I left the auction hall feeling like I was floating. The weight of my mother's jade bracelet on my wrist grounded me, a physical reminder that not everything could be stolen from me. Sebastian Sinclair's gesture had done more than just return my heirloom—it had restored a piece of my dignity.
"Earth to Hazel!" Vera snapped her fingers in front of my face. "Where did you just go?"
"Sorry," I said, blinking back to reality. "I think I'm in shock."
"Well, get unshocked. You need to find Sinclair and thank him properly." Vera scanned the thinning crowd. "A man doesn't spend three hundred million without expecting at least a thank-you."
I clutched my purse tighter. "The secretary said he had urgent business."
"Then find out what that business is." Vera pushed me gently toward the exit. "Go. I'll take a cab home. You have a mysterious billionaire to track down."
