19. Addison
19
ADDISON
“M eth and blood all over the inside of the car,” he said in a scandalized whisper. “And they really thought the police would believe anyone would leave all that perfectly good product behind, let alone rub it into the carpet as evidence .”
I let out a light gasp.
“But Victoria was like straight As, got into Stanford, Miss Perfect?—”
“She cracked,” he said with light in his eyes. “It’s the quiet ones, I’m telling you.”
I shook my head and took a sip of the champagne we grabbed on our first circle of the property. We stopped in front of a less crowded set of paintings to continue our gossip session.
Fuck, did I love hearing just how fucked up people from our high school had turned out. It made me feel better about the shit show my life had turned into. Like I wasn’t the only one who wasn’t where I thought I’d be.
“You seem to be doing well, though,” I commented, motioning to his velvet suit. “What is it you do now?”
“I own my own internet security company.” He wore a huge grin. His pride radiated off him, and I couldn’t help but smile back. “It’s not where I want it to be just yet, but we got a few good clients that have really kick-started our growth.”
“Well, you made it here, didn’t you?” I asked and motioned to the crowd filled with the wealthiest people Dominic could find. “That’s no easy feat.”
“I’m not the only one. You’re here. With Warren King , no less.”
I flinched at the mention of Warren. I had hoped that Ezra would overlook it. I couldn’t help but automatically look for him.
My eyes had wandered to his frame less than a minute before, and luckily enough, he was still standing in the same spot, looking utterly annoyed by the tall brunette who was animatedly talking his ear off.
His broad back was to me; the only way I could tell he was annoyed was just how tense the muscles in his neck were getting.
It had been hard to get my eyes off him all night. His presence was that overwhelming.
He turned just slightly, his eyes finding mine, like he could tell I was watching him, and we both just stood there, staring, for a second.
Until the brunette called his attention back to her by leaning forward and running her hand up his bicep.
Annoyance prickled at the back of my neck.
Isn’t it a bit weird for us to show up together but then have another woman have her hands all over him?
I had a plan. I had left them together because I wanted to get back at him. Annoy him a bit. But the more I watched her obviously flirting with Warren, the more frustrated I became.
“Yeah,” I said, letting my voice trail off as I turned back to him. “It’s a… complicated situation.”
That’s putting it mildly.
What could I say? I didn’t want to lie, but there was no other way to do it without giving away what was truly happening.
Ezra leaned closer.
“I know what he said about your dad… and what happened after,” he whispered. He clearly wasn’t joking anymore. “Is he tying you to him with a debt of some sort? Taking advantage of what he’s done? If you need anything, I can help. Like I said, my company isn’t the best of the best, but maybe I can figure out a way to… make you safe. To get him to back off.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. His sincerity took me off guard and started to break down my carefully built walls.
“I appreciate the offer,” I said and let my hand fall to his arm. “But I’m fine. I don’t need help. We have an… arrangement. He’s not taking advantage of me.”
At least not in the way you think.
“If you’re sure,” he replied, though his tone told me he didn’t quite believe me. His hand came to rest on mine. “I’ll give you my number. If anything comes up—and I mean anything —you call?—”
“Hello everyone, welcome to the first charity event of the year!” Dominic’s voice filtered through the speakers on every corner of the house. Our gazes snapped toward him as he walked down the grand staircase. Two assistants were at his side, both of them holding a painting that was no bigger than their torso.
They stopped at the last step while Dominic continued on as people gathered around him.
“I guess we better go,” Ezra said and motioned me forward, our conversation forgotten while I tried not to let the relief show on my face.
I nodded and led him to the middle, watching as Dominic patiently waited for the crowd to gather with a smile.
A familiar scent wafted over me. It was warm, musky, and had goose bumps rising all over my skin. I tried not to give in to the urge to look up at Warren, but I failed almost immediately.
His eyes were locked on Dominic, giving me a rare chance to stare at him without his intense gaze on me. My eyes followed the column of his throat, his Adam’s apple, then his strong jaw.
And that fucking suit. It hugged him nicely, showing off his light muscle tone and broad chest.
I didn’t care if he was an asshole. I wanted to bite him. Leave my mark on every surface I could.
Just that one thought had my body humming to life.
For once, I let my revenge plans and anger fall to the side and truly looked at him. If the young version of me had known what he would become, I don’t know what she’d think.
Seeing Warren become one of the richest men in the world probably would have had her giddy, but then to know what came after? The betrayal? The hate?
My desire for him might still be there, but I was a completely different person from my younger self. One who was willing to risk what little I had left to take down the man who ruined my life.
His hand brushed across my back, like he wanted me to know I was there, and despite my brain telling my body to stop, my breath still caught.
“As the regulars know, I save the most exciting pieces for last, giving everyone a chance to bid on them. This time, I have selected two, and all of the proceeds will go to the New Beginnings Orphanage.”
Warren’s jaw ticked and had me turning to Dominic. His eyes were searching the crowd, taking in their murmured praises.
“How thoughtful.”
“Those poor children.”
“I heard they’re under new management after… that .”
Am I the only one who doesn’t know about the orphanage?
“We will start the bid at twenty thousand. How does that sound?”
Twenty thousand? I looked around the crowd. Wasn’t that… embarrassingly low for this type of people?
“Alright, ready? Bidding starts now !”
Hands raised, one after the other, and Dominic started pointing to them as they called out their numbers.
“Eighty thousand!”
“One fifty!”
“Two hundred!’
“Four hundred!”
My mind couldn't keep up, and I realized this wasn’t for charity at all. People were just trying to make a show of how much money they had. How much more than their neighbor.
And to think I was once one of them.
Not for the first time, I found myself kind of disgusted at that thought.
Most people placed only one bid, then backed out, which led me to think…
Are they trying to raise the price?
I looked back at Warren, who had his eyes on his phone before quickly putting it away and focusing on the auction.
Was he bored? Probably. For all his shortcomings, Warren wasn’t the type to like flashy shows of wealth like this.
It wasn’t long until we were at a million. Then two, then three, and…
“Five million,” a voice called out from my left. I peered over Warren to see a tall man in glasses and slicked-back black hair. People started to murmur as he approached.
Warren glanced at him once and then back to Dominic.
I followed his gaze to see Dominic’s smile.
“Five million going once… twice…” He gave a dramatic pause before motioning to the man. “Sold! The New Beginnings Orphanage thanks you for your donation. Now, if you’ll follow me…” To the crowd, he said, “The auction will resume shortly.”
The man pushed through the crowd with a straight face.
“He seems a bit out of place,” Ezra murmured to me.
I nodded, my eyes still on the man. A sense of familiarity tugged at the back of my mind.
I’ve seen him before, but where?
The crowd was dispersing, so I turned to Ezra.
“Shall we continue?”
He nodded and held out his arm for me. Against my better judgment, I took it.