Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god.
Sunny froze. Her feet felt like they had been permanently cemented to the floor of the hallway.
Her Donovan Fallon was ten steps away.
Nine steps.
He was even more handsome than the author had described in the book, and seeing him in the flesh was almost too much for her heart to handle. The sharp, unforgiving jawline, the broad shoulders that seemed to take up the entire corridor, and those famously cold grey eyes.
He was absolute, terrifying perfection.
Stop drooling, Sunny! Move!
She immediately lowered her head, letting her long, fiery red hair cascade forward to completely shield her face. She hugged the faded wooden box tightly to her chest, her knuckles turning white, and quickly tried to rush past him.
She could hear her heartbeat in her ears.
Just act natural. Just an everyday auction guest who got lost on her way to the bathroom. Nothing to see here.
Donovan didn’t even look up from his expensive wristwatch. His long, purposeful strides carried him closer. The heavy, suffocating aura he emitted made the air in the hallway feel thin, almost hard to breathe. It was that classic billionaire-male-lead pressure, and it was currently crushing her lungs.
Eight steps. Five steps. Two.
As he walked past her, a sudden gust of his cologne hit her senses. It smelled incredibly expensive. Like crushed mint, cold rain, and pure danger.
Sunny held her breath, squeezed her eyes shut, and prayed to whatever author god controlled this universe that he would just keep walking.
Suddenly, the rhythmic sound of his leather shoes on the floor stopped.
Why the fuck are you stopping for?
Sunny’s heart dropped straight into her stomach.
His grey eyes shifted toward her. He couldn’t see her face behind the thick curtain of her red hair, but his intense gaze dropped directly to the faded wooden box pressed securely against her chest.
Shit, did he notice?!
Male lead plot sense?!
Sunny tried hard to look at his expression, but she couldn’t. She had to act like there was nothing, or he would suspect.
Her Donovan was always smart.
"Excuse me," his deep, gravelly voice echoed in the silent hallway. The sound of it sent a violent shiver down Sunny’s spine.
Holy shit. His voice is doing things to me.
No! Bad Sunny! Focus!
She didn’t dare look up. If he saw her face, the game was over. She pinched her nose slightly to disguise her voice, hoping she sounded like a clueless foreigner, and squeaked out a panicked reply.
"Sorry, I am late for my bid!"
Without waiting for a response, she bolted.
She sprinted down the hallway in her heels, abandoning all grace and elegance. She practically shoved her way through the pirate-themed lobby, ignoring the startled gasps of the wealthy auction guests who were sipping champagne by the treasure chests.
She pushed through the automatic glass doors and burst out into the cool, biting evening air.
[Ding!]
[Host has successfully evaded Target’s detection.]
[Reward: 5 Agility points.]
Sunny didn’t stop to celebrate. She kept running until her lungs burned and her ankles ached, eventually ducking into a dark, secluded alleyway two streets over.
She leaned heavily against the cold wall, panting desperately. She clutched her chest, feeling her heart threatening to beat its way out of her ribcage.
I survived. I actually survived breathing the same air as him.
Once her breathing levelled out, she looked down at the wooden box in her hands. The adrenaline was still pumping through her veins, but a victorious smile stretched across her face.
She popped the latch and opened the box.
Inside sat a dull, tarnished silver pendant shaped like a crescent moon. To anyone else, it looked like cheap junk you would find at a flea market.
’Looking at it now, there was one more thing I was meant to do.’
She pondered for a while before she found a sharp piece of broken glass near a dumpster, winced, and pricked the tip of her index finger. A small bead of dark red blood welled up.
Sunny pressed her bleeding finger directly against the centre of the tarnished moon.
For a second, nothing happened. Then, the pendant suddenly hummed. A blinding silver light flashed in the dark alleyway, completely absorbing the drop of blood.
The tarnish immediately melted away, revealing a brilliant, glowing silver surface that practically hummed with ancient energy.
[Ding!]
[Artefact ’The Eyes of the Moon’ successfully bound to Host.]
Oh, I totally forgot: the effects of the Eyes of the Moon.
[Spatial Domain unlocked. Current capacity: 10,000 square feet. Time inside the domain is frozen.]
Sunny gasped, staring at the glowing system screen.
Ten thousand square feet?! That is an entire warehouse! And time is frozen?! I can store unlimited hot food, and it will never rot!
She quickly fastened the cold silver chain around her neck, tucking the pendant safely beneath the fabric of her black dress. It felt warm against her skin, a comforting weight that promised survival.
Step one complete. Now I just need to figure out how to fill a ten-thousand-square-foot warehouse with food, water, and weapons in less than thirty days.
Meanwhile, back inside the pirate-themed auction house.
Donovan stood frozen in the hallway, watching the weird red-haired woman sprint away like she had seen a ghost. His thick brows furrowed in deep confusion, and he even took a step to follow her, but stopped himself.
He shook his head, trying to clear the strange, violent emptiness that was still gnawing at his chest. He didn’t have time to chase crazy women in black dresses. He was here for a specific reason.
He turned his attention back to the manager’s office and pushed open the wooden door without knocking.
A privilege that only Lily gave him.
Inside, Lily Donne was still staring dumbfounded at the fat stack of crumpled street cash sitting on her desk. She snapped her head up when the door swung open.
"Donovan?" Lily gasped, immediately straightening her posture and quickly trying to fix her hair. A blush crept up her neck. "You are early. The auction hasn’t even started yet."
Donovan ignored her flustered, eager state, not even offering her a greeting or a smile. He stepped into the room, his towering presence making the spacious office suddenly feel incredibly small and suffocating.
"I am not here for the main auction," Donovan said, his voice clipped. "I am here for the blind lot from the back room. Specifically, the tarnished pendant. The Eyes of the Moon. Bring it to me."
Lily blinked. The colour instantly drained from her face.
She looked at Donovan, and then at the door behind him.
’Didn’t they meet up? What is this situation?’
She looked back at Donovan.
"But..." Lily stammered, her voice suddenly trembling. "But I just gave it away."
Donovan’s eyes narrowed. The temperature in the room instantly plummeted to freezing. The air grew so heavy that Lily actually had to grip the edge of her desk to keep her knees from buckling.
"You did what?" Donovan asked softly.
That soft tone was far more terrifying than a shout. It was the tone he always used whenever he needed to act on a crime that involved him.
"I... I gave it away," Lily choked out, terrified by the sudden, murderous glint in his grey eyes. "Someone came in here five minutes ago and demanded it."
Donovan took a slow, calculated step forward.
"Who did you give it to, Lily?"
Lily swallowed hard. Her throat was incredibly dry. She knew how possessive Donovan was, and she knew she had just made a grave mistake. But she also knew she couldn’t lie to him.
"To your girlfriend," Lily whispered, shrinking back against her chair.
Silence.
Total, absolute, suffocating silence filled the room.
Donovan stared at her. His perfectly tailored suit suddenly felt a little too tight across his broad shoulders.
"My what?"