Chapter 2

Alexander's secretary, Daniel, picked me up and drove me straight to his mansion.

"Miss Lane, if you need anything, just let me know," Daniel said.

Then she grabbed an invitation from the car and handed it to me.

"This is for an auction tomorrow night. Mr. Ford said you can bid on anything you like. Money's not an issue," she added.

I took the invitation and thanked her.

Alexander's mansion was massive, nestled in the Eastwood Estates.

When I walked in, the nanny and the servants were all lined up at the door, waiting for me.

The whole setup was a bit much, and honestly, I felt kind of awkward.

Five years with Charles, and I never got anything close to this.

*****

The next day, I got all dolled up for the auction, and Daniel picked me up and drove me to the venue.

"Miss Lane, I'll be sitting right behind you. If you spot something you like, you can bid for it yourself, or just give me a nod and I'll take care of it for you," Daniel said.

"Got it," I replied.

As a kept woman, my job was to please my sponsor and keep him happy.

Alexander brought me here tonight because he wanted me to pick something out and buy it.

Even if nothing really interested me, I still had to buy something anyway, just to make him happy.

I flipped through the auction catalog and found a stunning sapphire ring. It was one of the more affordable pieces, so bidding on it felt like the perfect move.

When I got to the auction, I totally didn't expect to run into Charles and Olivia again.

Charles's face darkened the second he saw me, brows furrowed in clear annoyance. "Why are you here?"

Olivia let out a mocking little laugh beside him. "Bet she's here to hook herself another sponsor."

I didn't say a word. Charles shot me a cold glare. "Grace, I told you just yesterday. Don't ever show your face around me again."

I gave him a sly smile and shot back, "Mr. Bennett, is this your auction or something? Am I not allowed to be here? I've got an invitation, you know."

Charles looked really annoyed at my comeback.

I guessed that was the first time I had ever snapped back at him.

The auction kicked off, and the first item up for grabs was that sapphire ring.

I put in a bid, but to my surprise, Charles immediately outbid me.

I glanced back and met Olivia's gaze; her look said it all, she was out to make things difficult for me.

She was clearly outbidding me just to spite me.

I was just about to raise my paddle, but Daniel beat me to it; he went straight for the top bid, no hesitation.

"Sorry, everyone," Daniel announced loudly, "Mr. Ford called in. His girlfriend has her eye on this sapphire ring, so he wants me to make sure she gets it, whatever it takes."

I wasn't the only one stunned; everyone in the room was totally shocked.

For a ring that wasn't even that pricey, someone just went straight for the max bid.

The room erupted in whispers and gossip.

I heard Charles snickering from the back, "Well, well, look who it is, Alex, the guy who never shows any interest in women, finally has a woman in his life."

"I'd love to see which woman actually managed to land Alexander, the walking iceberg," he added.

I ducked my head, my heart racing like crazy.

Before the auction was even over, I shot Daniel a text: [I want to head out early.]

On the way back, Daniel handed me the sapphire ring we'd just won. "Mr. Ford said if you want something, there's no way he'll let anyone else have it."

Then he pulled out a card. "Mr. Ford should be back in about a week. Use this card however you like. If you see something you want, just buy it."