The Wife He Never Meant to Love (Lila and Damon) novel Chapter 140

Chapter 140

Chapter 140

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Damon sat in a private room below the auction floor, his eyes fixed on the large monitors showing the event. The catalog was running, each item a carefully curated surprise meant to shock and excite the audience.

Then-suddenly-everything changed.

Maddy appeared at the center of the hall, wearing nothing but high heels. Her face was blank, almost mechanical, as if she were no longer herself, but a carefully crafted object to be claimed by the highest bidder. The murmurs in the room swelled into excited gasps as the bidding soared higher and higher.

Before Damon could think, his hand moved, almost automatically, as he placed a bid: 100 billion dollars, under Richard’s name.

From below, Lila watched. She laughed, cold, sharp, echoing in the private room like a knife.

“You really can’t let Maddy go, huh?” she said, her voice low but cutting.

Lila had seen it.

The moment Maddy stepped into the center, everything shifted.

Damon-who had been calm, calculating, untouchable-lost it.

She saw the panic flash across his face. The way his eyes locked onto Maddy, filled with something Lila had never seen directed at her so openly-

Worry.

Urgency.

Possession.

And when the bidding started, Damon didn’t hesitate.

He fought for Maddy.

Not with strategy. Not with restraint.

But with everything he had.

Money was thrown without thought, numbers rising recklessly, as if nothing else in the room mattered-as if no one else existed.

Including her.

A week ago, Maddy had called.

Her voice had been light, almost playful.

15:13 Mon, May 4

Chapter 140

Damon will be at the auction, she said. Let’s make a bet.

Lila remembered the silence that followed.

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I bet he’ll bid for me, Maddy added, amusement laced in every word. And if I win… then you’ll finally see the truth.

Lila had accepted.

Not because she believed it.

But because she didn’t.

Or at least… that’s what she told herself.

Now, sitting there, watching it unfold before her-

. Lila felt her blood turn cold.

The truth wasn’t subtle.

It was cruel.

Blatant.

Repeated.

Again and again.

Damon’s profession of love…. meant nothing.

Maybe it never did.

Maybe it was never about love at all.

Maybe it was just responsibility.

A son.

A family name.

An obligation dressed up as something more.

Lila let out a slow breath, her fingers tightening slightly against her lap..

How foolish.

To believe that this time was different.

To believe that he had chosen her.

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Chapter 140

But of course he wouldn’t let her go so easily.

She played her role perfectly-

Mrs. Blackthorne.

Composed. Capable. Necessary.

And that was exactly why he kept her.

Not out of love.

But because she was useful.

Lila froze in her seat.

Her phone vibrated.

A message from Maddy.

:

Now it’s your turn, Lila. Let’s see if he bids for you… and how much you’re worth.

For a moment, Lila couldn’t move.

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Then her fingers curled tightly around the phone before she slipped it away, her expression smoothing into something calm-detached.

Empty.

A hand gripped her arm.

Firm.

Unyielding.

Guiding her forward.

The thin white nightgown brushed against her skin as she was led to the center, the fabric light-almost fragile-against the weight of a thousand watching eyes. The room, still charged from the previous bidding war, slowly settled into an anticipatory hush.

Lila stepped into the light.

A week ago, she had already prepared for this.

Quietly.

Carefully.

Ina had been instructed to leave the estate, given an address-a place Lila had secured in advance. A contingency. A final safeguard.

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Chapter 140

For Damian.

Her son.

Lila’s gaze drifted briefly, unfocused, as she recalled the plan.

Stay safe… wait for me.

She had entrusted everything to Ina.

Because deep down-

She knew this could happen.

Her eyes shifted.

And there he was.

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Damon.

She had seen the video earlier-how he carefully helped Maddy settle, how he draped his coat over her shoulders, shielding her from the crowd’s hungry gaze.

The same look.

The same care.

The same touch.

How ironic.

Because he had once looked at Lila that way too.

Men really are good actors.

A faint smile curved her lips.

This was the last bet.

And she had already lost.

From this moment on-

Whatever happened to her…. was no longer about pride.

Or love.

Or betrayal.

It was about survival.

15:13 Mon, May 4

Chapter 140

Damon froze.

“What is the meaning of this…” he whispered, his voice low, dangerous.

Below, under the glaring lights, Lila stood still.

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The thin white nightgown clung softly to her figure, light enough to stir the imagination of every man in the room. Their gazes were no longer subtle-hungry, shameless, consuming.

The numbers kept rising.

Voices overlapped.

The bidding war intensified.

But Lila didn’t move.

She waited.

Not for rescue.

Just… for him.

For Damon to speak.

To act.

To prove something-

Anything.

But he didn’t.

No bid came from him.

Not a single number.

Not a single interruption.

Nothing.

Lila exhaled slowly, the last thread of expectation leaving her chest.

“I should’ve just stayed home…” she murmured under her breath. “Taken Ina and Damian with me… instead

of putting myself out here like a fucking piece of meat.”

A faint, bitter smile touched her lips.

“Oh well… charge it to experience.”

Her gaze dropped slightly, her voice barely a whisper now.