Valentine’s Billionaire Auction

Chapter 44

44

ROMAN

I t had been three weeks. Three long weeks since I ended the contract with Kaira. Three weeks since I had truly slept. The house was not the same without her. Everything seemed to echo in the empty spaces she used to occupy. Everywhere I looked, I could picture her there. I actually fell asleep in her room one night, which was ridiculous because she had not slept in there for long before she ended up in my room.

Visiting the library was a form of self-torture. Sometimes, I would open the door and expect to see her sitting in the chair with her hair a mess and her laptop in her lap. I could almost smell her. I found a book on a table in the corner. It was one she had been reading. I picked it up and flipped through the pages. It was a sappy romance that actually made me smile because I knew that was her thing. She had told me about the book she was writing. Another implausible romance story.

But it was during the quiet nights that I found myself at the worst, replaying our last conversation over and over in my mind. The decision to end things was purely business at first. It was just another contract concluded in the long string of deals that made up my life. But every single day, the reality of her absence sunk in deeper. I had gone back to business as usual. It was the same life I had been living for years without any drama. Except, that old life wasn’t sufficient anymore. The house felt off. Without her laughter echoing through the halls or her thoughtful looks when we talked about everything under the moon, it wasn’t the house I had lived in all my life. I missed finding her cooking in the kitchen. I missed having coffee in the morning with her.

And today, it was going to be official. I had to give a statement to the nosy public about my love life. Technically, it was never supposed to be my actual love life. But somewhere, what started as a basic contract to save my ass turned into something real—then it had shattered me.

I reached for the blue tie. Blue was supposed to make me look honest or some shit. I buttoned my suit jacket, checked myself in the mirror, and sighed. It was time to face the world without her by my side. The press had been speculating wildly since she left, and today I would put an end to all the rumors. I would keep it professional, concise. The relationship was over. That was all they needed to know.

As I walked downstairs, I heard my staff in the foyer. They had all been giving me a wide berth the last couple of weeks. I knew more than one of them was pissed at me. They liked Kaira and most of them had taken her side.

I didn’t blame them.

Anthony was waiting for me with the car. I was not in the mood to drive. I didn’t trust my temper. I had saved my reputation with my fake engagement to Kaira. Adding a road rage incident to the mix would negate all of it, making it for nothing.

I slid into the backseat of the car. Anthony gave me a nod through the rearview mirror. “Ready, sir?” he asked, his voice neutral but I could detect a hint of concern.

“Yes, let’s get this over with,” I replied curtly. My thoughts raced as we drove toward the office where I would be holding the press conference. My mind was stuck in a loop, replaying every moment I had spent with Kaira, every laugh we shared, and every argument that pushed us apart.

By the time we arrived, the place was swarming with reporters. Cameras flashed as I stepped out of the car. I ignored the shouted questions and pushed my way inside. Several board members were waiting for me in the lobby. I was whisked away to the conference room where I was holding the press conference.

The PR team was waiting for me in a side room. Someone was fixing my hair while PR gave me notecards with my statement. They warned me about the questions that would come once I announced the end of my engagement.

I nodded, barely listening. I already knew what I was going to say, and no notecard was going to help me with the truth that was clawing its way up my throat. I had no intention of giving them any information about my life with Kaira. It was a mistake to drag her into this mess to begin with.

“It’s time,” someone said.

I nodded and took the notecards. Several board members and I walked into the conference room. The room was packed with reporters. The flashes of cameras felt like tiny daggers against my skin.

When I stepped up to the podium, the murmurs hushed, replaced by a suffocating silence.

I told myself to read the statement and call it good. I didn’t owe anyone answers.

I cleared my throat, gripping the edges of the podium as though it could anchor me. “Thank you all for coming today,” I began, my voice steady despite the storm inside me. “I have an announcement to make regarding my engagement to Kaira…”

The words stuck in my throat, but I forced them out. “It’s over. We’ve chosen to go our separate ways.”

The room erupted. Cameras clicked frantically, reporters shot up, shouting over one another. I held up a hand, signaling for quiet, and miraculously, they obliged. I had their undivided attention.

“I know there’s been speculation about the authenticity of our relationship,” I said, each word carefully measured. “And I won’t waste your time denying it. The truth is it wasn’t real. The engagement was a PR strategy—my strategy.”

A gasp rippled through the crowd, followed by a renewed surge of questions. I ignored them, pressing on.

I heard the board members behind me suck in a breath. One stepped forward and put a hand on my arm as if to pull me away from the podium. The rumors had been circulating and the board wanted me to deny it. But I was tired of lying. If I lost future investments, whatever. I had money. I didn’t need more.

I quietly shrugged off the hand on my arm and turned my attention back to the crowd that was waiting with bated breath for me to explain the situation.

