“Victoria,” he said smoothly, making sure photographers could hear him. “The whole city fades when you walk into a room. Imagine what we could accomplish together. We’d become the most powerful couple in American business.”
Victoria forced a polite smile.
Then Jason Maddox stepped forward with a confident grin.
“Forget power couples,” he said with a laugh. “Marry me and you’ll never have to worry about money again. I’ll run the empire. You can just enjoy life.”
His words made her stomach twist.
She excused herself and slipped away from the ballroom into a quiet corridor that led to a terrace garden.
Night-blooming jasmine filled the air. She leaned against a marble fountain and tried to steady her breathing.
Then a deep voice came from the shadows.
“Running away from your own auction?”
Victoria spun around.
A tall man sat beneath a palm tree wearing simple black clothes and a dark scarf covering most of his head and face. Only his eyes were visible.
“Who are you?” she asked sharply.
“The third option,” he replied calmly.
Her breath caught.
“Logan Maddox?”