All Chapters of Switched at the Mafia Auction: Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

~ Avelyn ~Through the window, I could see the ballroom glowing like a lantern from within, gold and white lights reflecting off the water. I should’ve felt out of place, but instead… I felt suspended. Caught between fear and curiosity.The ballroom was a blur of silk and crystal. Music swelled from a live orchestra hidden behind a curtain of roses. People moved like art in gowns whispering across the marble, masks glittering under chandeliers.When Xander appeared, even the mask couldn’t hide that aura, that tall frame that towered men and women, the room seemed to pause. His mask was black, edged in gold, covering half his face. He looked both regal and dangerous like temptation sculpted into form.“Dance with me,” he said.It wasn’t a request.I placed my hand in his, heart pounding through the music. The crowd parted for him as if trained to. When he pulled me into the center of the floor, I felt the weight of every gaze, the mixture of curiosity, envy, confusion.Then the orchest

~ Avelyn ~I hate that he was right. I don’t drink but I sure as hell needed a glass or two to calm my nerves. For goodness sake I just got served the hottest piece of slap I had ever received in front of a multitude of wealthy folks. I think I can handle my liquor. So I accepted, not because he offered, but because I needed it’s The burn of the alcohol barely registered. I was too aware of him, his silence, the calm cadence of his breathing.Then, he spoke again, ever so casually like it wasn’t the most dangerous thing in the world.“Be my woman, Avelyn.”My chest tightened. “Excuse me?”He took a slow sip, eyes never leaving mine. “Didn’t you see what that slap did to you? Don’t you know how the others look at you now? They smell weakness in the air. They’ll tear you apart just to see if I’ll intervene again.”He set the glass down gently. “But if you become my woman this ends. No one whispers your name. No one lays a hand on you. No one even breathes your direction unless I allow

~ Avelyn ~The word hit harder than a slap.For a second, everything went still. The sound of the sea vanished. The soft hum of the chandelier disappeared. It was just my pulse sounding violent, uneven, refusing to believe.“No,” I breathed. “You’re lying.”He didn’t even blink. “I don’t lie, Avelyn. I let people destroy themselves with the truth.”My knees weakened. I took a step back, shaking my head like it might erase the words. “You’re saying this to hurt me. You always do.”“If that’s what you need to believe,” he said quietly. “But by morning, you’ll see the headlines.”I couldn’t breathe. My chest tightened as if the air itself had betrayed me.He watched me crumble, and there was something cruelly calm about it as if he was studying the collapse of a building he’d already condemned.“Why?” My voice cracked. “Why would you tell me this?”“Because you deserve to stop chasing ghosts,” he said simply. “Because hope is the cruelest leash of all.”I stared at him, shaking. “You cou

~ Avelyn ~ The silence after Kyle’s call faded was somehow louder than the ringing itself. My phone screen went black again, returning me to the dim reflection of my own face—swollen eyes, dry lips, a girl holding herself together with threads too thin to pretend anymore. For a long moment I didn’t move. My fingers stayed curled loosely around the device, not gripping it, not releasing it, just… existing with it like a weight I wasn’t sure I wanted to put down. The internal war was sharp, raw enough that I could feel every argument, every fear, every betrayal pressing against my ribs. Part of me wanted to call him back instantly, demand answers, scream at him, beg him to say Xander was wrong. But another part, the part scarred by the last twelve hours didn’t trust my own voice anymore. Didn’t trust what I’d do if I heard his.I set the phone down carefully on my nightstand, as if any sudden movement might shatter whatever remained of me. My hands were trembling, too restless to stay

~ Avelyn ~ The car felt too quiet for how loud my head was.City lights smudged across the window like someone dragging their thumb through wet paint, but all I saw was him, the way Xander looked at me when he said it.Be my woman.God. The words looped in my skull like I’d swallowed them wrong and they wouldn’t go down. I kept replaying the moment, searching for the part where I opened my mouth and said something…anything back. But there was nothing. Just silence. My silence. And the shock sitting heavy in my chest like a stone.The worst part? I didn’t understand myself.Last time he said those words, I’d snapped out a firm “no” so fast it almost cut my tongue. I’d been steady, sure, anchored in fear and anger and desperation. But tonight? Tonight my throat closed like the answer got stuck somewhere between my ribs and my shame.Why couldn’t I reject him with the same fire?Why did it feel like his voice crawled under my skin and stayed there?And why… why did a part of me tremble