The room goes completely silent. My chest tightens. The power I felt just seconds ago drains away, leaving me exposed and terrified.
What if I just made everything worse? What if no one steps up?
I scan the room, praying someone—anyone—will speak.
Then someone whistles, and it’s like a dam breaking. Shocked murmurs, some more whistling, and a few catcalls.
The room picks up energy again, starts to feel electric, and I feed off it, standing taller. I spot Alex, and he looks like he wants to murder me, but I don’t care. I’m not backing down.
“Come on!” I shout, my voice cutting through the chaos. “Look at me! I’m young, I’m cute, and I may be homeless, but I can tell you all of Alex Worthington’s dirty little secrets!”
The room erupts into laughter. People are gawking, whispering, and suddenly I feel powerful again, like I have the upper hand for once.
I glance down at Alex, and his face is red, his jaw clenched so tight I’m surprised it hasn’t cracked. But just as he gets up from the poker table, someone else emerges from the crowd. A man steps confidently onto the first step of the right staircase.
My eyes snap in that direction, and my stomach drops when I see him.
Sven, a sleazy guy from marketing at Worthington Enterprises. He’s the kind of coworker everyone avoids in meetings because he always leans in too close and makes inappropriate jokes that leave you feeling uncomfortable.
He’s got that familiar, greasy grin plastered on his face, and he’s looking at me like I’m some prize he’s been waiting to claim.
Sven’s grin stretches wider, his eyes glinting with a sick, predatory look as he steps up another step. “Ten thousand dollars,” he announces, his voice booming across the room.
My stomach churns. I’m instantly filled with regret. I wanted to humiliate Alex, but now I’m the one standing here, exposed and vulnerable, while Sven, of all people, acts like he’s buying me off a shelf.
I force myself to stand tall, but inside, panic claws at my chest.
“Ten thousand dollars,” Sven repeats, smirking. “I don’t need a fiancé or anything, but one night with Kylie? Worth every penny.”
The room erupts into loud whistles and snickering, and my gaze locks with Alex’s.
His lips curl into a cruel sneer, his eyes saying what he doesn’t need to: Look what you’ve done.
My heart sinks even lower.
This was a mistake. A huge, terrible mistake. I can’t let Sven think he’s won, but I don’t know how to get out of this without sinking even deeper into a pit of mortification.
I’m about to turn and run. To escape before I embarrass myself further, when a voice cuts through the noise, smooth and commanding.
“One hundred thousand dollars.”
The room falls dead silent. My breath catches, and I whip my head around, trying to locate the voice. There, on the left staircase, a man emerges from the shadows. His movements are slow and deliberate, like he knows every eye in the room is on him but he doesn’t care.
He’s tall, with broad shoulders and a sharp, chiseled jawline. His dark hair is effortlessly tousled. But it’s his eyes that capture my attention. They’re intense and piercing—a shade of blue so brilliant it feels like they’re looking right through me.
There’s an air of confidence about him too, something that makes everyone stop and pay attention to his every move.
Sven’s smile fades, but he doesn’t back down. “One hundred and fifty thousand,” he calls out, trying to sound unfazed, but I can hear the slight strain in his voice.
The stranger doesn’t even blink. “Two hundred thousand.”
Sven scowls, his eyes narrowing. “Three hundred thousand.”
I feel like I’m watching a tennis match, my head snapping back and forth between the two men as the numbers climb.
Who is this mysterious guy who just appeared out of nowhere? And why is he doing this? I barely have time to think before he speaks again.
“One million dollars,” the stranger says, his voice steady and unwavering.
The room gasps, and I can see Sven’s confidence shatter. He’s outmatched, and he knows it.
“No way,” he mutters, glancing around like he’s hoping someone will step in. But no one does.
The stranger takes a step up the staircase, his gaze locked on mine. The room feels like it’s holding its breath.
“One million dollars,” he repeats, louder this time. “Under one, non-negotiable condition.”
My heart skips a beat, and I suddenly feel like I can’t breathe.
“What condition?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.
The stranger takes another step up, closer to me, his lips curving into a small, almost amused smile. “You have to marry me.”
The room erupts once more, louder than ever, the noise almost deafening.
I’m frozen, staring at this man, this stranger, trying to figure out if I’m dreaming or if I really just heard what I think I did. Marry him? Who is he? Why would he do this?
The stranger takes the final few steps up to the top of the staircase so he’s standing right next to me. His presence magnetic, commanding.
For a moment, I can’t breathe. He’s gorgeous, but it’s more than that. He feels like my hero. A knight in shining armor here to save me from the wreckage that is my life.
No one has ever saved me before. Not once. And the idea that someone might...it’s too good to be true.
I had hoped to be enough for Alex, but I know now without a doubt I could never be enough for a man like this.
So why is he looking at me like I am? Like I’m already everything he needs.
“Do you accept, Kylie?” he asks.
I swallow, having no idea what to say.
I glance down at Alex, and his expression—wide-eyed, panicked, and practically vibrating with tension—is enough to snap my brain back into gear.
He’s allowed to be impulsive but I’m not?
I look back at the stranger, this mysterious man who’s just thrown my world into complete chaos, and before I can stop myself, the words slip out.
“I do.”