Goodbye Forever Ex-Husband (by Ammund) novel Chapter 191

Chapter 191

Chapter 191

ADRIAN’S POV

The timer finally hit zero, a sharp buzz echoing through the hall and pulling everyone’s begin, and I could feel my heart rate pick up–though I wouldn’t admit that out loud.

attention to the main stage. It was finally time for the auction to

The manager stepped forward, dressed in a sharp black suit that was probably a size too big, gripping a folded paper in one hand and a microphone in the other. He cleared his throat, and the low murmur of conversations died down.

“Hello everyone, a good day to you and thank you all for being here,” he began, his voice confident but polite. “Now, the owner of the vintage car apologizes for not being able to attend in person. Unfortunately, he is very occupied at the moment.”

“That aside,” the manager continued, “we have some very special guests among us today, and I’d like to thank them for taking the time to be here, knowing how tight their schedules must be. Mr. Damien Cole,” he said, lifting a hand in Damien’s direction.

I couldn’t help it; my head turned toward Damien, just like everyone else’s. A big smile appeared on Damien’s face as he stood up smoothly. The crowd responded with polite applause, and he raised his hand in acknowledgment, as if he were some kind of celebrity on a red carpet rather than just another bidder in an auction hall.

“Thank you for coming, sir, we truly appreciate your presence,” the manager added, bowing slightly.

As Damien took his seat again, the applause faded, but the whispers that replaced it were louder than before. They rose like waves in the quiet hall, drifting over to where James and I sat.

“That’s Damien Cole? The Damien Cole?” a male voice somewhere to my left murmured, just loud enough to catch. “He’s the only lawyer in the world to become a billionaire just from practicing law alone. That’s insane.”

1

I could almost see James smirking beside me, clearly satisfied that I was hearing confirmation of everything he’d just told me earlier.

Then came another voice, softer and unmistakably female, tinged with an excited giggle. “He’s even more handsome in person… I swear, if I get the chance, I’m going to get his number after the auction. And who knows–maybe he’ll take me on a date… with that Rolls Royce.”

I fought the urge to roll my eyes harder than I ever had in my life. Of course. Of course, there would be people here less interested in the car itself than in the man bidding on it. That’s the thing about these events: half the people want the prize, and the other half just want to get close to the people who can actually afford it.

But the voices didn’t stop there.

“Come on, you’re giving him too much credit,” another woman replied, her tone skeptical but curious.

“How so?” the first voice demanded.

“Well, you basically just said Damien’s going to win the car. Like it’s guaranteed,”

she

said.

“Well, isn’t it?” the first woman shot back. “Look around. Who else here can compete with him? There’s no point struggling for something that’s already

inevitable.”

hands into fists.

I raised my eyebrow slightly, amused–and admittedly, a bit annoyed–by what I overheard behind me. So they really think there’s no one here who can beat Damien? I thought, suppressing the urge to scoff out loud.

A part of me wanted to turn around and call them out, to remind them they were sitting two rows behind Adrian Westwood himself. But I didn’t. I clenched my jaw lightly and decided to let the results speak for themselves instead. Actions always carried more weight than empty words, and today, was determined to prove exactly that.

“And secondly, we would also like to welcome the CEO of Westwood Corporation, Mr. Adrian Westwood,” he announced.

Beside me, James immediately started clapping with enthusiasm, and soon the rest of the hall followed, a ripple of polite applause spreading like a wave. I forced a small, practiced smile to my face–one I’d used a thousand times at board meetings and galas–and stood briefly, offering a curt nod and a half–hearted wave before lowering myself back into my seat.

For a few seconds, our eyes locked across the room. It felt strangely intense, neither of us breaking away. Her stare wasn’t the nervous glance of someone caught looking; it was steady, unflinching, as if she was measuring me, testing what she saw.

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