Chapter 36
1550words
It was a good win if you ask me. but as I walked away from that place where I had auctioned my gem, I found myself stuck on thoughts of yesterday, and that kept me from going back to my table.
It was Ember keeping her distance, and not picking up my calls. It was Ember showing up with a new man, that might have been my substitute. It was the fact that she looked incredibly beautiful in that brown dress. And for all of my new wealth, she wouldn't come back to me.
My mother was relentless on Ember being a gold digger, perhaps it might have been not such a bad thing if the woman was a damned gold digger. At least then, I could be assured that the sight of my money would lure her back to me. But that was out of the question.
I found myself looking for her, Kate had talked about her and my mother having a run-in, and I needed to be sure that she was okay. Because it did not matter all of the wealth I had or all of the people who called me sire or vied for my attention. Ember was the only one I wanted,
Ember was the only one who made life marginally worth living.
"I heard she got that man to bid for her." I heard one woman say to her friend in a conspirator tone, as I passed a table.
I didn't know them, but for some reason, my interest was immediately piqued.
Perhaps it was because I had just partaken in the action. But I hung around to listen to the gossip,
"that's strange, don't you think? If she wanted to partake in the action, why didn't she just do it herself?"
"Perhaps she just didn't want the attention such things usually got."
I wanted to walk up to them and ask them who they spoke of. But part of me felt I already knew.
"Perhaps."
"but if she's worked hard to keep people from knowing, how come you do?" her friend asked, and I also wanted to know.
"I have my ways." the woman said, and caught a glimpse of her smirking and rolled my eyes.
"Well, you do sometimes. But five million dollars!" the other woman exclaimed, and my heart thudded. I had an inkling. But to be made assure this way got the better of me. "that's not a small amount."
"it isn't. But then again, that was no small gem. It's very rare, and I wonder where Alpha Paris managed to get it. If it were me, who was in the position of such a thing, I never would have auctioned it out. But he did get his money's worth."
"Alpha Paris? Was it him? Weren't he and that Ember woman together?"
"were they?" her friend asked and shrugged, "beats me. I've seen her today with a different Alpha though. Alpha William. Have you seen him? He is a handsome one."
"I suppose that's how she likes them. Powerful and handsome. I wonder how she manages to get these men wrapped around her fingers."
"Perhaps she has a personal witch helping her. Do you know?"
Her friend cackled, "But to be fair, she is beautiful."
"a little help won't kill anyone. It has yet to kill her."
"yet. Witches are a fearsome bunch, and should be trusted at one's own risk."
I had had my limit after that. It was either keep listening and piss myself off more, or walk. So I chose the latter.
At the very least, the latter kept me from walking back to them and demanding they shut the hell up about Ember.
But then again, they were the reason I now knew what I knew.
Ember had been the one who purchased my gem.
Truth was, I had meant it for her. I had gotten my hands on it recently to give it to her, but all she'd done was push me away and make it very clear that she wanted nothing from me. Selling it off was the only way to deal with the pain I felt every time I saw it.
Now it had gotten to her, some other way. It was true, what one of the women said, Ember possibly got someone else to get the gem for her because she didn't want the attention such things usually got, but then again, I still found it hard to believe that she had gone out of her to spend so much money.
It was all a mystery to me. And it was a mystery that was tearing me up from within.
I was still looking for her, and everywhere I turned, there was the sound of Ember's name, and how she was the real buyer of the gem so that if I had doubted the woman earlier, even a little bit, there was no way I could doubt her now. And even then, the woman was nowhere to be found.
"It was a mighty fine move, to be honest." a man said to his peers and drank from his cup.
I sat at the table, because one of the men there was an auctioneer himself, and hailed me, asking me to join them.
"how, wasn't she confident enough to be bidding for herself?" I recognized the man who spoke, who was one of the men who had lost the bid of the gem to Ember, and he did not look pleased about it.
"not sure it's a confidence thing. But now that I think of it, but of the bidders were women, she probably didn't want the attention." the first man said, and something in his eyes told me he liked more than just Ember's financial move.
"Whatever mate." the last guy said, and he did look sore.
"Alpha Paris, you're the one who sold the gem to her, how do you feel?"
"the way any other man would feel in my position. Fine." I said and drank from the wine that was poured for me. But I lied. I felt any other way apart from fine.
“And have you seen her tonight, she looks very beautiful. It’s my guess that she came here, dressed like, with all of this in her mind.” The first man said, and I have to keep myself from throttling him because of the lust I Heard in his voice.
“You think it’s all predetermined?” I found myself asking ,
“You don’t?”
“I don’t know. I’m not in the woman’s head for sure. She might have just gotten swept up, the same way we had. Might really have nothing to do with her dress.” I found myself defending her because I hated the way she was being painted. The guy who brought it up simply shrugged and the table fell silent afterwards.
I left the table soon after that, unable to take any more talk about Ember. If one more person spoke to me about her, I was sure of going mad. Especially with the fact that it didn't matter how much I searched for her, I simply could not find her.
But it didn't make sense. None of it made sense.
The Ember I knew was not one to spend so much money to acquire things for herself. But here she was, partaking in a bid, under the guise of somebody else.
Fine and good, she got that person to do it for her because she didn't want anyone looking at her. Not that it mattered, because the information was widely spread across all tables, to every ear who would listen. She was the true bidder of the gem.
My gem, of all gems, and for anyone who knew of us, that was more of a story to spin and listen to. Not that I cared much about that.
But I cared about her. Her newfound source of wealth and her new interest in bidding for gems.
I wondered though, where she had gotten so much money to spend on a rare gem. Was it the William bloke who gave her the money, or was her new job paying so well?
Like I said, none of it made sense. And with the fact that I could not find her, or even the William bloke, unsure of where those two had gotten lost to and if they had gotten lost together. I was being driven to the edge of actual madness.
EMBER's POV
"I won't tolerate being spoken to in this manner." Luna Lara said haughtily.
"then you should have considered that when you topped us the way you did." I retorted and she looked at me coldly,
"don't look at her like that. You've done enough damage as it is. The least you can do is show even the smallest amount of remorse." William said,
"As though she knows what that sentiment is."
"I couldn't care less whether or not you are in tune with that kind of emotion, but let this be the last time you speak to Ember and my sister in this kind of manner. Do I make myself clear?"
"Now, you, be watchful of your tone with me."
"do.i.make.myself.clear?" William asked a second time, this time around, his words more lethal.