“Kaira had nothing to do with the plan’s conception. I made her an offer she couldn’t refuse, and she agreed to help me. That’s the truth.” My jaw clenched. “If anyone wants to blame someone, blame me. I take full responsibility.”

I looked out at the sea of faces, knowing full well how this would be spun in the headlines. I could almost see the sensationalist articles: “Roman Kelly Admits Engagement Hoax!” or “Kaira Foster: Victim or Accomplice?”

The thought made my stomach churn. “She’s not at fault,” I added, my voice firm. “Kaira is a good person. She didn’t deserve to be dragged into my mess, and I’ll regret it for the rest of my life. The plan was a bad move. It only hurt both of us. There are no winners here.”

The room was silent again as I stepped back from the podium. “That’s all I have to say.”

An explosion of flashing lights and shouted questions erupted.

Despite the cacophony, I walked away with a mixture of relief and dread swirling in my chest. I thought it would be freeing to have the truth out there.

I was wrong.

My assistant was waiting by the door, wide-eyed. “That was… candid,” she said as I passed her.

“That was the truth,” I snapped, brushing past her.

My board members were waiting for me in the small room. “Give us the room,” one of them demanded.

The assistants scrambled to get out. A few of the board members looked as though they’d aged a decade in the past hour.

“Roman, do you realize what you’ve just done? You’ve blown up your own empire. The brand. The trust. Everything!”

“And for what?” chimed in another. “To play the martyr?”

I held up a hand. “Spare me the lecture.”

“No, Roman, you’re going to hear this,” my CFO said, his voice rising. “You’re going to lose millions. Do you understand that? Millions. Our stock will tank. Sponsorships will pull out. And for what? To protect a woman who walked away from you?”

“She didn’t walk out on me. We decided the whole sham was stupid. It was never going to work.”

“It was working just fine. Why would you do that? You could have said she left you. We gave you a statement! You were supposed to say you cared about each other but realized you weren’t ready to get married just yet. Mutual respect and blah, blah, blah! The lawyers drafted it beautifully.”

My temper flared. “I’m past giving a damn,” I said coldly. “But don’t worry, I’ll make sure your staggering salary remains untouched.”

The venom in my tone silenced them. I walked away before I could say something I’d truly regret. Anthony was waiting for me. He said nothing as he started to drive away.

The drive home felt long. As he pulled into the winding driveway, the sight of the house felt more unwelcome than a refuge.

The place was quiet, as it had been since the day Kaira left. Too quiet. I’d caught the staff whispering about her a few days ago, reminiscing about her laugh, the way she brightened up the place. I’d shut it down immediately, barking at them to never speak her name under my roof again.

Now, nobody said anything when I was around.

Ruby was still giving me the cold shoulder, and honestly, I couldn’t blame her. I’d exploded on her the day Kaira left, and she hadn’t spoken to me since. I hadn’t apologized either. What was the point?

The silence was suffocating. I was going to drive myself crazy if I stayed in the house another minute.

That evening, I met up with some old friends for drinks. The bar was loud and lively, but it didn’t take long for me to notice the shift in energy. I knew it was because of me. Conversations were stilted, laughter forced.

Eventually, I couldn’t ignore it any longer. “All right,” I said, setting my drink down. “What’s going on with you guys? Why is everyone acting weird?”

They exchanged glances, and I could see the unspoken agreement pass between them. Finally, Simon spoke up. “We’re not the weird ones, Roman. You are.”

I frowned. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“It means you lied to us,” Simon said bluntly. “To our faces. About the engagement, about Kaira. About everything.”

“And let’s not forget that you dragged a perfectly nice woman into your mess and then tossed her aside like she was nothing,” Chloe added.

My jaw tightened. “That’s not what happened.”

“Isn’t it?” Simon challenged. “Because that’s what it looks like from where we’re standing.”

I looked around the table, hoping to find an ally, but all I saw were grim faces.

“You’ve been keeping everyone at arm’s length for years,” Simon said quietly. “Then Kaira comes along, and for a second, we thought maybe she was breaking through that rough exterior of yours.”

“But you couldn’t even let that happen, could you?” Chloe said. “You’re so damn terrified of being vulnerable that you ruined it before it could go anywhere.”

“Enough,” I snapped, my voice sharp.

“No, Roman, you need to hear this. If you don’t see all this as a giant red flag, you’re in trouble.” Simon took a drink. “I know you don’t want to hear it, but real friends tell each other the truth, even when it’s difficult.”

They were right, and I hated it. Hated them for pointing it out. But mostly, I hated myself.

There was no cheering me up after that. I was a miserable drinking buddy and they gave up trying to get through to me. One by one, they called it a night, leaving me alone at the table with a half-empty glass and a gnawing sense of regret.

I couldn’t run from the truth: I was the problem. And if I didn’t fix it, I’d be alone forever.