Chapter 12 Oliver
Oliver
“Sold to the lady in black!” the MC crows, slamming down the gavel. “Oliver Van Doren, you’ve just been won for thirty thousand dollars!”
The ballroom erupts. There’s applause, laughter, and lots of flashbulbs. I paste on my trademark grin, the one the press eats up.
Big O.
Golden boy.
All the while, I’m fuming inside.
This isn’t how the auction was supposed to play out.
The date I spent weeks planning started off with a stroll along Navy Pier before moving on to an after-hours private tour of the Art Institute and then heading to dinner at Gold Coast Table where I secured a corner table with amazing views of the lake and champagne waiting in an ice bucket.
I wanted Rina to see the city through my eyes, to show her the places that hold meaning to me. This wasn’t something I threw together on a whim.
I designed it all with her specifically in mind.
I wanted to prove that we’re more than just a string of hookups.
And now?
Now I’m stuck with Gabby, the blonde socialite slash model who’s been sliding into my DMs for months, the one who sweet-talked her way past my building doorman and calls me Ollie like we’ve known each other for years.
Cameras continue to flash as I bow one more time and then stalk off the stage.
My forced grin slips the moment I’m out of sight, and the heat backstage hits like a wall.
I tug at my bow tie, trying to breathe through the noise as every sound grates against my nerves.
The laughter and applause, along with the sound of my own name, continue to ricochet through the ballroom.
Zane paces by the mirror, sunglasses perched on top of his head as he mutters to himself. “How the hell did Jax go for more than me? Look at this.” He gestures at his reflection. “Who wouldn’t want to go out on a date with me?”
Laiken doesn’t bother looking up as he answers, “Anyone with a few brain cells to rub together.”
Jax smirks and claps him on the back with a little too much force. “Cheer up, Holloway. That woman who bid on you? She’s hot. You could do a lot worse.”
“That was Gigi, my fiancée,” Zane mutters, red creeping up his neck.
“Even better!” Jax fires back, swinging his grin toward me. “Damn, Van Doren. Plot twist of the night. I really thought Rina had you locked down.” His voice dips, turning just a bit taunting. “Guess you’ll be wining and dining Gabby instead. I’m sure you’ll have a blast shutting down her advances.”
I drag a hand down my face, but it does nothing to dull the storm gathering inside me. “Yeah. A blast.”
Unfortunately, I don’t see a way out of this mess. Gabby’s the last person I want to spend my time with. And she knows it.
As if summoned by my thoughts, she appears from behind the curtain.
She’s tall and polished. Airbrushed perfection wrapped in a glittering gown that probably cost more than my first car. There’s an ease to her movements, a silent expectation that people’s heads will turn in her direction.
Irritation sparks through me.
I didn’t grow up with money. For a lot of years, my family barely scraped by. Everything I own was earned through hard work and determination. And now this rich woman has bought me like I’m a luxury item she can show off to her friends.
It just rubs me the wrong way.
Her smile sharpens as she zeroes in on me. “Guess there’s no way to avoid me now,” she purrs, sliding her manicured hand down my arm like we’re old friends. Her perfume is too sweet as it clogs my nostrils.
My shoulders lock.
When I shift back, trying to put a little bit of distance between us, she leans in closer. From somewhere off to the side, a camera flashes in our direction, and I realize she’s angling her body toward it. Gabby knows she’s being watched, and loves every second of it.
I’m sure the press will gobble this up.
Pictures of the Big O with his blonde bombshell will be plastered all over that damn gossip website by morning.
My jaw flexes hard enough to ache.
Of course the one person I don’t want to see chooses this exact moment to show up.
Rina freezes in the doorway.
For just a split second, her expression is unguarded. A mix of hurt, disbelief, and something raw that cuts straight through me crosses her face before her mask snaps back into place. In a heartbeat, she’s the Railers’ untouchable, perfectly composed PR manager again.
“Congratulations,” she says coolly, as if she’s thanking someone for a corporate donation instead of watching another woman buy the man she’s been sleeping with. “Your bid was very generous. I hope you two have a wonderful time on your date.”
Rina swings away before I can wrap my tongue around a response. Her spine is straight as she walks away without looking back.
“Rina!” Her name tears out of me.
Half the room turns in our direction. Cameras swivel as flashbulbs go off. The sound of shutters fills the space as they catch Gabby’s hand on my arm. For just a second, the racket around me fades as the light burns white-hot. All I see is the woman I want walking away from me.
My throat tightens and my fists clench. I want to go after her, to shove through every person in this goddamn room until I reach her, but I don’t.
How can I do that when the press is everywhere?
One wrong move, and the story will write itself.
So I do the only thing I can, and stand there frozen while my name gets tossed around like a punchline.
A hollow ache settles deep beneath my sternum, followed by something that burns hotter.
Anger.
Frustration.
And there’s no outlet for either.
I’m pissed at Gabby for acting like she owns me.
At the auction for turning people into prizes.
And at Rina for pretending I mean nothing to her, when we both know she feels this just as much as I do.