CHAPTER 62: SALES AND PRIDE

Yenik’s gaze dropped to where my hand rested on Lewis’s.

For a brief moment, his face went blank. Like something inside him had cracked. He looked at me the way people do when they realize the past doesn’t belong to them anymore.

Once, I had followed him everywhere. Built my world around his attention.

Now, I was standing beside someone else calm, steady, unmoved.

Men like Yenik only understood distance after it was too late. When you chased them, they grew bored. When you walked away, they suddenly felt cheated. Their pride didn’t know how to handle balance.

His eyes searched my face, hunting for the girl who used to beg him to stay.

She wasn’t there.

I didn’t lower my gaze. I didn’t tighten my grip. I didn’t feel anything at all.

Beside me, Lewis sat in quiet control. He didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t need to. The space around him settled naturally, like it knew where it belonged. People leaned in without realizing why.

Lincy finally saw him up close.

The man she once mocked. The one she thought I’d been dumped on.

Her confidence wavered. Just a flicker. But I caught it.

Rumors had built a story in her head. Reality broke it apart.

Lewis hadn’t said a word, yet she straightened in her seat, smile stiff, tone polite. Too polite.

Lewis had arranged the seating carefully. I was placed right beside Lincy.

She didn’t question it.

Good.

She assumed chance. I knew better.

Once we sat, she began her little show. Feeding Yenik fruit. Laughing softly. Glancing my way to see if it hurt.

Yenik kept looking over, uncertain. Waiting.

The old Riley would have snapped. Raised her voice. Made it ugly.

I didn’t move.

A server placed a platter before us. I took a piece of melon, lifted it to Lewis’s lips without thinking.

He accepted it easily. No pause. No surprise. His eyes met mine, calm and warm, like this was where he belonged.

Whatever I gave him, he took. No questions.

The noise around us faded. The whispers. The looks. None of it mattered.

Then the auction began.

I already knew what I wanted. So I waited.

And then it appeared.

A jewelry set was presented bright, elegant, carefully staged to draw attention. I didn’t want it. But I lifted my paddle anyway.

Right on cue, Lincy joined in.

"Riley, I like this one too," she said lightly. "Hope you don’t mind."

I frowned, just enough. "Do you really have to compete with me again? We’ve done this since we were kids."

She smiled wider. "Guess we just have the same taste."

The price climbed.

Five million. Ten. Twenty.

The room grew quiet. Heads turned. People whispered.

Lincy refused to back down. Neither did I.

By the time she finally won, the number had hit eighty million.

I knew the set was worth far less.

She had paid thirty million extra just to feel victorious.

Her smile was bright. Triumphant. "Looks like I got it."

I lowered my gaze and forced a small sigh. "Of course. I can’t beat you."

She believed it.

Inside, I was already counting.

Sometimes, you don’t fight with force.

You let them chase. Let them overreach. Let them think they’ve won.

Lincy thought this was a victory.

She didn’t know it was bait.

And she had already taken it.

After that, her confidence soared. She leaned back, relaxed, ready for the next round.

She expected me to challenge her again.

I smiled softly.

I had other plans.

I let her keep raising the prices.

Sometimes thirty percent more. Sometimes sixty.

The moment it crossed into nonsense, I pulled back and moved on. Every time, she thought she’d won. Every time, she sank deeper.

Within thirty minutes, Lincy had burned through over six hundred million.

I kept my act believable. Tight smiles. Small sighs. A little tension in my shoulders. Inside, it took effort not to laugh.

She was too busy feeding her own pride to notice.

What she didn’t understand was this this wasn’t even the real hunt yet. She was already bleeding resources, and Yenik hadn’t truly stepped in.

Then came the main event.

Custom evening gowns.

For families like the Ashbournes, these weren’t clothes. They were status symbols. Power worn on the body. Each piece was one of a kind, stitched by hands that answered only to the elite.

Diamonds sewn into silk. Gold thread woven so fine it caught the light like fire. One dress could cost a hundred million without effort.

The room buzzed. Desire hung thick in the air. Women leaned forward, eyes shining, like they were staring at crowns instead of fabric.

I felt nothing.

They looked heavy. Restricting. Made to impress, not to move.

Still, I leaned toward Lewis and slipped my fingers into his, letting my voice soften. "Lewis, I really like this one. Can you get it for me?"

He didn’t even blink. "Of course."

Yenik turned sharply, shock flashing across his face. Not just at my words but at how close we were. At how natural it felt.

Lincy noticed immediately.

She clutched Yenik’s arm. "I like it too," she said quickly. "Buy it for me."

"Sure," he replied, lifting his chin like a challenge had been thrown.

That was it.

Not a dress anymore.

A contest.

Yenik raised his paddle.

Lewis followed, calm as ever.

The numbers climbed fast.

One hundred. One fifty. Two hundred.

At three hundred, most people dropped out. The air grew tense. Eyes darted between the two men.

Still, neither backed down.

The price soared. Logic left the room.

My stomach tightened. I hadn’t planned for it to go this far. I tugged Lewis’s sleeve, shaking my head slightly.

I leaned in, voice low and urgent. "That’s enough. I don’t want it anymore."

The word slipped out on instinct. "Honey."

He paused.

Just once.

That was all it took.

Yenik slammed down the final bid.

Eight hundred million.

The room went silent.

Yenik turned to me, smug and swollen with victory. "Looks like your man couldn’t even buy you a dress."

I smiled and squeezed Lewis’s hand.

Inside, I was glowing.

They’d overpaid by seven hundred million.

Straight into our territory.

Pride made them loud. Sense made us rich.

After that, I placed a few more small bids. Nothing serious. Just enough to keep the total climbing.

By the end of the night, the sales had crossed two Grantion.

Lincy was still laughing, still showing off, still tossing little insults my way.

"You’re sure the Hales are real elite?" she said lightly. "Riley, don’t tell me you married into a fake noble family."

I shrugged. "Maybe I did."

Lewis stayed quiet. Steady. Unmoved.

That kind of calm didn’t come from pretending. It came from knowing exactly where you stood.

Then the shift happened.

A manager from Lustre Jewels approached us. Well-dressed. Careful. Respectful.

He handed Lewis a tablet and bowed slightly. "Sir, here are today’s sales records. Please sign for approval."

The room changed.

Lincy froze.

Yenik’s face drained of color.

"What... what did he just say?" Lincy whispered.

Lewis didn’t answer.

He simply took the tablet.

And signed.