Victoria shook her head, dazed. Raymond's words were like daggers: sharp, lethal. Her first thought was whether Salvatore was involved in all this... if he knew.

"Come, this way," Raymond said, leading her down a narrower, quieter hallway than the rest.

At the end of the corridor, a small door with a numeric keypad blocked the way. Raymond typed a combination, and the door opened with a faint metallic click.

"What is this place?" Victoria asked upon entering. What she saw paralyzed her: a group of people remained in complete silence, in stark contrast to the bustle of the main auction room.

Raymond guided her to a corner of the...