Chapter 738

• Chapter Seven Hundred and Thirty Eight
• Hale walked out of the auction house like a man who had just escaped a battlefield, the grand doors closed behind him with a dull, heavy thud, cutting off the noise of the hall—the frantic bidding, the roaring voices, the rising numbers. Outside, the night air was cool, almost too calm, as though the world had no idea what kind of storm had just unfolded inside.
• But Hale knew as his steps slowed, because for the first time since the auction began, he was no longer thinking about victory he was actually thinking about Lucas. The crisp sound of his shoes against the marble pathway echoed faintly as he descended the steps, his expression no longer arrogant, no longer domineering.