Five Lost Angels: My Husband's Fatal Deception novel Chapter 69

Something was wrong.

Henry was supposed to be here. He promised. But now, his number was unreachable.

My fingers clenched around my phone, heart hammering against my ribs. Breathe, Laura. Breathe.

The host took the stage, his voice echoing through the grand hall, but his words blurred into background noise. My eyes darted across the room, scanning every entrance. Where the hell was Henry?

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the annual auction of Lakon City. We are honored by your interest in charity for the poor and needy.”

He shed light on the uniqueness of sale items, thanking the sponsors, but it wasn’t of my concern. Henry’s disappearance tightened my throat. I noticed the signature, cold smile toying on Leo’s lips as he talked to his table fellows. He was back to his old self to openly celebrate his approaching victory.

Meanwhile, the auction started with vintage jewelry, fucking my brain. So, as a last resort, I texted Henry’s assistant.

“Where’s Henry, Brad? Why are you here alone?”

Luckily, Brad was in his right mind, he messaged me swiftly.

“Boss is on his way, ma’am. Please enjoy.”

Enjoy?

My foot!

My erratic heartbeat was aching my chest, running me out of patience with every passing second. I hardly composed myself during the first three item sales. But when the host announced the ceramic’s auction, I lost it and got up.

“Excuse me.”

I turned to flee to the bathroom for a moment of relief, Henry’s delay was getting on my nerves. However, I experienced sudden showers of serenity and peace as I turned and saw Henry entering throught the doors.

He made the first offer for the bidding. “Fifty thousand dollars!”

His firm tone reverberated in the surroundings, bringing a joyous smile to my face. I sat down and raised my board.

“One million dollars!”

The sudden jump in prize excited others, they actively participated in bidding.

“Two million dollars!”

“Three million dollars!”

“Four million dollars!”

But when I raised the offer to ten million dollars, the pin-drop silence prevailed in the hall, none of the bidders spoke up after that. This was the plan, a trap to make me the focal point of the bidding process.

Leo joked lightheartedly, “Come on, guys. This is half of the market price. Add some millions and still, you won’t be wasting money.”

Standing tall in his glory, he walked towards me and spoke mysteriously.

“Or wait?

No one will bid now because of the former agreement.”

His suspicious statement stirred up chaos in the hall, the guests were offended by this allegation.

Then he laughed at my pea brain to trust him, mocking me with his buddies. The wave of rage burning every cell of my body stole the very breath from my mouth. I was shaking with fury, barely stopping myself from exploding.

Soon, all my grievances turned into the fresh breeze of spring as Leo’s blanched face sang songs of desolation. He didn’t even suspect it from my acting that we would catch him in the act.

Smiling proudly, Bright wrapped his arm around my shoulder protectively as Leo spoke hurriedly.

“This is a fake video. I never indulge in illegal practices, my profession is ice hockey. I am unaware of such scams.”

He tried to blame Henry for the fraud, throwing dirt at him. But no one believed him. The management called the police and asked security to lock the doors.

The police officers came promptly and checked the evidence, cuffing Leo in front of the cream of the city.

The doors slammed shut.

Uniformed officers strode in, their presence swallowing the last remnants of Leo’s false confidence.

“Mr. Leo,” the lead officer announced, snapping open a pair of handcuffs, “you are under arrest for illegal dealings and behind-the-scenes manipulation.”

Leo took a step back. “This—this is ridiculous! I demand a lawyer—”

Click.

The cuffs locked around his wrists, cutting off his last attempt at escape.

The hall erupted. Some gasped. Some whispered. Some cheered.