Contract Marriage: Married to My Ex-Husband's Alpha Stepfather [BL]

Chapter 183: In A Full Room, I’ll Find You, Always

[FROLO]

The bidding hall was busy.

There were important people from the city and the nation at large. It was honestly more like a festival for the rich and bored, and those who didn’t know where to use their money.

Sergei looked at how things were, and frankly, if it hadn’t been for the fact that he had promised Katya he would be here, he would have long bolted.

The first step inside that ballroom was enough of a reason for him to remember why he never liked these events anyway. People were all over him, the man who had donated for thirty years.

Some had fake smiles that went way over their heads.

Some felt insecure around him, and Sergei didn’t even bother to look deep into that.

Others looked at the alpha like he was a piece of art that had finally been dusted and allowed back in. There were cameras all over his face, so Sergei did the only thing he could.

He looked for Katya in the crowd.

He couldn’t hurry to the man or even let himself be seen as someone who was running, but he needed him. And like the universe had trapped them together, his eyes eventually met his Solnyshka’s.

Katya’s eyes were tender, and he looked at Sergei as if the man were normal. It was something that confused the hell out of the alpha, but the smile that followed was enough to make the alpha malfunction.

Maybe it was good that Volkov and Irina were here because otherwise, Sergei would have long embarrassed himself because of the little crush he had on his Solnyshka.

Well, it was just a little crush indeed, no?

"Welcome to the annual children’s charity event..." Sergei heard, and he zoned out.

He didn’t care for speeches and whatnot, especially when Katya stopped looking at him and focused on the event. This was boring, yet Sergei couldn’t even run from the same place.

"...Moskowsky’s very own, Sergei Moskowsky!" Sergei heard, and he froze.

What the fuck?

"You really aren’t making an effort not to look bored here, Sergei," Irina sighed as she stared at him.

"Mr. Moskowsky, could you please do us the honor of coming forward!" the event manager, or whoever the fuck was in charge of this madness.

Sergei sighed.

He was contemplating his life’s choices right now. But maybe this time, he had the right motivation.

At least once he stepped forward, he wouldn’t have to break his neck trying to find Katya. He would see him well from the front. That was the only comfort, being auctioned like he was a tool.

"Everywhere, please take your seats," the MC said, and Sergei found himself standing in the middle of a seated crowd, like this couldn’t get any more ridiculous.

Still, he stepped forward. One foot ahead, like he was trying to get this over and done with. He passed by where the senator and Katya had been seated, and he smiled at them; or rather, smiled at the man who had managed to rope him into this madness.

The senator smiled back.

But Katya...

Katya gave him a thumbs up, a stark contrast to what his boyfriend was doing.

And Sergei trusted that thumbs up more than he trusted all the smiles in this room.

He could do this.

His Solnyshka believed in him.

That was all that mattered.

"Thank you for gracing us, Mr. Moskowsky. Would you like to say a word?" the man who had been yapping around said, and Sergei stared at him, giving him the signature Sergei Moskowsky look, and the man stepped a few feet far from him.

It was not that hard to know that Sergei was already contemplating snapping the man’s neck. And his grim, cold face wasn’t even helping, especially since there wasn’t much he was looking forward to now.

"Okay, looks like Mr. Moskowsky will not give us a speech. You know how this goes, people. We are raising money for charity, and the bids are now open," the man ahead said, and Sergei’s eyes instantly found Katya’s.

"If it’s any comfort, I’ll make the first bid high so you won’t exactly be sold off for pennies," Katya had promised.

And true to his word, Katya spoke first, right at the moment that Irina spoke too.

"Half a billion!" Katya shouted, his eyes never leaving Sergei’s.

He had a professional smile on his face, but they both knew what that was for Sergei. For the man he had managed to bring to this place.

Everyone stilled in the room at the opening bid.

Hell, even Irina pulled her hand back down real fast.

Half a billion.

Katya Romanov had bid half a billion on the devil of Frolo.

Sergei stared blankly, but deep down, he was shocked.

Katya had seen the way his eyebrows had twitched, and the omega still didn’t bring down his hand. His bid had stayed, like this was the reason they had come. Like this was why he had made the man come out of his cocoon.

And for a moment, Sergei’s eyes softened at the fact that he was facing.

His Solnyshka had chosen him.

Half a billion.

His Solnyshka saw him as worthy of half a billion in a bidding hall where people started with amounts like ten thousand, twenty thousand. He had set the bar impossibly high, and gods was it something less.

Sergei knew all this was meant for charity.

He knew Katya wasn’t buying him or even thinking like that when he started with the insane bid.

Yet somewhere deep down, beneath all possible reason, a part of the alpha couldn’t stop thinking of what Katya had done.

He chose me first.

It was not that serious, yet to Sergei, this was a gesture that meant the world in his morphed brain.

Around the hall, the reactions were the same.

"What the fuck?"

"Is that even possible?"

"Can that be approved?"

"Little rose, are you sure about this?" The senator’s voice hit Katya’s ears amid the surprised faces in the bidding hall.

It was like they had reached the pinnacle of insanity.

Meanwhile, Alek just smiled courteously as if to ask what the fuck his boyfriend was doing, yet at the same time, he couldn’t exactly say the amount was huge because Katya Romanov was born into a wealthy family.

A billion was nothing to him, especially now that his family’s business had been booming over the past year. And being the only heir to that steel empire, Katya Romanov could definitely donate more than that.

But still, it was too high a bid, right?

"It’s for charity," Katya said, his eyes not leaving Sergei’s even once.

If Alek noticed, he didn’t say a word about it.

"Half a billion from Chairman Romanov!" the events MC said as the complaints increased.

Yet never once did Katya back down.

And Sergei...

He smiled.

For the camera, maybe.

For his Solnyshka, certainly.

Volkov didn’t need it spelled out for him, given the only thing that was going on his mind was a silent prayer to the gods not to risk disaster in Katya.

Because if that happened, the realm would burn.

And Sergei Moskowsky would be holding the matchstick.

"As per the rules of the auction, whoever bids the highest will get to have dinner or go on a date with the person being auctioned. Doesn’t have to be a romantic date, but think of how great it would be to get the chance to have a sit-down with Mr. Moskowsky of the Moskowsky group!" the MC announced.

Sergei stared at his Solnyshka in surprise.

Yet Katya just smiled encouragingly.

And the bids, however impossible they had seen at the first, increased. A sit-down with Sergei was worth everything, and Sergei was slowly learning.

"Eight hundred million!" a pharma CEO bid.

"Eight hundred and fifty million!" another CEO bid.

"Nine hundred million!"

"Nine hundred and twenty!"

"Nine hundred and twenty going once, going twice! S—" The MC said, only for someone familiar to shout for the crowd.

"Two billion from this couple!"

Sergei’s eyes widened. Not because of the amount. It was ridiculous enough with this ridiculous auction.

But because of who had made the bid.

The alpha froze for a split second, but of course, Katya noticed. The omega followed Sergei’s line of sight, excited to see who had made such a bid...

Only to sigh exaggeratedly like a tired parent.

"Svetlana Vasilieva and Andre Stepanov."

But it was for charity, right?

Right?