༺RAYNE༻ “Rayne dear, you're finally awake!” Kim's voice is the first thing I hear when I open my eyes. I groan a little and clutch my hair, feeling a throbbing pain in my head. I sit up and scan the room. I'm in my bedroom, back in New York. The last thing I remember is standing right outside the diner. How am I here now? “Kim,” I murmur and lean against the headboard. “What happened? How'd I get here? What time is it?” Kim sits on the edge of the bed and pours me a glass of water. “Here you go, dear. Have this first.” I take the water and drink it all in one gulp. I ask for another one and she gives it to me. I'm really feeling dehydrated like I haven't had water in days. When I've drunk enough, I repeat my questions. “You've been unconscious since last night after you had a severe hypoglycemic episode.“ Kim puts the glass down and looks at me tiredly. She has dark circles under her eyes. “What?” She nods. “You drank too much beer and it really messed with your blood sugar le
༺RAYNE༻ After sitting at home for two days and getting bored out of my mind, Sabrina comes over to the house and insists on taking me to the beauty salon. Like hell, I would refuse. I don't really care if Liam thinks I'm not fit to be roaming around the streets of New York city. Those were his exact words. Like I actually walk aimlessly in the city. He's such a pain in the ass. Even when I tell him repeatedly that I'm fine and that Kim says I can go out now, he's not having it. He keeps treating me like I'm some kind of cancer patient. But I won't let him. “Where did you say we were going again?” I turn to Sabrina who's already glammed up as if we're heading to a fashion show. We're in her car and yes, Max is coming along with me. She takes off her diamond studded sunglasses. “We're going to Furioso, honey. The one and only place where New York’s elite wives go to get preened and primped. You're an Everhart now, you're practically royalty—you need a salon that recognizes that! At
༺RAYNE༻ I'm pacing back and forth in the living room, waiting for Liam to come home. I glance at the clock. It's almost 12 AM. I don't get it. He should've been home hours ago. Where could he be? And what's keeping him so long? I've dialled his number more times than I can actually count but my calls are being sent straight to voicemail. The last time Liam was out of reach like this was on our wedding day. I'm getting very anxious and impatient. My eyes keep darting between the clock and the wristwatch Genevieve handed to me. My heart clutches in pain. I don't know why I'm feeling overly emotional about what Genevieve said to me. I don't understand why I'm feeling betrayed but I am. I really need to see Liam right now and speak with him. He's going to answer my questions whether he likes it or not. He must tell me why and how his wristwatch ended up with his ex-girlfriend and explain to me what the hell she said. “And yes, do tell him the sex was wonderful.” Her voice is echoing
༺RAYNE༻ I'm all dolled up, ready to go to the auction. Liam's been ready for about an hour now but he's been on the phone ever since. He hasn't said a word to me since our argument last night. I feel like crap and I can't do anything about it. Why did I quickly believe what Genevieve said to me? And why did it get to me so much? I don't understand any of this. I'm still eager to know why Liam has been coming home very late. I've got a feeling that it has nothing to do with work. And I wouldn't think of asking him about it. It'll only piss him off and he'd definitely remind me how I've got no right to question him. So what do I do? I find Jonathan who's practically Liam's shadow now and get him to tell me what he knows. I drag him outside the house and to the front of the car we'd be riding into the auction. “Mrs Everhart, this is not right,” Jonathan says monotonously, his eyes darting between me and the door at the entrance. “I'm afraid I cannot tell you that. I'm under oath to
༺RAYNE༻ Who is that man? It seems I'm not the only one who has no idea who he is. Everyone else is wondering the same thing. Well, everyone except Liam. He seems to know him very well and he's glaring at him like he's his archnemesis. I look at the man nestled comfortably in his seat. He's a fine, toned man, with sleek jet-black hair, well-shaved chiselled chin and a fiery set of brown eyes. He's wearing a black tuxedo. His eyes catch mine and I glance away immediately. But I feel him still staring at me. The way he doubled up the bid like it was nothing... That's incredible. From $50 million to $100 million? Whoa! Are auctions usually like this? I've never been to one before. I've only read about them and seen them on TV. This feels like I'm in some kind of crazy power struggle straight out of a movie. This strange man is playing for keeps, doubling the bid like it’s no big deal. I’ve never seen anything like it. Liam still hasn't taken his eyes off him. The two of them lock hard
༺RAYNE༻ What? I freeze in my seat and my jaw slacks open as I stare hard at Mr Shumway. Of all the women present here, why did it have to be me? So what, I'm supposed to stand next to the podium and be auctioned off like I'm some painting? Well, to be fair, it's for charity. And I won't be doing more than just having dinner with the highest bidder. So I guess it can't be that bad. I try to console myself with this. “Mrs Rayne Everhart,” Mr Shumway echoes and puts down the gold card with my name written on it. “Please come to the stage and grant these men the honour of bidding for a chance to have you as their date tomorrow night.” I bite my lip, glancing over at Liam, whose eyes are already on me. His jaw is snapped shut and his gaze on me is intense. I see a vein pop in his forehead as he stares at me hard-on as if daring me to get up from my seat. I take a deep breath and stand up. And then I feel Liam's hand grip my wrist immediately. I look down at him. “Don't even think ab
༺RAYNE༻ “You're unbelievable, Liam!” I fume, stomping all the way to our bedroom. Once I'm in, I fling my purse on the bed and start getting rid of my heels. The stilettos are killing me. And I feel worse because the discomfort is coupled with Liam's ever rich and charming attitude. Ugh! He almost caused a scene at the auction, insisting that there'd be no date between me and Damien. At first, he said he'd rather die than let it happen and insisted on doubling Damien's $1 billion bid. It took a lot of convincing from Mr Shumway who suggested calling Lucas and reporting the turn of events to him. Liam finally agreed to let me go on a date with Damien tomorrow night but he's furious. I'm talking ’furious-enough-to-burst-into-flames-and-incinerate-anything-in-his-path’ furious. He didn't speak to me while we drove back home but the minute we got into the house, he started lecturing me on taking his side and not opposing him in public. And this is all because I repeatedly told him in
༺RAYNE༻ “You came,” Damien breathes, taking my hand and kissing the back. “Welcome.” My insides squirm when his lips touch the back of my hand, his hot breath fanning my skin. A breathy gasp rips out of my lips and I gulp as I stare at the man. He lifts his head up to meet my gaze and smiles again. It's not a full, warm smile. It's something in between a smile and a smirk but it's enthralling and mysterious. It's the kind that makes you wonder what he's thinking, what he's capable of. But it really does look good on him. And so does his all-black outfit—black suit, black shirt and black tie. They complement his wet raven hair and his inked skin. My eyes linger on the tattoos on the back of his hands and the ones on his neck. They give him an air of edgy, dangerous refinement. I can tell he’s not the typical suit-and-tie type of guy but he has a dark, magnetic charm that probably makes him an eye candy for the women of New York. I clear my throat and smile a little as he lets go