Shaking my head, I passed him and turned to another row. Then a certain painting caught my eye. A painting of a single rose, bloomed with its velvety petals spread around, with a couple of rosebuds facing in directions adorned it. And those tiny drops of water sparkling on the petals reminded me of diamonds.

It was gorgeous.

“Em! See this?” Tobias called out, beckoning me to him. He stood before a painting of a mermaid with her upper half floating on the water. “What do you think of this? I think she will glorify my bedroom wall with her beauty.”

I sighed at my brother. The mermaid’s chest was barely covered with her hair. There were children roaming around, for God’s sake!

“Yeah, it’s beautiful,” I agreed anyway.

A friend of his called him from among a group of men.

“I’ll be back!”

As he strode to the group, I stayed back and appreciated the rose painting.

Suddenly, I felt a presence behind me. The wisp of the familiar cologne that tingled my nostrils had me frozen in my place. My heart stuttered as I felt his body heat behind me.

“You like it?” a deep voice rasped into my ear. An involuntary shiver ran down my spine.

“What are you doing here?” I whispered, not turning to him. His house hunting was finally over?

Wait, why did I care if he was busy the whole week?

Right, I didn’t.

A deep chuckle. “I see my Rosebud isn’t happy to see me here.”

I frowned. “You didn’t answer my question.”

He stepped closer. “Why do people come to events like these?”

I shrugged, feigning not to be affected by his proximity. “Well, most of them come to show off.”

A sharp intake of breath. Then I felt his hot breath on my neck. The temperature suddenly rose higher in the room.

Wait, did he just smell me?

Creep!

“Trust me, sweetheart. I didn’t come here to show off. I have much more important things to do than waste my time on that.” He brushed his fingers on my hip, making me jolt.

Not being able to bear the tension, I stepped away from his overwhelming presence and touch. Sending him a glare, I walked away with flushed cheeks. But his persistent gaze didn’t.

When the bell of the auction rang, we all gathered in the backyard of the building, under the open blue sky. Rows of chairs were lined up before the huge stage for people to sit. We took our seats in the second row. And a particular person was missing.

Was he already gone?

Good for me.

A man cleared his throat in the mike, snatching everyone’s attention to the stage. “Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the ‘Felicity Charity Event’ one more time. We all know the holy purpose we’re gathered here for. So, without any adieu, let’s begin the auction right away.”