The number of donations displayed on the screen is rising rather rapidly, making my heart jump with every purchase.
“Are you ready?” Martin asks quietly, placing his hand on top of mine. I’ve been so engrossed in the auction that I didn’t even notice him join us. After a quick glance around, I see people whispering to each other in something that one might describe as anticipation.
“For what?” I whisper back.
But Martin doesn’t have time to reply because the announcer roars into the microphone.
“Ladies and gentlemen, are we ready for the last item you’ve been promised?”
Ladies cheer while men exchange knowing smirks.
“I take that as a yes,” he laughs. “Let me introduce you to the Pink Queen, the main item of the evening!”
Someone pulls the cover off the last thing rolled onto the stage, revealing… my dress. My dress? The very same dress I wore on my first outing with Ezra as a couple. It’s fixed on a white mannequin just like it was on me. They called it thePink Queen?
“Martin,” I hiss, grabbing his shoulder and pulling him toward me. “Why is my dress on the stage?”
“Because it’s gorgeous?” His brow is quirked mockingly.
“I didn’t make this dress! It’s not fair! I just took pieces created by someone else and put them together!” My hissing is so vicious, it hurts my throat.
“They don’t care,” he hisses back. “You managed to catch the King. He publicly rejected Lebovski’s wife on the day you wore that dress. They want to be you.”
“Lebovski’s wife?” I blink, feeling lost.
“The woman at the gala? I checked who that bi—”stopping himself mid word, he looks around, “person was. Yeah, that was Leonard Lebovski’s wife. Why do you think he hates Ezra so much?”
“Because of the company?” I assume weakly.
“Duh. It’s collateral. She’s been after Ezra since the moment Lebovski came to the board. And trust me, she takes no prisoners. She’s a powerful foe, Maeve. Very.” His tone is warning. “Men succumb not only to her beauty, but her power too. Ezra has never been disrespectful to her, just neutral. That day though?” His brows go up. “That day he made sure everyone knew he was off limits. Because of you.” His finger presses into my shoulder. “You made quite a stir without lifting a finger. And you wore that dress.” He points at the stage. “So now everyone wants to have it.”
“But I didn’t make the dress!”
“It doesn’t matter. You shifted something that evening in Ezra, and he shifted the whole world. Take the win, woman. And take the money and build something for the people of this city.” He rounds his eyes at me, urging me to shut up. I want to say something back, but Bea grabs my hand and pulls hard on it.
“Take the damn win and pay Jeff back,” she orders angrily. “Yell later.”
I shoot her an angry glare, then focus on the stage.
“As many of you’re aware, this dress belongs to the King family. So I’ll let King himself deal with this one.” Winking at me, he walks to the side of the stage where the curtain moves, revealing an unsure-looking Ezra. His composure changes into powerful and magnetic in an instant. Absolutely breathtaking, with his hair sleeked to the side and his silky suit hugging his wide shoulders, he draws everyone’s eyes to him.
My eyes are on him too, but for a different reason. I know how this man looks without the suit and this carefullycontrolled demeanor. I know how wild he can be. How chaotic. A far cry from the man on the stage.
And the more I look, the more I understand that I missmyEzra. I miss our evenings on the couch, watching silly TV shows. Miss our morning coffees when I spike his cup with something unusual. Miss our crazy sex moments where we go for it in the most spontaneous places, using his ties and my kitchen towels. I miss everything about him.
And he didn’t even call me.
While I drool over my husband, he walks up to the stand with a microphone and clears his throat.
“As many of you know, I got married,” he starts in a coarse voice while whistles and cheers echo through the room. “Yes, yes, thank you. My wife, right there,” he points at me, drawing every single pair of eyes in my direction, “used to have this awesome friend who happened to be homeless. He became homeless because of something my family did.”
The air gets thicker, and everyone’s attention is now solely focused on him. Including mine. I don’t think I’ve blinked since he stepped foot onstage.
“It’s time we remedy that,” he continues firmly, standing tall and proud of taking responsibility for his family’s actions.
My chest is so filled with pride for him, it’s ready to explode.
“All the money raised today will go toward funding the needs of the center for homeless people that my brother Noah’s creating, and King Developers will build on its own funds. My wife, Maeve, will be leading the place. I can’t wait to see what she’ll call it. We most likely will have to sensor the name because she has quite an imagination.”
