Chapter 306

Madison

In the elevator, we stood in silence. Alexander’s jaw was tight, his posture rigid. Something about Katherine’s appearance had affected him, but I couldn’t tell if it was desire, anger, or something else entirely.

“You’re quiet,” he observed as we descended.

“Just processing.”

“Processing what?”

I met his gaze directly. “Katherine. Her effect on you.”

His eyebrow arched. “Her effect on me?”

“You bid two hundred thousand dollars to have dinner with her, then claim you won’t go. You neither accept nor reject her invitation to meet again. It’s confusing.”

The elevator doors swished open, revealing the bustling hotel lobby.

Alexander placed his hand on the small of my back once more, steering me with a firm yet gentle touch toward the grand entrance where his driver stood waiting by the sleek black car.

“Not everything requires an immediate answer, Madison,” he said as we stepped outside into the cool night air.<