Goodbye Forever Ex-Husband (by Ammund) novel Chapter 194

Chapter 194

Chapter 194

ADRIAN’S POV

I looked down at my hand, still hanging awkwardly in the air. My eyebrows furrowed in shock and mild embarrassment as I watched her standing there, talking calmly to the manager as if I wasn’t even worth noticing.

That brief moment, the second she scoffed and turned her back on me, replayed in my mind. It wasn’t a gesture of polite refusal–it felt deliberate, almost personal. The sound of her heels on the marble floor echoed as she walked away, each step measured and graceful, her red gown shimmering under the lights, diamonds catching every reflection.

Something about her was different. The way she held herself, the sharpness in her gaze even though half her face was hidden behind that mask, and the confidence that radiated off her like heat from a flame. This wasn’t some ordinary woman chasing luxury for the sake of show. No… There was a purpose

behind every move she made.

And that scoff… it wasn’t dismissive in the casual sense. It felt… angry. Almost like there was history between us. But how could that be? I don’t even know her. I don’t keep female friends–I barely keep anyone close enough to make them hate me on such a personal level.

“Hmmm… just who are you,” I whispered under my breath, my gaze locked on the door she had disappeared through.

“You alright?” James’s voice came from beside me, bringing me back for a moment.

“What do you think?” I replied, though my eyes didn’t leave the empty doorway, as if hoping she might come back, if only for a second glance.

James let out a short sigh, patting my shoulder. “Well, I know part of why you came here was to prove to yourself that you haven’t lost your touch. And ! saw the look in your eyes when you saw that car–you really wanted it. This was basically your last chance to get it, so it’s normal not to feel okay. If were in your shoes, I’d feel just as bad.”

His words made sense, but they didn’t fit what was churning inside me.

“No, James,” I said, turning my eyes to meet his fully. “Sad? Right now, I feel anything but that.”

He frowned slightly, clearly confused. “What do you mean?”

“The lady in the mask…” I paused, thinking back to every detail I could remember–the curve of her jaw, the confidence in her posture, that spark of defiance when our eyes met. “Is it possible to find out who she is?”

James exhaled, shaking his head. “I don’t think so, Adrian. We never got her name, never saw her face, and without either of those, it’s nearly impossible. Even if we had camera footage, it wouldn’t help much with her wearing that mask. Besides, she clearly came prepared to stay anonymous.”

I clenched my jaw, frustration simmering just below the surface. I wasn’t used to being curious about anyone, let alone feeling this strange mix of irritation and fascination. But something about her… it was like trying to remember a song you’d heard long ago but couldn’t quite place.

For a moment, I considered asking the auction manager privately, offering him enough money to risk breaking confidentiality. But something stopped me–a faint voice in my mind telling me this wasn’t just about curiosity.

No, it was more than that. I wanted to know why it felt like she looked at me not as Adrian Westwood, the billionaire everyone either feared or envied, but as something else. Something I couldn’t name.

James was still looking at me, waiting for an answer I couldn’t give.

I let out a quiet, disappointed sigh, finally tearing my gaze from the empty doorway. “Forget it,” I muttered. “Let’s go.”

As we walked toward the exit, I kept glancing back over my shoulder, half–expecting to see that flash of red and the glint of diamonds. But she didn’t come back.

Outside, the air felt heavy, humid even though the evening had cooled. The noise of the city seemed distant, almost muffled by the pounding of my thoughts.

She had won, that much was obvious. And not just the car. For the first time in years, I had lost something and what unsettled me most who the lo Itsell, but the strange thrill it sparked in me.

James got in beside me, and the car pulled away from the curb. The lights of the auction hall faded behind us, but the memory of her of that defiant stare and the soft scoff–burned brighter than ever in my mind.

about her felt off… no, not off, different. Powerful. Her aura wasn’t something that could be hidden behind diamonds and silk. Even with half her face covered, there was a confidence about her, something unspoken that made her impossible

And the truth was, that single fact stayed in my mind even more than the auction itself. Yes, I had lost today–and for the first time in my life–but what stung wasn’t just the loss of the car. It was knowing why I tost. Oddly enough, accepting that helped numb the disappointment I should have felt.

The reasons were simple and brutally honest. I had miscalculated. I was focusing on the wrong opponent, my eyes locked on Damien Cole, expecting a move that never came. Meanwhile, the true challenger sat silently beside him, observing. And when she struck, it was swift, ruthless, and decisive.

And I won’t lie to myself about it. At every auction I’ve ever attended, once the bidding price passed fifty million, everyone else quietly backed out. I’d built my reputation on that fact. Today, I even stretched beyond what I’d usually risk–eighty million–and still, she didn’t flinch. Instead, she shattered my record with a single calm bid, as if it barely cost her a thought.

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