Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 21 - Chapitre 30

EUDORAI just couldn’t believe what I was hearing.Starting the bidding at two million was only going to make the wealthy men and women in this room want the painting even more. That was how auctions like this worked. Half the time, it was never really about the artwork itself. It was about pride, status, and the silent battle of power behind who got to own it. The higher the price climbed, the more desperate they became to win, simply because none of them wanted to lose.“Two million for number one,” the presenter announced, a bright smile stretching across her lips as she looked around the room. “Do I hear another bid?”“Two point five million!” a voice suddenly shouted from somewhere within the crowd.“Two point five million!” the presenter repeated excitedly, her eyes lighting up with clear surprise. Just like me, she probably never imagined this piece would sell for so much money. “Do I hear another opposition?”“Three million!” another bidder yelled almost immediately.Soft murm

EUDORA I tried not to stare at the man seated across from me. It was difficult not to. Orion Blackmoor sat with an almost irritating level of calmness, eating his food slowly and without a single trace of hurry, while I sat there absentmindedly pushing my food around with my fork instead of actually eating it. I still felt bad for cancelling dinner with Aria. She had sounded excited earlier, and now I was sitting in an expensive restaurant across from a man who practically forced his way into my evening plans. Still… this was business, wasn’t it? Business came first. Aria would understand. We could always have dinner tomorrow. Right? “Are you going to eat that food,” Orion’s deep voice suddenly interrupted my thoughts, “or keep playing with it until it gets cold.” I looked up immediately, blinking slowly at him from across the table. “I appreciate the dinner, Mr. Blackmoor,” I said politely, setting my fork down, “but can we get to the actual reason we’re here?” B

EUDORAMy brows furrowed immediately.I exchanged a brief glance with Ariel before helping her down from her chair carefully.Just as I approached the door, I saw Kathy standing outside, dressed in a black pant, a black sheer top, and a nipple patch.Folding my hands across my chest, I took a slow step forward, my eyes moving between Aria and Kathy as I tried to understand what was going on.“Is everything okay?” Kathy’s eyes snapped to me immediately.“I am here to ask my sister if she is moving in with you,” she hissed sharply, “since she hasn’t been home for days.”“Oh…” I let out slowly, blinking as I processed her words. I mean… what do you expect me to say to that? It almost sounds like she’s whining.I gave a small, awkward shrug. “I’ll let you two talk it out then.”I turned slightly, already preparing to walk back to where Ariel was waiting, wanting no part of whatever emotional bickering of two siblings.But before I could take another step, Kathy’s voice stopped me.“You

EUDORASeated in front of the mirror, I watched complete strangers move around me. One worked carefully on my makeup, another styled my hair, while someone else handed me different perfumes to choose from.The entire situation felt unreal.“Are you ready to see the final look?” the makeup artist asked softly.I nodded slowly. Most of the time, she had stood in front of the mirror, blocking my view, so I had no idea what I looked like yet.She finally stepped aside.I opened my eyes fully and stared at my reflection.For a moment, I almost didn’t recognize the woman looking back at me. She reminded me so much of the version of myself who used to attend expensive galas and luxurious events beside Desmond.But this time, there was one obvious difference.My eyes no longer looked lifeless, cold, or painfully sad.Back then, every event with Desmond had felt like an obligation, something I forced myself to survive. But tonight was different. I was genuinely excited to be there.“This is be

ORIONThe stunned look on Eudora’s face almost made me laugh.“You want to make me what?” she asked in disbelief, her eyes moving quickly between Angel and me as though she was trying to figure out if this was some kind of joke.Angel looked just as shocked. “I honestly have no idea what is happening right now,” she admitted, still staring at us. “But one thing I do know is that this is not the kind of conversation we should be having here.”Truthfully, there was no reason to keep discussing it. Eudora is talented, and everyone in the room could see it. Her artwork spoke for itself, and I had no doubt she would bring in both attention and money for SB Stars.“Come with me,” I said softly, extending my hand toward her. “There are a few people I want you to meet.”After a brief hesitation, Eudora placed her champagne glass on a nearby table before slipping her hand into mine.“I guess I’ll see you around then,” she said to Angel with a polite smile.Angel gave a slow nod, though her gaz