Beneath The Billionaire's Shadow

think this is t

her side of the phone, but it was too late. The words ha

my decision settling over me like a

e from the bank was the last straw-if I didn't come up with something, my family's art gallery would close within a week. All the h

th worry. "You don't have to go through

second job wouldn't be enough. A loan wasn't an option. The one thing that stood between me and to

takes," I replied, staring at my reflection in the window.

omised an astronomical sum for 'a night with Lola Anderson.' It wasn't just about the money. It was abo

s, Lola. You're better than this.

gallery, for my family's future. My heart wrenched at the though

the tiny, aging art gallery on the corner of Main Street. It had bee

hose names graced the headlines. But I felt like a ghost in their world. I was nothing more than a charity piece,

shoulders. I could hear the chatter, the laughter, the clinking of glasses as the wealthy patrons gathered in the ha

n there

nder

ungest heir to the Kings Corporation fortune, and if there was anyone I didn't expect to be in that room, it was him. H

ere h

tood near the front, a cold drink in hand. He was dressed in a tailored suit, his

y shook it off. I couldn't afford distractions

out. "Next up, ladies and gentlemen, we have a very special item. A nigh

er. I had no illusions about the nature of tonight. It wasn't about me; it was about wha

lars," the auctioneer called out, and t

uldn't even register the sum. Two hundred thousand. Three hundred thousand. Four hundred thousand. E

voice called from the front

t need to look t

nder

I didn't dare meet his eyes. I

?" the auctioneer continued, un

unaware of the growing whispers, the excited chatter. All I could t

her voice echoed, and then,

aking my palms sweat. It was the realization of what was happening. This wasn't just a transa

f in the chaos, I heard it-the vo

rs," Alexander said, his vo

ll into stu

t. This was no longer about saving my family. This

er's words rang out, but all I could hear w

been b

m? And at