Page 40 of The Marriage Auction 2: Part 1

“And I have known and felt your contribution and commitment to me my entire life. You allowing me into the auction when I know it’s the absolute last thing you want also proves how very much you care. But, Alana, I can take care of myself. This thing with Brenden…” I inhaled sharply, not wanting the many issues I had with my brother to invade my thoughts and put me into a spiral of blubbering sobs and tears. “Eventually, it will all work out as it’s supposed to.”

“Do you truly believe that, Julianne? You are planning to go after him and the family business with everything you’ve got. I know how incredibly capable you are. In truth, I fear for what will happen between you two. Your parents would be destroyed by what has already occurred. Part of me is thankful that they are not here to see what has become of the three of you. Their loss should have brought all of you together.”

“And instead, it ripped us apart. I know. I live it every single day. It’s forever on my mind,” I agreed. “But something has to change. I’m being pushed out of my birthright, and I need to find out why. That’s the primary reason I’m contesting the will. The people who raised and loved me would not have left me out. I don’t know what they were thinking. Maybe they were coerced. To be honest, there are too many questions and not enough answers. Lastly, I need to make sure everything I’ve built formyself isn’t pushed aside or washed away by my brother’s new wife, Hurricane Bianca.”

Alana closed her eyes for a moment and finally nodded. I could see the physical change in her expression from concern to determination. “Then let’s get you a husband for the highest amount possible.”

I grinned. “Now that’s the Alana I know and love,” I teased.

We came up to a door and she stopped when she put her hand on the metal knob. “I’m going to go in first and greet the men. Then I’ll call for you to enter, okay?”

I nodded. “Got it.”

Alana cupped my cheek and stared deeply into my eyes. “You are loved, Julianne. Never forget that. You have people you can count on.”

I put my hand over hers and nuzzled into her palm. “I know. Thank you for helping me.”

She pressed her lips together and nodded. “Remember you asked to be in the auction. You also asked for me to choose the most ideal bidders according to my knowledge and experience. You might question one of my choices, but I assure you, Godmother knows best.”

My mouth dropped open as her words filtered through my mind. “Wait, what does that mean?” I asked as she opened the door.

“You’ll find out soon enough,” she tutted in that cultured voice I adored, and yet her words felt foreboding.

“Alana,” I tried again, but she disappeared into the room.

I paced back and forth for at least five full minutes before I heard my name called.

“You’ve got this, Julianne,” I said to myself as I faced the door. “In the past, you’ve come up against men twice your size and meaner than snakes and still ended up on top. Nothing and no one will stop you from achieving your goals.”

I plastered a smile on my face, opened the door, and walked into my new life with my spine straight and my head held high.

There was a circular riser in the middle of the room with five men sitting in chairs about ten feet from the platform. Close enough to look, not close enough to touch.

“This is insanity!” I heard the deep rumble of a voice I knew all too well. Sometimes I’d heard it in my dreams, or when I was reliving a particularly intimate moment from my past while manually stimulating myself.

My head snapped up and our gazes met. His the color of a pristine blue sky to my unusual aqua shade. I turned my head toward where Alana stood behind a small podium. “What is the meaning of this?” I barked.

She smiled brightly. “Please take the riser, Julianne.”

I did as she bade on autopilot, my gaze flicking to one of the last men on Earth I’d expect to be sitting in a chair at a private auction for my hand in marriage.

The man I’d lusted after my entire life.

My brother’s ex-best friend, business partner, and the man I’d given my virginity to.

The one person who had always been off-limits.

Giovanni Falco.

“I don’t need to go over Julianne’s information as it was all in the brief I sent when you received your invitation. Let’s start the bidding at three million dollars,” Alana announced.

Immediately a man with a large cowboy hat raised his hand. He was ruggedly handsome and dipped his head in greeting, a hand tipping the brim of his hat the way a southern gentleman might.

My cheeks heated as the numbers rose.

“Five million…”

“Ten million…”

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