Page 99 of Falling For You

That was all that mattered.

I tried to recite my little mantra with closed eyes and deep breaths.

“So, who’s ready to bid on this lovely llama? Don’t be shy, gentlemen! She’s one-of-a-kind!”

I cringed internally as the bidding began. The crowd murmured, and a few hesitant voices threw out some low bids. $10, then $20.

Liam pitched in $30, and I wanted to hug him.

My face burned as I listened to the numbers slowly climb, and I was so grateful for this costume. Compared to the earlier contestants, whose bids had skyrocketed into the hundreds within seconds, mine felt like a slow crawl through the mud.

Millie tried to keep the energy up, encouraging more bids.

But the embarrassment sank in deeper and deeper. I wanted to curl up in a ball and disappear. Why had I thoughtthis was a good idea? Why hadn’t I chosen anything other than a llama costume? Every other contestant looked like they belonged at a glamorous masquerade ball, and here I was, the joke of the night.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the bidding stalled at a grand total of $75.

Seventy-five dollars. For a date with a woman dressed like a farm animal.

Just when I thought the night couldn’t get any more humiliating, a voice from the back of the room boomed over the crowd’s murmurs.

“I’ll bid a hundred thousand.”

Ah, great. A prankster.

The room turned deathly silent. Heads turned, and I felt a wave of disbelief wash over me.

I strained to see who had made such an outrageous bid.

The crowd parted, and there he was—Owen.

Standing at the back of the room, looking calm, confident, and entirely out of place in his sleek suit. His voice had cut through the noise like a knife, and now every pair of eyes was on him.

My heart stopped.

A hundred thousand dollars.

For me?

That could feed families for decades around here.

The crowd gasped collectively before whispers rippled through the room like wildfire. People stared at him and then turned to stare at me.

Millie, bless her, regained her composure faster than anyone else. She let out a shocked laugh, her eyes wide as she looked between us.

“Well, folks, I think we’ve just had our highest bid of the night!” she exclaimed, her voice full of astonishment.

My mind raced as I stood frozen, trying to process what was happening.

Owen had bid on me. He had offered such an outrageous amount that it had left the entire room speechless. And now, everyone was watching, waiting to see what I would do.

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to move, to speak, to do something.

But what was I supposed to do? Thank him? Run off the stage in embarrassment? I couldn’t even think straight.

Owen’s eyes locked onto mine, and something in his gazeterrified and thrilled me. He was making a statementthat wasn’t just about the money. He was saying something without words—something I wasn’t sure I was ready to hear.

Millie turned to me, her microphone still in hand, her eyes full of playful curiosity. “Well, Violet, what do you say? It seems like you’ve got yourself quite the bidder.”

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