The Graham Heir—I Am Not An Adopted Nobody

Chapter 67: The Gap

The heavy doors of the auction hall swung shut behind Edward and Jane, and the sound of their forced exit faded away until there was nothing left but a ringing silence.

 Just like that, the thick tension in the room seemed to evaporate as glasses started clinking again and the soft sounds of jazz filled the air as if nothing historic had actually happened. 

All around them, billionaires started laughing and shaking hands, reputations were being quietly recalculated in every corner, and the business of making money picked right back up where it left off.

But at Robert’s table, the silence hung in the air for a few seconds longer until Anna finally let out a long breath and picked up her drink with a light shrug. "Well," she said with a small smile, "I think it’s safe to say that was a little more dramatic than we expected." 

Robert gave her a faint, knowing smile but didn't actually say anything back, while across from him, Avery wasn't smiling at all as she sat there staring at him with an expression he hadn't seen before.

It wasn't admiration or even shock, it was a cold, creeping sense of fear that had nothing to do with danger and everything to do with the distance that had just opened up between them.

The Robert she thought she knew was quiet, reserved, and almost humble to a fault— the kind of guy who always stood in the background at school and let everyone else underestimate him as an errand boy and a poor kid. 

But tonight, he didn't just show up to play, he completely took over the room with a level of calm that made it look like he wasn't even trying. 

The numbers he was throwing around weren't just rich numbers anymore, they were the kind of life changing amounts of money that lasted for generations, and it clearly made Avery feel like she was looking at a total stranger.

Anna noticed the look on Avery’s face and gave her a playful little nudge to try to break the spell. "Hey, don't look at him like he just went out and bought the moon or something, because at the end of the day, those were really just a few expensive toys," she teased.

 She leaned in closer to Robert and whispered loud enough for Avery to hear that next time he should at least pretend to be a little nervous so he wouldn't scare the aristocrats so much. Robert finally let out a low, relaxed chuckle that seemed to break the icy silence, and Avery forced herself to laugh along with them as Anna clinked her glass against hers.

"Alright, I’d say tonight was a total success and we definitely delivered some serious ego damage to the right people, so let’s get out of here before someone challenges him to buy the chandelier too," Anna said brightly. 

That earned a real laugh from both of them as Robert stood up and explained that he had to stay behind for a moment to settle all the paperwork and documentation. 

Anna nodded and told him to handle the boring stuff while she and Avery headed out to the car, though Avery hesitated for a second before standing up to follow. 

She glanced at Robert one last time and he gave her a small, unreadable nod that was so calm it actually made her feel even more unsettled as she walked away.

Outside, the cool night air felt much sharper against their skin as the valet attendants moved with perfect timing under the soft streetlights. Parked right in front of them was the Pagani Barchetta— a car so low, aggressive, and impossibly rare that Avery actually stopped walking just to look at it.

 She had seen the car before, but tonight it felt completely different, like it was a symbol of a world she didn't belong in. Anna opened the passenger door and told her to get in, and they both slipped into the glowing interior that smelled of expensive leather and carbon fiber.

As the doors closed, the sound of the outside world vanished and Avery just sat there staring straight ahead into the darkness for a long minute. 

"Anna," she finally said softly, and when Anna hummed in response, Avery shook her head slowly and said, "Who is Robert, really?" Anna smiled faintly and told her that she already knew who he was, but Avery turned to face her and argued that she only knew the guy from school— the quiet, lucky, and respectful underdog.

"But the man inside that hall... that wasn't an underdog at all," Avery whispered as her eyes flicked toward the expensive dashboard. She realized then that Robert had given this car to Anna as a gift, and the fact that he could display that kind of wealth so casually felt completely insane to her. 

Anna leaned back into her seat and told her that if she wanted the real answer, she should probably just ask him herself because he would tell her the truth. Avery let out a bitter little laugh and admitted that she liked him mostly because she thought he was below her, or at least that they were equals who were climbing the ladder together.

"But tonight I saw that he isn't climbing anymore— he's already at the top, and I’m not," she said as she looked down at her hands. She explained that she couldn't be with someone who was that far above her because that was exactly why things had ended so badly with Tristan. 

Tristan had used his money to control her and humiliate her, constantly reminding her that she depended on him for everything, and she promised herself she would never let that happen again.

Anna asked her quietly if she really thought Robert was the kind of person who would do something like that, and Avery admitted that she didn't know, but she was terrified that tonight was just the beginning of a change in him. 

Anna turned fully toward her and firmly told her that Robert was nothing like Tristan, reminding her of the first day they met and how soft spoken and observant he had always been. 

"He didn't give me this car to show off, he gave it to me because I mentioned once that I loved it, and that’s the thing about him— he actually listens and remembers the small things you forget you even said," Anna explained.

Avery confessed that she was just scared, but after Anna squeezed her hand and begged her not to quit on him, Avery took a long pause and finally agreed to give it a chance.

 Anna smiled with relief and then casually suggested that Avery should just move into the penthouse with them since the place was huge and it was usually just her and Robert rattling around in all that empty space. 

Avery tried to argue that she had her own place and her own work to handle, but Anna wouldn't hear any of it and joked that she would tell Robert that Avery doubted him if she didn't agree to move in.

They both laughed together, but then Anna’s expression softened and she admitted that it actually got pretty lonely in a big place like that sometimes and she really just wanted her friend there. 

That bit of honesty was what finally broke Avery's resolve, and after fighting with herself one last time, she finally gave in and agreed to move in. 

Anna squealed and hugged her tightly, telling her it was the best decision she’d ever made, and as Avery leaned back into the seat with a smile, she asked where this legendary penthouse actually was.

 Anna’s smile turned mysterious as she said softly that Avery hadn't even seen it yet, and that was exactly where the night came to an end.