My back ached and my knees throbbed, but I never let it show on my face.
Aiden Cross's expression shifted slightly as he read whatever was on the tablet.
Then his hand came up, a flicker of disgust crossing his eyes.
“Give me the tablet, and go sit in the corner, away from me. My fiancée doesn't like the smell of another woman's perfume on me.”
I said nothing. I only handed him the tablet in silence.
Aiden pulled Tracey Henson into his arms and waited, turning each page once she'd finished it.
When she let out a delighted little gasp, he pressed an indulgent kiss to her temple.
Then he turned and fixed his gaze on me, his eyes dark.
“I'll give you this—you're not entirely useless.” He paused, his tone shifting. “So go on, teach her. When your own husband sleeps with another woman, how do you manage to be as forgiving and generous as you?”
“My fiancée's been spoiled by me, after all. Normally I keep at least three feet between myself and any other woman, let alone holding one in each arm.”
Tracey flushed and gave his chest a soft little punch.
I lowered my eyes, my voice dry.
“The way I see it, your fiancée doesn't need to learn any of this. A good man like you would never let the woman he loves suffer.”
After a long moment, Aiden suddenly laughed and turned to my supervisor.
“Your staff are really something. She thinks she can play her little games with me.”
At that, my supervisor yanked me over by the arm.
“Mr. Cross, I'm so sorry. She's new and doesn't know any better. I'll have her apologize to you right now.”
Aiden lifted his eyes lazily and looked straight at me.
“No need for apologies. I just want her to serve as my fiancée's private pre-wedding counselor for two months. Otherwise, I have plenty of ways to make sure you never earn a single cent in this place.”
For my supervisor's sake, I agreed to be Tracey's private pre-wedding counselor.
When I showed up the next day, Aiden didn't look the least bit surprised.
He helped a fully dressed-up Tracey into the car, his arm around her.
I hesitated, then climbed into the back seat.
The black luxury sedan was decorated with plush trinkets everywhere.
Even the floor mats were a limited-edition Disney collaboration.
Aiden steered one-handed, an indulgent curve to his lips.
“Young girls love this stuff. She bought a whole pile of it and had nowhere to put it, so it ended up in the car.”
Once, we'd lived in a cramped little rental.
Aiden knew I loved cute things, so the moment he earned any money, the first thing he'd do was buy me all kinds of stuffed toys.
He'd stuffed every corner of our home full of them.
We were poor back then, but at least it was warm.
Now he'd become the industry's rising star, and all his money and love went to someone else.
It was only when we got out of the car that I realized where we were going today: an auction.
Inside the private box.
Aiden lounged against the sofa and handed the paddle to Tracey.
“Buy whatever you like. I'll cover it.”
The first lot was nothing remarkable—just an ordinary silver necklace.
But my breath caught.
It was the gift Aiden had once designed and crafted for me with his own hands.
In those early days of his startup, when he barely dared to sleep, he'd still carve out time every day to prepare little surprises for me.
His fingers would split open at night, and the next day he'd go right back to writing code.
It wasn't until I saw the bloodstains on the keyboard that I understood just how hard he was driving himself.
Back then, his tears had fallen into the curve of my neck. “It's all because I'm useless. I swear I'll give you a good life one day.”
That silver necklace had been with me through my entire youth—and then I'd lost it in that accident.
The auctioneer called the price. “Starting bid, seventy thousand.”
Tracey raised her paddle, deliberating a few times before she spoke. “One hundred thousand.”
