That same morning, Kade set out to visit Elara. He hadn’t seen or heard from her in several days, and although the battle on Skull Island had kept him occupied, he knew he couldn’t continue putting off their meeting. There were things he needed to discuss with her, and after everything that had happened, he wanted to see her for himself.He drove through the city and arrived at the Voss family residence a short while later. After parking his car, he walked to the front door and knocked. It took several seconds before the door opened, revealing Diana, Elara’s mother.The moment she recognized him, her expression darkened.“You!” she exclaimed, staring at him with undisguised hostility. “What are you doing here? I thought you’d disappeared for good!”Kade remained calm. He had expected a reaction like this, considering how poorly Diana had treated him during their previous encounters.“I’m here to see Elara,” he replied simply.Diana let out a bitter laugh. “You have some nerve showing

He had already suspected as much. The last time he had visited Elara’s room, he had noticed several drawings scattered among her belongings. They weren’t random sketches, either. They were detailed illustrations of different car models, complete with carefully drawn bodywork, wheel designs, and engine specifications. He had recognized her interest immediately and decided that a visit to an automobile auction might be exactly what she needed.What Kade didn’t know until he looked into it further was that Elara’s fascination with cars went back to her childhood. She had once dreamed of learning everything about automobiles, perhaps even building or designing them herself. However, as she grew older, her family gradually discouraged that interest. In their eyes, such pursuits were too masculine for a young lady from an elite family. They expected her to cultivate more conventional interests and prepare herself for the social obligations that came with her status.Eventually, Elara had le

For a moment, Ricardo looked surprised. Then he burst out laughing.“Your family?” he repeated incredulously. “Oh, Elara, please. Don’t tell me you’re still pretending to be the great heiress of the Voss family.”His smile widened as he leaned slightly toward her.“Hasn’t the entire city heard what happened? Your own family threw you out. You’re no longer welcome in the Voss household, and the people who once praised your name are now whispering about you behind your back. What family are you talking about?”Sonia laughed beside him, and several onlookers who had overheard the exchange exchanged amused glances. Some openly smirked, while others whispered to their companions, eager to hear more about the disgraced heiress.Elara’s face paled. She had been trying desperately to put the humiliation of the past few days behind her, and she certainly hadn’t expected to have her private troubles dragged into the open by someone like Ricardo. Her fingers curled tightly around the side of her

He turned toward Kade, his eyes narrowing as an idea occurred to him.“You said you were going to buy this car, didn’t you? Then let’s make things interesting.”Kade regarded him without responding.Ricardo stepped closer, raising his voice so everyone nearby could hear him clearly. “Here’s the deal. If you can afford to buy that Lamborghini at tonight’s auction, I’ll apologize to Elara publicly. I’ll admit that I was wrong about you, and I’ll apologize in front of everyone here.”He paused deliberately, allowing the crowd to absorb his words before his lips curled into a cruel smile.“But if you can’t afford it, you’ll strip naked and walk around this auction hall in front of everyone. Let’s see how much confidence you have when you’re standing here with nothing to hide.”A wave of gasps swept through the surrounding crowd.Even those who had been laughing moments earlier were startled by the severity of the wager. It was one thing to mock a stranger or challenge him to a contest of

The announcement sent a wave of disbelief through the auction hall.“Ten million?”“That’s the starting price?”“Good heavens! What kind of car costs that much?”Even some of the wealthy guests who had been eagerly anticipating the auction exchanged startled glances. The most expensive item sold earlier that evening had fetched only a fraction of that amount, yet the Lamborghini’s opening bid was already ten million dollars.Elara felt her heart sink.She had hoped that, if necessary, she could offer Kade her remaining five million dollars to help him through the auction. Now she realized how meaningless that amount would be. It wasn’t even up to the opening price, and the bidding hadn’t begun in earnest.For several seconds, the auction hall remained quiet. No one raised a paddle, and the auctioneer patiently scanned the room, waiting for the first offer.Then Ricardo Banks slowly lifted his hand.“There’s no need to waste everyone’s time with a bidding war,” he announced confidently