Page 38 of Temporary Vows

She wanted a way out.

Congratulations, Elodie.

You just found the devil.

Chapter 9

Elodie

Dorian Vale just bought me.

For sixty thousand dollars.

Dorian.

Like some vengeful god, he stands in the aisle, eyes boring into me, and I can’t breathe.

I’m on the podium—basically naked—shock paralyzing me to my core. The world dims around me, narrowing to this moment with him.

What is he even doing here?

I never thought I’d see anyone I knew, let alone him. And he bid on me. He won.

Sold to Dorian Vale for sixty thousand dollars.

That kind of money should feel like salvation, considering I had ten bucks in my bank account when I walked in here. Instead, it feels like a cage snapping shut.

A handler appears at my side, his presence cutting through the suffocating tension. He’s here to usher me to the private room where I’ll meet my bidder—Dorian.

He takes my hand and helps me down from the podium. I let him. My legs feel like they don’t belong to me.

But before I’m fully off the stage, I look over my shoulder and find Dorian still watching.

The men in the crowd are whispering. They wanted to bid more, but then he came along. I caught what the auctioneer said—boss’ orders.

I’m guessing Dorian must know the boss here.

No surprise. He’s a Vale. They all have connections. I just never expected his to reachthisplace.

My view of him breaks when I’m led behind the curtain.

The handler hands me my robe, and I put it on mindlessly.

The next girl goes out, and the auction continues as if nothing happened. As if I didn’t just sell myself to my brother’s ex-best friend. A man I shouldn’t owe.

My head is spinning, and I can’t quite grasp what truly just happened. But it happened.

I’m so embarrassed. First, he ran into me at the coffeehouse. Now this.

And this is far, far worse.

Before he arrived, I thought the worst thing in the world would be going through with the auction to pay Marcus. I’d been freaking out about the timing. About not being able to see Marcus before midnight. He never responded to any of my messages letting him know I’d go to the office tomorrow and pay.

I hated that I never heard from him. I went into the auction with an extra dose of fear curdling in my gut.

But I was worried about the wrong things.

I swallow hard, trying to breathe through the panic tightening around my ribs.