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I’d be blind to claim Val was unattractive.

He was gorgeous, in fact…to the point where I couldn’t tell if it was supposed to be some kind of cruel joke.

And I definitely didn’t miss the fact that my dad just so happened to leave me with him. He wasn’t as slick as he thought.

The gala was boring from the start, but that wasn’t much of a surprise. I already knew that would be the case, and we still had longer to go, to my dismay.

But at the very least, Val was easy on the eyes with his neatly groomed, yet somehow roguishly handsome looks. Despite the low-effort style of his brown locks, it looked good anyway, and the meticulously trimmed edges of his stubble gave away the fact that he cared to at least some degree.

He seemed to tread a delicate line between giving his appearance no thought and actually trying, which he managed to pull off.

It was almost annoying to see for myself just how striking he was—how it was hard to look at him, yet even harder to look away.

Val struck me as someone who could look good wearing anything, and that was especially true about his suit. It hugged his broad shoulders yet narrow waist and looked perfectly tailored to his body. All of it gave off an air of easy control veiled by a ruggedness unique to him.

Above all else, those eyes were enough to fully claim my attention, despite how I wanted to look anywhere else.

They were a soft green, rimmed with a darker shade and lit up with interest while he spoke. His gaze felt intense, yet oddly understanding, like he was genuinely trying to see me, not the layer of glamor that felt far from my usual self.

I didn’t want to admit how they pulled me in, or how I couldn’t focus on anything else but him.

Something in me didn’t want to give him that satisfaction. Not when I had the feeling he garnered praise and attention from others as easily as breathing.

Despite how gorgeous he was, something about it annoyed me. More specifically, the smugness in his pleased expression and the faint arrogance that lingered around him. It was like he knew the power he held in his looks alone, and I found that infuriating.

There was no doubt in my mind that Val knew the effect he had on others. It didn’t take much to assume it…not while other women in the room glanced at him from the corners of their eyes, or how the men seemed to ogle him with envy in their gazes.

He certainly seemed to be a focal point of the room, even if that wasn’t his intention, yet he didn’t seem bothered by it. He didn’t even look at them.

Instead, he was busy looking at me.

“I would say that your father told me a lot about you, but that wouldn’t exactly be true,” Val murmured, allowing that vaguely amused grin to linger on his lips. He tilted his head slightly as if to thoughtfully examine me. “Although I can confirm what he did say was true, at least…”

As much as I wanted to drop the conversation and find a way to leave him, my brows furrowed slightly. “And what did he say about me?”

It was hard to believe Dad would be talking to him about me in the first place, and something in me needed to know what that conversation entailed.

He hummed. “He said you were a real prize…and I’m feeling inclined to agree.”

A shiver moved down my spine at that, nearly startling me. It took everything in my power to keep my flush down, and I scoffed to cover it up.

“He’s my dad…he has to say that about me.”

This earned a chuckle from Val. “But seeing as I’m not, consider me an unbiased party. That gives my words more merit.”

He had a point, and his insistence only flustered me further.

Before I could say anything, he leaned in a bit closer, still grinning with the faint drop of his voice. “And I’m beginning to think you’re as difficult to impress as you are beautiful…”

Damn, he was good. Almost too good.

Pulling in a discreet breath, I did my best to school my emotions. He was stupidly sexy and giving me far too much of his undivided attention, but I didn’t want to crumble. I needed to keep myself together for my own sake.

“Is that so?”

“Yes, I believe it is,” Val murmured, letting his gaze linger on my features for quite some time, flicking down to my lips before moving back up. “But I’m not one to be discouraged easily.”

His words sent another shiver down my spine, but I held it all in and tried to focus on the annoying parts of him. “Apparently not. I wonder if you can take a hint.”

Val cocked a brow at that, visibly intrigued by the response. He chuckled again and shifted the faintest bit closer. “You’re quick…I can appreciate that fact.”

As much as I wanted to both somehow win the exchange and get myself away from it, the satisfied, almost longing gleam in his eyes was harder to pull away from than I thought possible. He drank me in, and I didn’t know how to feel about it.

