Page 63 of The Marriage Auction 2: Part 3

He shook her off. “No. I’ll not sit here and have a meal with these…people,who don’t even know what we’ve done orsacrificed to get to where we are today. Naomi should be with a man like Malik!”

Oh, good Lord, here we go again.

“I’m never marrying Malik, Dad. I don’t love him!” I cried.

“And you love this man you’ve known what, two weeks? You’ve known Malik all your life. He’s the perfect man for you. He’ll father the next generation of successful Shaws, and our legacy will continue.”

Leon stood, wobbling a bit as he grabbed his cane and braced one hand on the back of his chair. “Why are we here? If my son isn’t good enough for you or your legacy?” Leon grated, his words a deep angry timbre that would make anyone quiver in their boots.

“Because I needed to speak some sense to all of you. I’m prepared to offer you millions of dollars to force your son to walk away from my daughter.”

And there it was. My father always believing money was the solution to everything.

“Here we go again.” My mother sighed, grabbed her champagne, and downed the entire thing. I didn’t have time or the energy to scold her for drinking when she shouldn’t be.

“I’ve heard enough. Robin, Momma, we’re leaving,” Leon stated flatly.

Both Robin and Granny stood as the waiter approached with our appetizers. We hadn’t even taken a single bite of food before everything went to shit.

“Twenty million dollars,” my father called out coolly. “Twenty million and all of this goes away.”

Leon took his wife’s hand and shook his head as he looked my father straight in the face. “I feel sorry for you.”

My father laughed. “I can’t wait to hear why.”

Leon looked at me with sorrow-filled eyes, then at his son. “Money can’t buy love, Mr. Shaw, but it can destroy a man from within.”

On that parting wisdom, he led his wife and mother out of the restaurant, their heads held high.

Episode 77

A Not So Blast From the Past

MADAM ALANA

Emily trembled within my arms. Her skin becoming clammy and cool to the touch as the car careened through the busy streets of Paris. I could hear her breathing was rapid and shallow.

“Chérie, look at me,” I whispered.

She lifted her face, her eyes rolling a bit before they centered again. I could see her pupils were dilated. I think fear was throwing the young girl into shock.

I rubbed my hands up and down her arms, trying to warm her while I kept her close. “I’m right here. You’re going to be okay. I’ll handle this. You just stay calm and quiet and everything will work out as it’s supposed to. Okay, my darling?” I encouraged, and she nodded silently.

“I said, shut the fuck up!” the masked passenger shouted, in an accent I believed was Russian. He pointed his gun at us while the SUV took another corner so fast our bodies squashed up against one man and then settled against the other like we were in a pin ball machine. “Give me your phones, now!” he barked.

I went to reach into my purse when it was ripped out of my hold by the attacker sitting to my left. Emily pulled hers out of her back pocket and half tossed it at the scary man before burrowing into my chest. She sobbed against my breast, her fingers digging into my arms. Her breathing became evenmore rapid before she brokenly gasped, and her entire weight slumped against my chest.

“Fuck, the girl passed out,” the man sitting to our right said.

“Good. We’re almost there,” the masked passenger growled as he tossed our phones out the window.

“Emily!” I panicked and pressed my fingers to her neck. Her pulse fluttered against my fingertips, sending waves of relief through my body. She was okay, just so terrified her body shut down.

I looked out the window and noted we were in the 1st arrondissement nearing the Ritz Paris, which overlooked Place Vendôme. A five-star hotel in the heart of Paris was not the seedy location I’d expected to be taken. And yet, the SUV pulled behind the lavish hotel where a few other masked men with visible guns were waiting. The SUV came to a screeching halt, and the men beside us jumped out. I patted Emily’s face gently.

“Wake up, darling,” I said, my heart in my throat. “Please, Emily…”

“Just grab her and let’s go,” the lead man instructed one of his men, while pointing at Emily.

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