LAUREN'S POV

 “106 million going once!”

 The host’s voice thundered through the room, echoing off the walls and filling the air with a tension so thick it almost stole the oxygen from my lungs. Every syllable he uttered felt like it carried the weight of every pair of eyes in the room, each one pressing down on my shoulders, heavier than the last.

 I could feel the blood pounding in my ears. My fingers itched nervously around the paddle, my pulse thrumming in rhythm with the host’s words. Roman’s voice still lingered faintly in my earpiece from a few moments ago — “I’m leaving this one to you”

 Those words...