The One-Dollar Bride

Synopsis

The auctioneer's voice boomed through the speakers and filled the ballroom of the Pierre Hotel. "The starting bid is one dollar." The words hit me like a slap across the face, and my chest tightened as if someone had reached in and squeezed my heart. One dollar. In this city, that wasn't even enough to tip the valet. That was all I was worth to my own brother, Brandon Williams. The ballroom went dead silent for a beat, and then the crowd erupted into sharp, ugly laughter. "Oh my God, the Williams heiress has gotten that cheap?" "I heard he did it to impress his stepsister. That's ice cold." I stood at the edge of the stage under the spotlight with nowhere to hide. The navy gown I wore was two seasons old, and weeks of anxiety had stripped the weight off me, so the waistline hung loose on my frame as if it belonged to someone else. I turned to look at Brandon, my half-brother, who stood there in his tailored suit with a perfect, practiced smile on his face. He didn't even glance my way. His gaze stayed fixed on the front row, soft and warm. My stepsister, Lily Williams, sat there in a pink Chanel couture dress, nestled against my ex-boyfriend Alex Carter, covering her mouth as she giggled. All of this, the auction, the one-dollar bid, the public spectacle, was Brandon's way of making her smile.