CHAPTER 151 — BURN THE MONEY, KEEP THE MEMORY
The gavel hadn’t even cooled from the six-million-dollar slap when the auctioneer, riding the high of his life, bounced on his toes and flashed a grin sharp enough to slice diamonds.“And now, darlings, the moment you’ve been salivating over in the group chats… the sister necklace to lot forty-seven. Same Russian duchess, same Cartier atelier, 1928. But this one?” He paused for drama, letting the velvet curtain part like theater. “This one boasts a thirty-two-point-one carat Kashmir sapphire—no heat, no treatment, the color of midnight sins. Untouched since the Romanovs were still throwing parties. We begin at fifteen million.”The screen exploded in cobalt fire.
Same iconic sunburst design.
Bigger stone.
Bluer than heartbreak, deeper than every grave they’d already dug for each other.The room detonated like someone lit a match in a room full of gasoline.“Twenty million!” an oil prince in a snow-white thobe roared from the back, paddle

CHAPTER 153– CERTIFIED FUNDS“Four hundred million.”Kelvin’s voice didn’t rise. It didn’t sharpen. It didn’t even pretend to perform for the room.It landed softly, almost lazily, like he was ordering a cup of coffee or correcting a waiter on the temperature of wine—nothing more than a casual preference voiced aloud.And yet, the effect was catastrophic.The ballroom collapsed into silence.Not the dramatic kind where people gasp or whisper or lean into one another. No. This was worse. This was the kind of silence that swallows sound whole, that presses against eardrums until even breathing feels rude. The chandeliers hummed faintly overhead, their crystal prisms vibrating with electrical life. Somewhere near the back, a chair scraped as security quietly hauled Harry’s limp body toward the exit after his second fainting spell of the evening.No one laughed.No one spoke.No one dared move.Four hundred million.The number hung in the air like a loaded weapon.Diana’s smile—perfect, p

CHAPTER 155– RED IN THE CORRIDOR The ballroom was still buzzing when Kelvin stepped away from the stage.Applause followed him like aftershocks, echoing off marble walls and crystal chandeliers, but he didn’t slow down. He moved with purpose now—measured, efficient—as staff parted instinctively to clear a path. Someone tried to congratulate him. Another reached out as if proximity alone could borrow a fraction of whatever power clung to him. He didn’t look at any of them.The necklace had already been secured, lifted carefully from its velvet cradle and placed into a reinforced case by gloved hands. Paperwork waited in a private office down the hall—contracts, verification, signatures, the dull mechanics that always followed spectacle.Money was loud.Ownership was quiet.Kelvin followed a sharply dressed attendant through a side door that led away from the ballroom’s chaos. The sound dropped instantly, replaced by thick carpet and hushed lighting. The hallway beyond felt like anothe

CHAPTER 157 – FLAME AND RESTRAINTThe kiss wasn’t soft anymore. It had turned hungry, desperate, like they were trying to make up for every second they’d spent pretending this didn’t exist. Kelvin’s back pressed lightly against the cool wall of the corridor, Diana’s body flush against his, pinning him there with nothing but heat and want. Her lips moved against his with a fierceness that stole his breath, tongue sliding against his in a rhythm that felt too damn good, too damn familiar.His hands weren’t idle. One slid down the curve of her spine, fingers splaying wide over the small of her back, pulling her tighter. The silk of her red dress was thin, warm from her skin, and he could feel every shift, every tremble. The other hand moved higher, tracing the line of her shoulder blade before slipping forward, cupping the side of her breast through the fabric. His thumb brushed over the peak, slow at first, testing, then firmer when she arched into him with a soft, needy sound that went

CHAPTER 159– ME? FUCKING LOGAN?Kelvin’s entire body went rigid, like someone had poured ice straight into his veins. His eyes locked on Diana’s, dark and stormy, but for the first time in what felt like forever, he didn’t have a quick comeback. No sarcastic deflection. No cold dismissal. Just silence. Thick, choking silence that said everything his mouth refused to.Diana let out a sharp, breathless laugh that cracked halfway through. She took a step back, hand pressing against her chest like she needed to hold her heart in place. The red dress clung to her curves, the fallen strap still dangling off her shoulder, but the heat that had been between them minutes ago was gone—replaced by something raw and ugly.“What?!” he exclaimed, voice pitching higher than he probably wanted. “That… that actually explains everything.” She shook her head, dark curls bouncing as disbelief twisted her pretty features. “The power you’ve been throwing around lately. The money. The way you walk around l