Page 42 of Valentine’s Billionaire Auction

I turned around to see him stride into the office with his usual confidence. He was wearing a navy suit that fit him like a second skin.

“Being on time is easy when you have someone driving you around. And you made it clear I wasn’t allowed to be late.”

“They are waiting for us,” he said.

“Great. I was hoping you would say that.” I was being sarcastic. He wasn’t giving me a chance to settle in or even get a drink of water for my suddenly dry mouth.

“Let’s get this over with,” he said.

I walked by his side through the office. I could feel everyone looking at me. They probably thought I was a new employee. In a way, I was.

We entered the boardroom and I was convinced I was going to pass out from the nerves. It was massive, with a long table surrounded by men and women in nice suits. Their eyes were sharp, their gazes assessing. I felt like a bug under a magnifying glass.

“This is Kaira,” Roman announced, his tone all business.

The scrutiny began immediately. They looked me up and down, not bothering to hide their judgment. One woman leaned back in her chair, folding her arms. “Her?”

“Yes,” Roman replied without hesitation.

Another man adjusted his glasses and glanced at a tablet in front of him. “We pulled up her background. Middle-class upbringing. Public school education. A degree from a state college. Father was a mechanic. And her old Facebook page says her mother was a domestic engineer.”

I stood with my mouth hanging open. I looked at Roman, but he was looking at them. Domestic engineer? That wasn’t on my Facebook page.

But it was on my mom’s.

“You stalked my mom!” I gasped.

They ignored me.

“And no connections to the social elite,” someone else added. “Quite the plain Jane.”

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to stay composed even as my chest tightened. My palms were clammy, and I wished for the thousandth time that I hadn’t agreed to this insanity. They were talking about me like I was a cow on the auction block. I had a flashback to Roman’s expression when he’d been auctioned off and I completely understood how he felt in that moment.

“Nobody is going to believe this,” one of the board members said bluntly.

“Definitely not one of the models he’s known for,” said another, who was no runway model herself, the judgmental bitch.

Heat rose to my cheeks, humiliation bubbling just under the surface. I wanted to disappear, to shrink down to nothing and escape the room, but Roman’s voice cut through the tension.

“You’re all wrong,” he said firmly.

I glanced up at him, surprised by the conviction in his tone. He stood tall, his jaw set, his hazel eyes locked on the group in front of us. He wasn’t the least bit intimidated, in total control.

“Kaira is perfect because she isn’t part of my usual world,” he continued. “She’s genuine, not plastic. Normal. A good woman worth settling down with. Building a life together.”

His words touched me, making me feel warm in a different way.

There was a pause as the board members seemed to be considering it. “And let’s not forget—everyone loves a rags-to-riches story,” Roman added.

Rags. The word stung, even though I knew he didn’t mean it as an insult. Plus, technically, I was a few missed paychecks away from being homeless when he’d made this job offer. I hadn’t exactly been living high on the hog.

I looked down at my hands, feeling a mix of gratitude and resentment. He was defending me, but at the same time, he was reducing me to a narrative—something marketable. There I went again, getting my feelings involved. He’d chosen me because I fit the narrative. It was what this whole thing was about. I couldn’t pout about agreeing to it.

The board exchanged glances, murmuring among themselves. Finally, the woman at the head of the table nodded. “If you think she’s the right fit, we’ll honor your unconventional choice.”

Screw you too, lady. I smiled sweetly at her.

Moments later, like magic, a contract appeared in front of me. It looked identical to the draft agreement Roman had emailed to me. I would have to read the whole thing again to be sure but I wasn’t going to do that.