Selene’s POV

Five years later, grief no longer ruled me. But hatred did. And tonight, it had a name.

Adrian Stravos.

I remembered him from the instant my eyes fell on his towering frame. He was the man I hated with every fibre of my being. The man I gave every inch of my body to. The man who killed my brother.

And now, after five years, he was here.

My heart didn't flutter like it used to each time I saw him. Instead, I squeezed my hands into fists by my side and moved further across the room, away from him.

“Ladies and Gentlemen,” the auctioneer started. I took another step forward, closer to the action. “We’ll begin with Lot17, the waterfront industrial land parcel. Opening bid stands at thirty million.”

Every corporate body in New York was obsessed with this land because it was right in the middle of commerce. Erecting a mall there could 6x the income of the company in a month, and that is minus the foreign investors it was bound to draw.

It was the reason my new boss sent me.

“Thirty-two million,” a representative from a small company started. He stood no chance. I might as well save him from the embarrassment.

“Forty million,” I muttered, raising my card.

I felt Adrian's eyes on me. "Forty-five million." His voice was calm, smooth, like he knew the money meant nothing to him.

“Fifty million.” Heads turned in my direction just as whispers rippled through the room. And now, he was burning a hole through my head.

“This is a challenge,” the auctioneer cheered, having such a good time with this. “We have fifty. Do I hear fifty-two?”

"Fifty-five," Adrian muttered. It was a bold jump. I could hear the strain in his voice. He hated a challenge, since he'd never gotten used to it. It was one of the reasons I was back.

“Seventy.” I met his gaze, looking at him from under my lashes while I sipped my wine deliberately.

“Seventy million,” the auctioneer chirped. “Going for seventy million? Going one, two...”

“Can we have a break?” Adrian suddenly questioned. “We need to be sure she is worth selling a golden land to.”

The auctioneer turned to look at me. Everyone in the room knew it was against the rules, but then again, Adrian had never been one to get affected by things like that.

Before, I used to find it annoying. Now, it brought a smile to my lips. It was the very thing I planned on using against him.

I nodded once to the auctioneer.

“Very well then.” He hit his hands together like a giddy child. “You can have ten minutes.”

Adrian scowled at him.

“Or as much time as you need,” he corrected.

Rolling my eyes, I moved away from the crowd and began to step outside.

“You….” His voice made me halt suddenly, with the glass of wine still in my hand. I debated turning around, knowing that there was a chance he might recognize me.

Just as I did.

“That was pretty impressive in there,” he started. “But you have to realize that this is no game for you. You should stay out of it.”

The fucker didn’t recognize the woman he had sex with for over one year.

I turned around then, a witty smile etched on my features. Slowly, I raise the rim of the glass to my lips, staring at him from above it.

I knew Adrian Stravos hated waiting, but that was exactly what I made him do.

Wait.

I heard him sigh as he raised his hands, his fingers scattering his curls. He always did that when he was stressed. I hated that I remembered so much about him.

"I have a paycheck to receive, Mr…."

He arched a brow. “Stravos.”

“Mr. Stravos. And my boss wouldn’t be great with me leaving that piece of land with you. Let’s just say not everyone in New York is your fan.”

“This isn’t something you and your boss can toy with.” His tone went darker, but the last thing I would do is flinch. “Let it go. There are a million other parcels you can bid for.”

“Why would we do that?” I drawled, taking another sip from my wine. “We want it for the very same reason you want it too. Everyone in that room knows how much this would change the commercial space.”

Adrian wasn't having it. We were at the door now, but a few people still had their eyes on him. His voice lowered into a whisper.

“Who do you work for?”

I chuckled. “Now, you are interested in my boss?”

“Miss!”

“I cannot disclose that to you. If I told you, you’d lose sleep,” I murmured. “He sent me here instead for a reason. Why don’t you increase your bid if you want that parcel so desperately? It isn’t my fault you can’t afford more than seventy million.”

That hit a nerve. I watched a muscle in his jaw jerk.

Laughing, I floated around him and returned to the centre of the room. My eyes found the auctioneer, and he sauntered back to the podium.

“Ready?”

"I changed my mind," I said smoothly. "I think we need to give Mr. Stravos more time to check with the accounts department of his company to see if he can afford more."

A silent ripple of laughter passed through the room. They were still scared of him.

“That is really generous of you.”

I brushed my hair away from my shoulders. “What can I say? I don’t like decapitating a colleague, and I prefer fair and equal play. However, the same cannot be said of some people.”

The auctioneer had to know this was personal, with the way his eyes moved from Adrian still at the door, and back to me.

Smiling, I returned to the door, placing my now-empty glass on the table next to it.

My hand was on the knob when his voice raked through me.

“Stop.”

“Not again.”

“Have we met before?”