Beneath The Billionaire's Shadow

gh the dim light as the room buzzed with

cooperate as the weight of his bid settled

name wasn't the

blurred-almost as though I had lost track of time and reality. My body stood frozen, my eyes locked on Alexander Wolfe, w

oneer's voice shifted. "The highest bid... si

e face. I jerked, my stomach flipping. A cold shiver raced down my spine a

Cast

cou

social scene. Mayor of the city and one of the most ruthless business tycoons in the worl

r repeated, barely able to mask his

ion, and the whispers among the guests grew louder. Alexander Wolfe was no longer the winner. And for reaso

themselves against the podium. My breath was sha

as d

ered on me from across the room that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand u

ratulate Castillo, and the crowd's attention had shifted. But I was still lo

of here. I had to

y voice to stay steady as I stepp

rose slowly from his seat, the room around us now barely a whisper. His tall, commanding figure made the rest of th

s voice low, deep, almost v

eyes made my skin crawl, but I couldn't figure out why it unsettl

es fading into the background. As we reached a quieter corner, he

don't you?" His words hung

pulse had quickened. "I assume it means...

thin smile. "It means you're mine. For the night, at

and my heart skipped in my che

ntensity of his gaze making it hard to breathe. "I don't intend for

be bought and sold at a whim. I had prepared myself for this moment, for the humili

tepping closer. "I'm not interested in playing ga

space between us, heav

et away. I co

k a sharp step back. "I'm not here for you to control," I managed to choke

ola. You'll find that I rarely need to control anything. You'l

asn't just the words that unsettled me-it was the calm certainty behind them. He wasn't just a bidd

see Alexander Wolfe standing just behind Castillo. His expressio

d for a moment, it felt as thou

carrying that same icy edge. "I trust you'r

briefest moment, I saw something flash in his

ord," Alexander replied, his voice low an

"Well, that's the beauty of business, isn

ling that none of us were ge

weight of the auction suddenly seemed insignificant. What was at stake now wasn't j

, guiding me away from the confrontation, I re

s... who would

just destroy ev