Page 111 of Valentine’s Billionaire Auction

An hour later, I was in the foyer talking with another staff member when I felt the air shift. I knew what it was.

Her.

It was crazy that I could sense her before I saw her.

The moment I heard Kaira’s soft footsteps descending, I raised my gaze. She looked wrecked. Her eyes were puffy and red, her complexion pale. She carried herself like someone who hadn’t slept at all. She was wearing clothes I didn’t immediately recognize. Black leggings and a hoodie that looked well worn. I realized they were her clothes. Not anything I had purchased for her.

It was a statement. She was making it clear she didn’t want anything to do with me or the gifts I showered her with. That worked just fine for me.

I wondered if she’d spent the night crying. Judging by the way she looked, she had. Throughout the night, I had gotten halfway to her bedroom and stopped myself. I had listened to the muffled sound of her sobs. My heart ached to hold her, but I knew better. I couldn’t let myself get sucked in. I knew I would be inclined to let my guard down and let her back in.

Anthony walked in behind me. He looked at me, then Kaira.

“Ten minutes,” I said to him.

He nodded and walked right back out the door.

I stared at the contract amendments in my hands, the legal escape hatch I demanded my lawyers draft in the middle of the night. I knew people weren’t happy with me, but considering what I paid them, they did what I asked.

The staff cleared out like they were fleeing an impending grenade explosion.

Kaira stopped in front of me, her expression guarded but resigned. “Good morning,” she said quietly.

“I’ve had a termination agreement drawn up,” I said and held up the paperwork. “This ends our contract.”

She looked at the papers and then me. I saw the hurt. My shield was up. Her pain was not going to change my mind.

“Marissa will pack your bags, and Anthony will drive you home.”

She nodded without protest, her lips pressed into a thin line. “That’s fine,” she said, though her tone betrayed her weariness.

I held the documents out to her, watching as she scanned the pages. “These release us both from the contract,” I explained. “You’re free of this mess. So am I. It will be like it never happened.”

She took the pen I offered and signed her name with a steady hand, though her fingers trembled when she handed the documents back. “Is there anything else?” she asked.

I hesitated, glancing down at her left hand. The ring—my ring—caught the light, a cruel reminder of the facade we’d both worked so hard to maintain.

Her gaze followed mine. She seemed startled, as if she’d forgotten it was there. After a moment of hesitation, she slid the ring off and held it out to me. Her hand lingered a fraction of a second longer than necessary before I took it and put it in my pocket.

“I’ll wait in the car,” she murmured, brushing past me without another word.

Something in me snapped. I turned, compelled to say something, anything to explain this thing we had. Or didn’t have. “This never would have worked anyway.”

She stopped at the door and glanced over her shoulder, her expression a mix of hurt and disbelief. “I want to tell myself that too,” she said softly, “but I think we both know it isn’t true.”

Then she was gone, stepping outside without a backward glance. I stood frozen, clutching the ring in my pocket as though it might ground me. The front door closed with a finality that echoed through the house.

Minutes later, Marissa came back down with Kaira’s luggage, which, apparently, she had already packed herself. “She didn’t leave much behind,” Marissa said.

Anthony came back in the house. I saw the anger in his eyes but he didn’t say anything. I knew what he was thinking. I knew Anthony liked Kaira.

“I’ll take the bags,” Anthony said.

I shouldn’t have been surprised she had already packed. I supposed we both knew it was over. She would have left me if I hadn’t kicked her out. Anthony grabbed the luggage from Marissa’s grasp. He didn’t wait for help or instruct anyone on what to do next. He just walked out, his shoulders rigid.

“She left a lot of clothes in the closet but I think that was intentional,” Marissa said. “Should I pack them up?”

“If she didn’t pack them, no.”