Page 58 of Billionaire’s Promise

The girls checked on my dress and make up before sending me out.

“There she is.” I heard Amelia saying and I wasn’t even on the stage yet.

Stage fright was a real thing for me. Flipping my hands vigorously, I tried to hide the shaking, which gave away how nervous I was. The spotlight stalked me as soon as I was on the stage. The strong light made me flinch and I felt really exposed.

“Do we have ten thousand?” Amelia began before I knew it. Before I had a chance to compose myself.

“Ten years of Dr. Bennet’s consultations. Ladies, you know that’s a bargain, right?” She walked around and pointed at the bidder in the distance., “Thank you madam, fifteen, anyone?”

Amelia pointed to someone else. “Twenty? How about twenty?”

“Wait, Amelia, there’s been a mistake,” I said, trying to grab her hand, but Amelia walked away, eagerly pointing at new bidders.

Did I hear her right? What was she talking about? I didn’t agree to ten years of consultation. That would be insane. I’d only agreed to a year, how had Lincoln gotten it so wrong? I’d told him about my goal to get to China to start a program there.

Fuck. This had to be Lincoln’s fault. He either thought that it was a fantastic business strategy to sell me off for ten years, or he hadn’t understood what I’d said. My guess was the first one. Business always comes first for him.

“Two hundred and fifty thousand.” Amelia repeated after someone shouted a bid.

What had just happened?

Someone was willing to make that kind of donation for my time? Did they know that they couldn’t lock me up and have me treat them 24/7 for ten years?

There was a flaw in what they were selling.

It was false advertising.

If I had to offer ten years of service, it would be a few sessions each year. Did they know what they were bidding on?

I tried to find the person who bid next, but the spotlight had made it impossible to see more than 5 feet away from where I was standing.

“Wow, that was a very generous bid.” Amelia’s sweet tone suggested that she was more than thrilled about the amount, but then she should be. A mere ten treatments from me could add up to that amount, especially the IVF treatments. “But sir, are you bidding on behalf of your wife or loved one?”

I took a small step forward, trying to see the audience clearly.

“We aren’t sure that Dr. Bennet could take care of your womanly needs.” The crowd laughed at Amelia’s comment. “Two hundred and fifty thousand going once.”

I could tell that Amelia was eager to close the deal. First, people were probably as confused as I was and had no idea what they were bidding on. And secondly, 250,000, was as good as it got, for something as vague as ten years of consultation with me.

It better not be Lincoln behind this bid.

I hated it when he thought he could help me by just throwing money my way.

The audience’s increasing chatter was proof that they had started to lose interest in this auction. Who could blame them?

“I’ll double it if she would swap that for ten dates instead,” someone in the crowd shouted.

I recognized the voice.

It can’t be.

Kai didn’t have an invitation to this event.

“Have we got a secret admirer for Dr. Bennet here?” Amelia chuckled and the crowd laughed with her. “And sir, I’m not sure you understand how an auction works. You just placed a bid against yourself. But I have to say, if you’re doing this on purpose, it has to be the most romantic way on earth to ask a girl out.”

Blank. That was the only way to describe my mind right now. The spotlight had somehow managed to pierce through my eyes, straight into my brain, and had erased everything.

Amelia turned around and whispered to me. “Dr. Bennet, ten dates in exchange for 500,000 dollars. What do you say?”