The room explodes with noise again—gasps, whispers, shocked laughter and even some cheering. I feel like I’m floating, disconnected from reality, as the stranger takes my hand.
His touch is warm, steady. It grounds me even as everything else spins out of control. Who is he? Why would he do this? Pay money to marry someone like me? In a ridiculous public auction? I don’t know whether to pull away or hold on tighter.
I hear someone shouting my name, and I look down to see Alex shoving his way through the crowd.
The stranger leans in close, dragging my attention back to him. His lips brush my ear as he speaks. “Don’t be scared, Kylie. I’m not planning to hurt you.”
A shiver runs down my spine, my skin prickling at his nearness. He smells like expensive cologne and mystery, a heady combination that leaves me dizzy. My heart pounds, and I can’t tell if it’s from fear or something far more confusing.
I blink, caught off guard. “Then what are you planning?”
He pulls back just enough for me to see his face, and I’m struck again by how handsome he is. That sharp jawline. Those blue eyes that seem to bore into my soul. And his smile. It’s powerful, but boyish, and the combination is completely irresistible.
He straightens up, his eyes gleaming with a mix of amusement and something darker. “Many things. But first, to make your ex very, very angry.”
A small part of me wants to laugh. I glance at Alex again, and he’s still trying to get up the stairs, still shouting for me.
“Who are you?” I ask, suddenly gripped by curiosity. “I don’t even know your name.”
The stranger keeps his grip on my hand as he looks at me intently.
“Benedict Worthington.”
He bends down and kisses my hand, and a little tingle shoots up through my arm…though I can’t tell if it’s because I’m so affected by his looks, or I’m afraid of him, or…both—
Wait a second.
Holy shit.
Benedict…Worthington?
Reality hits me like a ton of bricks, and I suddenly feel like I’ve been thrown into a bad dream. My mind scrambles to process it all.
Benedict?!
The black sheep of the Worthington family?!
Alex’s brother no one ever talks about?
No one knows anything about him.
The media can’t get to him either—not for a lack of trying. He’s an enigma. No photos, no interviews, no scandals—just…nothing. It’s like he’s invisible, or always one step ahead. People talk about him in hushed tones, but no one really knows him.
Alex and him have never been close, so I’ve never met him. Whenever I asked about him, he’d just scoff and tell me he was “different” and not in a good way.
Some of my relief melts into terror.
“Your Alex’s brother?!”
“That’s one way to put it.” Benedict flashes a smile that would stop any woman in her tracks. “Now, shall we?” he asks, nodding behind him.
It takes me a second to find my voice. “You…you can’t be serious!”
He lifts a brow, clearly amused. “I’m very serious. Unless you’d rather stick around and entertain any more offers from Sven.”
The mention of Sven snaps me out of my daze. I look over, and sure enough, Sven is still standing there, at the bottom of the right staircase, scowling, his face flushed with embarrassment. Alex brushes by him, making a beeline for me and that’s what gets me moving.
“No, let’s go.”
I can figure out the rest later.
Without another word, he whisks me away, leading me down an empty hallway.
We reach a door, and Benedict pushes it open, revealing a hidden staircase. He guides me up, his pace steady but urgent.
“Benedict, wait! Where are we going?”
He doesn’t answer.
Maybe we should talk about this!”
“We’ll have plenty of time to talk on the chopper,” he says, almost casually.
“Chopper?” The word barely escapes my lips before we burst through a door onto the roof.
There’s a helicopter there, waiting.
The wind on the rooftop is fierce, whipping my hair around as the helicopter’s blades churn the air. Benedict pulls me toward it, but I dig my heels into the ground, suddenly overwhelmed.
I’m done being yanked around by the Worthingtons—first Alex, and now Benedict. He must have his own agenda, some calculated reason for using me in whatever game he’s playing. And before I take one more step, I want to know what is.
He stops and turns, those intense blue eyes locking on mine. The wind tousles his hair, making him look like he stepped onto a movie set, while I probably look as crazed as I feel.
Before I can speak, the door behind us crashes open. Alex storms out, looking more enraged than I’ve ever seen him. His eyes blaze as he takes in the sight of me and Benedict.
“Let her go!” Alex shouts, his voice raw with desperation.
Benedict doesn’t even flinch. Instead, he smirks, his grip on my hand tightening just slightly. “Baby brother,” he calls out, his tone mocking. “How’s the trust fund holding up?”
“Cut the crap, Benedict! I said let her go!”
The panic in his voice doesn’t make sense. Is he really that worried about losing me? That can’t be true—not after what he did. Not after the way he tossed me aside like I was nothing.
He’s probably just worried about how this will make him look.
The thought infuriates me.
He takes a step forward, but Benedict moves in front of me, almost protectively.
“I think we both know letting her go wouldn’t be in my best interest,” he says, his voice calm. Then his eyes flick to mine, and his expression shifts, softening in a way that steals my breath.
And what he says next sets my heart racing…