Chapter 80 Eighty

• ARIEL’S POV
• The auction hall was too bright, too loud, the heavy press of expensive perfume and anxious eyes suffocating. I stood in the entrance for a heartbeat too long, nearly forgetting how to breathe, until Ryan’s hand came to rest on my back, warming me up.
• He didn’t look fazed, not by the cameras or the flashing bulbs or the elite guests who pivoted in shock at the sight of me standing next to him . It was so public, so exposed, yet he was utterly calm.