Chapter 130 a In the end , everything at the auction was sold for $ 300 million to an anonymous buyer whose identity no one could trace . My grandmother and uncle tapped into every connection they had , trying to find out who this person was , but it was fruitless . All they got was the buyer's assistant , who coldly rejected their offer to repurchase the items for ten times the original price . Still , the auction caused an international stir . " Not just because of what was sold , but because of how much it went for and what it represented . Naturally , I became the center of the storm . " I lay in bed , staring numbly at my phone , scrolling through the chaos . [ Has Denton completely lost it ? Who auctions off their own son's heart ? ] [ That poor woman . What she went through was inhumane . ] } [ Come on , don't act like she's some saint . I heard she's been shady for years . ] } [ Someone leaked old photos of her working as a bartender at a bar . Disgusting ! ] } [ Bartender ? Please . I heard she used to sell her body for $ 200 a night , no questions asked . ] } No wonder Mr. Francis did what he did . That kid probably was a bastard . ] } [ With a mom like that , maybe the kid died from shame . ] Upon reading those comments , I froze , and my thumb stopped mid - scroll . " Every comment felt like a knife . It was like the entire world had stripped me bare , left me naked and bleeding in the town square , letting strangers throw stones while they laughed . I was the one who'd been hurt . So why was I the one being dragged through the mud ? " " Sadie , stop reading that trash ." Uncle snatched the phone from my hand , his face dark with fury . " He knew exactly who was behind it - Melanie . She had weaponized an army of trolls , twisting the truth and manipulating public opinion . She didn't just want to humiliate me . She wanted to erase me . She wanted to drive me insane and leave nothing of me behind but a ruined shell . " Listen to me , Sadie . " Grandma gently cupped my face , forcing me to look into her eyes . " You are brilliant . You're our family's heir . You're not someone who breaks under pressure from petty clowns like them . " And she was right . < Before marrying Denton , I'd been a computer prodigy , praised in tech circles for my innovation and talent . My name stood for brilliance , excellence , and progress . " But once I married him and Mick came into the picture , I dimmed my own light . I gave up that spotlight to become a wife , a mother , a caretaker . And what did that loyalty earn me ? " I closed my eyes , and Mick's pale face came rushing back to me . His tiny lips quivering as he said , " Mommy … I'm cold . " My heart shattered all over again . " I then opened my eyes , and there were no more tears , no more fear , only fire . How could I fall now ? How could I let Mick's name be dragged through filth ? How could I let those monsters walk away unpunished ? " Grandma . Uncle . " I wiped the tears off my cheeks . My voice was calm and steady . " I'm done letting Denton and Melanie think they can crush me forever . It's time they learn what real consequences feel like . " A flicker of pride flashed in Uncle's eyes . " That's the spirit . That's what it means to be a Middleton . " Grandma smiled , a deep , proud kind of smile . She squeezed my hand and patted it gently . " " You know better than anyone the power of the internet , " she said softly . " And better than anyone , how to use it to fight back . Don't be afraid , Sadie . Whatever happens , we're behind you . Always . " N