediately!"

Sean's voice rose sharply, trembling with urgency. "I was only gone for a moment. How did Wendy get hurt?"

He immediately shouted to his assistant, telling them to prepare a helicopter.

However, in the next second, the doctor corrected him anxiously. "Not Ms. Roberts. It's Ms. Lawson!"

The moment he heard my name, Sean let out a breath of relief. Then, he canceled the helicopter. His voice turned icy.

"She told you to say that, didn't she? Is she trying to trick me into going to see her? Did she bribe you too?

"Looks like she still hasn't learned her lesson. Tell her to behave herself and stop bothering me."

He hung up without hesitation. The doctor stared at the phone, disbelief written all over his face.

If even my own brother had abandoned me, there was no reason for him to care either.