Page 6 of Sold to Her Enemy

Even though so much has changed since I last saw her.

For once, she can’t refuse me. She’s going to be mine for the weekend.

I know I am grinning like a villain as I bid again.

“Four million dollars,” Edward announced.

It’ll be the best money I have ever spent.

Finally, I could get revenge on the woman who was hell-bent on ruining everything I had ever had.

Because this woman has given me the cold shoulder ever since we were teens.

The tablet flashes with my winning bid.

Davis turns on her heel and disappears backstage. A part of me wants to see her falter, spilled on the stage floor, but I have the whole weekend to show her where she belongs and put her in her place.

This is better than the feeling I get when I win at the monthly poker game I play for charity. It is better than acquiring a new piece of technology before my competitors.

We’re not allowed to leave our seats until the rest of the auction is complete. It’s the one time that a bunch of rich elitists will listen because we don’t want to be kicked out of Club Lust, and we’ve all agreed to play by the rules. But sometimes rules are made to be broken and I can’t just sit here.

I’ve won my prize, and I’m salivating with how much I want to claim her. Taking out an old pair of earbuds and an ancient iPod from my pocket, I slip the earbuds in my ears and press play on Ava’s latest concert piece. That’s the thing about my sister; her talent has been called ‘once in a lifetime,’ but her personality is awful, and that’s me being kind. I’m listening to the piano music to keep my blood pressure under control because I want to race backstage and grab Davis.

Onstage, more beautiful women and men appear, and though I can appreciate their attractiveness, they don’t meet my needs. I switch from the ethereal notes of my sister’s music to her earlier work, forcing my mind to compare and contrast the difference in her new work versus her old.

A wave of guilt crashes hard over me because this is the first weekend I have taken off since the takeover. And I know my team won’t let me down, but it’s weird not to be in the offices of Colossus Corp.

I’m not the kind to sit around once I have what I want, and even though the eye candy on stage is nice, I let the music play in my ears, forcing myself to sit. I’m itching for my phone to check in with my team. The re-branding process has started. If any legal wrongdoings are found going forward, they will be under the McIntyre-Moran Industries—known globally as MM Industries–not the newly named Colossus Corp.

On stage, Edward tells us the auction has concluded and that we should enjoy our purchases.

A waiter appears at my side and leads me to the back, where I process the payment. Before I close my tab, I order a double shot of whiskey neat.

Once payment is confirmed, the smiling waitress who handed me the tablet escorts me to the dressing room.

My heart is drumming in a one-two beat and I am breathing through my nose to control my emotions.

I can’t wait to see the look on her face.

My business-savvy father and her scientist father made MM Industries successful. They worked together for years, building the worldwide biotech corporation.

But that was a long time ago, and what was once a brilliant co-mingling of talent is now seen as a tarnished reputation.

I lusted after the scientist’s daughter like the proverbial lovesick puppy, but all she did was kick me.

Until one day, she kicked me where it mattered.

How different it all would have been if she’d said yes at least once.

I force myself to take another deep breath as the waitress knocks on the door.

I reach for the door handle and pull it open.

“Have fun,” she says and turns, walking away.

Perfect. Now I’m alone with Davis.

She’s staring into the mirror, her back to me.

---