2026-07-27 00:51:07
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CHAPTER 73
Greg spun on Brooke so fast his chair nearly toppled backward. "One million dollars," he hissed, voice shaking with fury. "Do you understand what you've done? You opened your mouth for nothing and now we're standing in the middle of a bidding war that could bankrupt us both."Brooke shrank into her seat, her earlier smugness gone completely. Her hands twisted together in her lap. "I didn't mean for it to go this far," she whispered, eyes darting toward the crowd still buzzing around them. "I just wanted to embarrass him a little. I never thought he actually had that kind of money.""Well now we're the ones being embarrassed," Greg shot back through clenched teeth.Vivian's voice rang out from the podium, smooth and merciless. "One million dollars, going once."Brooke's head snapped toward Greg, panic flashing across her face. "Bid again. Quickly, before she drops that hammer. We can't lose this now, not after everything.""We were never going to win this," Greg muttered, but his hand
CHAPTER 72
Carina pressed her heels back beneath the hem of her dress, but it was too late. Every head at the surrounding tables had already turned toward her feet, then away again with soft laughter hidden behind napkins and champagne flutes. She wished the marble floor would simply open and swallow her whole."Did you see her shoes?" Brooke's voice carried far past the table where it belonged, sharp and bright with cruelty. "I mean truly, who wears department store heels to an event like this? It's honestly embarrassing for the rest of us."Carina's fingers curled into her napkin under the table. She said nothing. She only stared at the centerpiece in front of her, counting the white roses to keep her eyes from filling.Amanda snickered beside Brooke, covering her mouth with a manicured hand. "Some people simply don't belong in rooms like this, sweetheart. It's not their fault. It's just nature."At the front of the ballroom, Vivian raised her gavel above the podium, her voice smooth and pract
CHAPTER 71
Carina kept her dark eyes fixed on the stage with calm unbothered composure. She did not flinch. She did not react.Greg seized the moment to twist the blade deeper. He puffed out his broad chest and looked directly at the velvet box sitting beside Carina's water glass."That little bracelet you received earlier tonight is nothing but a secondhand trinket." Greg waved his thick hand dismissively toward the sapphire box. "Some stranger passed it through his hands and tossed it to you like throwing scraps to a stray dog. The Empress Collection is in an entirely different universe. Only these stilettos are truly worthy of my woman.""Any real man buys his woman something with his own money." Greg leaned forward with heavy condescending authority. "He does not hide behind a mask like a coward and throw charity at random women he does not even know. That is not romance. That is pity.""Greg is absolutely right." Brooke nodded with aggressive enthusiastic agreement. "A masked stranger gave
CHAPTER 70
Vivian tapped the golden microphone with bright electric energy as the bidding for the Empress Collection stilettos officially opened at five hundred thousand dollars."Five hundred thousand to start!" Vivian scanned the massive ballroom with eager sparkling eyes. "Who will claim these legendary shoes tonight?"Greg raised his paddle instantly with aggressive determined force. His jaw was set like concrete. He had lost the sapphire bracelet to the masked stranger earlier and the humiliation still burned like acid in his chest. He was not losing again tonight."Five hundred thousand." Greg's voice boomed across the hall with commanding authority."Five hundred and twenty thousand." A young man three tables away raised his paddle with nervous excited energy. He wore a slim fitted navy suit and a smartwatch that probably cost more than most people's cars. His name was Tyler, a twenty eight year old tech executive whose startup had just received massive investor funding. His high maintena
CHAPTER 69
She pulled her phone from the clutch and quietly opened her banking app beneath the table. Her account balance glowed on the small screen. She calculated quickly. It would be reckless. It would be irresponsible. It would be the most impulsive financial decision she had ever made in her disciplined life.But she was ready. For the first time in years, she wanted to do something brave."And now for the starting price." Vivian paused dramatically. The giant screen behind her flickered once and then displayed a number in bold golden digits that hit the room like a physical blow.Five hundred thousand dollars.Men across the ballroom groaned loudly. Several cursed under their breath. Even in a room filled with extreme wealth, half a million dollars for a single pair of shoes was beyond excessive. Wives who had been squeezing their husbands' arms slowly released their grip with disappointed deflated sighs."Five hundred thousand?" Greg's confident expression cracked visibly. His thick finge
CHAPTER 68
Vivian stepped back to the golden microphone with a radiant electric smile that silenced the entire ballroom instantly. Two uniformed attendants carried a glass display case onto the stage with almost ceremonial reverence. Inside the case, resting on a bed of black velvet, sat a pair of stunning Italian stilettos that caught every chandelier light and scattered it across the room like captured starfire."Ladies and gentlemen, prepare yourselves for something truly extraordinary tonight." Vivian placed her hand gently on the glass case with visible awe. "These are from the legendary Empress Collection, handcrafted by the most exclusive designer house in all of Italy. Only twelve pairs exist in the entire world. Seven are held in private royal collections. Two belong to heads of state. Tonight, one pair sits on this stage waiting for its queen."The ballroom murmured with electric anticipation. Women across the room straightened in their chairs with wide hungry eyes."These shoes are no
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