The evening continued. Between the biddings for the items, the hostess took breaks so that the guests could calm down a little and pay attention not only to jewelry but also to the food and wine.
Garanor didn’t buy anything. Stingy! He could’ve bought those diamond earrings with pearls for Felicia. They’d go well with her wedding dress. Which we have not yet chosen, but never mind. I even thought about suggesting my idea to him. Fortunately, I realized in time that this was the champagne talking, and I remained in my seat.
“And the last item for tonight...” Sonora Solt returned to the stage, while the waiters served the fruit sorbet, which was usually served between two main courses. Supposedly, it helped to cleanse the palate. “An engagement ring with a rare blue diamond. This jewel has a very special history and was last seen on the hand of Crown Princess Jover. Perhaps one of the Sonors present would want to decorate the hand of their chosen one with it.” Sonora Solt playfully smiled and loudly announced: “The starting price is three million!”
The light went out, and everyone focused on the engagement ring. The blue diamond was truly mesmerizingly beautiful.
“Three and a half!”
“Four.”
But that voice was quite close, and... I choked on the sorbet. I coughed softly, and Oli, the kind soul, quickly poured water into my glass.
“Thank you.” Having taken a couple of gulps, I smiled and moved my gaze to Xanor.
Why does he want that ring?!
Xanor looked at me and winked. The ring had reached the price of six million and then someone offered eight, but Xanor abruptly cut them off.
“Ten, and that’s it.”
There was silence in the hall. I didn’t even dare to breathe.
“Nobody else?” Sonora Solt smiled tightly, waited for a few more seconds, and then somewhat sadly announced. “Well, this treasure has found its owner. The blue diamond engagement ring now belongs to Sonor Xanor Horos!”
The guests clapped, congratulating him. A man in a tailcoat approached and ceremoniously held out a silver tray with a bow. Xanor took his ridiculously expensive purchase, but instead of putting it in his pocket and finally focusing on the melting sorbet, for some reason he got up.
And again, everything went quiet. No applause, voices, music. There was nothing. As Xanor opened the box, he knelt in front of me.
“Elenia Lei, will you be my wife?”
***
“You have five minutes.”
The girl humbly nodded and, waiting for the guard to unlock the heavy metal door, went into the visiting area. A man was waiting for her behind a glass wall. He sat with his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling.
“Oh, Selena.” He grinned. “I haven’t seen you in a long time.”
“Because I had nothing to report.”
“And now you do?” The man moved toward the glass.
“Yes.” She smiled and touched her phone screen with manicured fingers, above which a translucent hologram appeared.
The prisoner’s black eyes lit up.
“We found her, Valar.”
“Where’s she?” He eagerly peered at the hologram.
“In Grassor. In Kadris, to be precise.”
“Is Marisel with her?”
Selena nodded, glad that she had managed to please her boss this time.
“She’s Sonorina Lei now.”
“Lei, you say…” he repeated thoughtfully, and a scary smile appeared on his face. “Can you help me get out of here?”
“I probably could.”
He covered his eyes, imagining what he’d do when he was free, and said in a hoarse whisper: “I miss my child. And I missed hunting even more.”
End of Book 1
Thank you for reading!
My name is Val. I’m an author from Russia.
I have published more than twenty romance novels set in enchanting fantasy worlds, and this is the first book I have translated into English.
I hope you enjoyed it <3
Honestly, writing has always been my passion. Therefore, I don’t plan to stop.
I'm very happy that more and more people will be able to enjoy my stories with the help of Amazon.
Book 2 is already available for pre-order. I'll do my best to release it as fast as possible.
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A Deal with the Dark Fae: Enemies-to-Lovers Standalone (Cruel Intentions Book 1) Page 20