All too late for his love

Chapter 81

She only had a fleeting glimpse of him, however, and soon lost sight of the man amongst the sea of people filling the hall.

Willow let out a wry laugh, realizing that she must have been hallucinating. Zayn must be busy spending a romantic evening with Skyler. There was no way he would be in a place like this!

It was for the best that he didn’t come. Even though he hurt her deeply, she still did not want to expose this unsavory side of herself to him. She was quite pathetic, seriously.

In total, there were six women whose first dances were up for auction tonight. Willow was among them. Before the bidding, each woman had to dance.

The manager

er was a typical shallow man. As expected of him, he saved Willow, the most beautiful, for last as the grand finale. Dancing would have been a breeze for Willow in her healthier days. But lately, her body had deteriorated so much that she was worried she wouldn’t be able to withstand it.

So, as the makeup artists worked on her, Willow closed her eyes to rest and conserve her energy.

was the first time they’d ever had the privilege of

off, the makeup artists felt a pang of regret.

might encounter one who wasn’t entirely repulsive. But if luck

with a revolting old man for the

mistress of a wealthy

talents, the manager had arranged for her

look at the dress and realized

band of gleaming red rubles cinched the waist, creating a pure, yet alluring, contrast. A ruby–encrusted headdress, necklace, and anklets completed the look. She

movement, an effortless seductiveness emanated from

ne of the

it was finally Willow’s turn to take the stage.

old, obese, and vulgar in speech. It was unclear whether this was

a curse.

room, she happened to catch sight of him. He was clumsily shuffling about the dance floor,