I knew he was doing it all on purpose—flustering me just to get a reaction. It was irritating, just like him, yet I still didn’t leave. He was almost magnetizing, in a way.

“You know, I’m thinking I didn’t give you enough credit from the start, but you’ve proven to be far more interesting than I would’ve assumed,” he said with almost practiced ease, like it wasn’t his first time finding himself in such a situation.

I had every reason to believe he had done his fair share of shameless flirting, given how he looked, anyway.

Feeling locked in place, I couldn’t escape the suggestion in his eyes. The clear invitation to continue for as long as I could stand it.

Those ridiculously beautiful features were getting harder and harder to resist, regardless of how aggravating the conversation felt. Almost like he was constantly throwing something at me to put me off balance, and I had no choice but to dodge it every time or find myself ensnared in his charm.

It would be a spineless surrender, and I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to offer him that pleasure—not when he seemed to already know it would be an easy feat for him.

Still, I had never met anyone like him before…I had certainly never been so keenly observed before either.

Clearing his throat, Dad returned to my side and glanced between the two of us, as if silently questioning what we were talking about. He seemed almost…pleased with the fact that I was still there with Val.

I took the smallest step back to put more space between the two of us before giving my dad a small smile. “Did you find whomever you needed to speak with?”

He blinked back at me for another moment as if forgetting, then nodded. “Yes, yes…everything’s handled.” His eyes drifted to Val then. “If you’ll excuse us, the auction is about to start.”

I didn’t miss how Val’s expression dropped somewhat, and he looked vaguely annoyed. But he adjusted one of his cuffs and returned with more poise, “Of course…I should take my place. You two have a pleasant rest of your evening.”

“You as well. I’m sure we’ll see you around, Novikov.”

With a note of finality, Dad held his arm out for me, and I wordlessly accepted it, allowing him to sweep me toward the main stage.

On the way, I couldn’t fight the urge to look over my shoulder at Val, immediately finding his gaze still on me.

Turning back around, still feeling flustered, I urged myself to relax. To ignore it and ignore his obvious teasing.

Because that’s all it was…pointless and harmless. It didn’t mean anything else.

Someone like Val could have his pick in the city, and regardless of who my father was, I had to be his last choice. Even considering myself as an option was absurd.

The start of the auction provided me with enough of a distraction to forget about him and our interaction for a time. Various art pieces and whatever else was put up for sale moved across the stage, catching the attention of prospective bidders.

Frankly, it was boring…just like I remembered.

While I would’ve preferred to be anywhere else—hell, even talking to Val would’ve sufficed—I knew it was something Dad had been looking forward to. At least, he appreciated having me there, and his eyes were fuller of light than they had been in a while.

Even if it was dull, I was there for him, as I said I would be.

It wasn’t much, but it was something.

But as the auction continued and more money was flaunted around the place, I found myself spacing out and aimlessly glancing around the room, taking note of various dresses and expensive jewelry around me just to keep me preoccupied.

Then, I felt that odd sensation of being watched because I was.

The moment my gaze flickered over to my left and I locked eyes with Val Novikov, heat flooded my cheeks.

He’d already been looking in my direction, and I had no idea for how long.

Swallowing hard, I adjusted myself in my seat and averted my eyes. But after a moment, they returned to him, just catching the subtle shift in his attention. From somewhere ahead of him, to me, then back to the stage.

Whether he was trying to be discreet or not, he was certainly failing. I caught him red-handed.

No part of me wanted to react to his attention, but the thought alone was enough to make my stomach flutter.

Regardless of how beautiful he was and the way he had obviously been flirting with me earlier, I didn’t want to entertain anything remotely close to it. I didn’t like being toyed with, and I had the feeling that was exactly what Val had been up to.

He struck me as the perfect player, and that was the last thing I wanted to get caught up in.

Even if the idea of catching his attention was at least somewhat thrilling, I pulled my gaze from him completely and urged myself to continue looking away. Tempering that pulse of intrigue inside me, I told myself it was for the best.

I needed to ignore him, and I needed to stick to it.

Nothing good would come from meeting him halfway, and I was well aware of it.