♥︎ Dedicating this chapter to @rjahanzaib05 ♥︎
♥︎ Thanks alot for reading and for the votes.♥︎

✨🎄Merry Christmas everyone🎄✨

—— ——

"Wow. Five million pounds going once. Five million pounds going twice...." He looks to Assad again, but this time he rests his paddle down.
"Well there you have it ladies and gentlemen. Sold to the gentleman in the back for five million pounds!" Everyone stands to their feet applauding him, as he made his way down the aisle.

He walks up the stage to me.
"Dennis Mayweather my lady. It is a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Kingston." He extends his hand to me.

"Please call me Paulina, and it is nice to meet you." I shake his hand.

"Then I must agree to you calling me Dennis." I smile, nodding.

"It's only fair." He chuckles, gesturing for me to walk forward, offering me his arm and leading me down the stairs towards my family's table.

"Quite a show you put on for us Paulina darling." Mrs. Ignuis states, but there was nothing kind about her tone.

"A dinner with a Kingston is worth more than just five million madam. It is a moment that can can put to be a person's life changing experience. It is expected many would bid as eagerly as they had." Dennis states, smiling charmingly at the older woman.

"Who exactly are you may I ask?" Mother says stepping forward.
"Your generous offer will do so much for the children. I hope giving that much money is not a hassle." Dennis waves her off, as if his giving an entire fortune was not worth that much.

"It's all for a good cause. I believe my father would be very proud of me. I actually am the second oldest son of General Harold Mayweather."

"Of London, General Harold Mayweather?" My father asks and he nods.

"That's the guy. He wanted to come but duty calls for him back at base, especially with the recent rise of news regarding Adolf Hitler and his Nazis." A slight heaviness blankets the atmosphere at the mention of the known name. It's not as if we weren't aware of the existence of Hitler and his Nazis, all of Pemberton knew of it, just as the rest of the world—and it proves no matter how much you want to simply live life as usual, the reality of the world and it's events always catches up to everyone.

"Then one can only ask why a man of your status would fly all the way to Pemberton to bid on a dinner with the heiress of The Kingston Empire." Dennis smiles, looking at Carl who looked quite put off by Dennis' grin.

"I promise I am not here to cause any problems, I simply came to fulfill the request of a woman dear to me." He admits, just as Assad storms over to us, glaring harshly at a smiling Dennis.

"What are you doing Dennis?"

"Assad ole friend. How is your mother? Maybe we can go see her together, she is ill after all."

"My mother's health is none of your business." He grits out and Dennis places his hand to his chest, feigning hurt.

"That kind of stings. I thought we all bonded over my time in Sarton. Well, I would believe our parents did most of the bonding than we did, won't you agree." He chuckles and Assad grabs hold of his collar, making me as well as many other gasp in shock.

"Watch how you speak of my mother." Assad growls at the smiling man.

"Boys boys." Father and Mr. Ignuis separates the two men, Mrs. Ignuis and mother staring at them with calculated gazes, Robert's face blank of all emotions as usual.

"You can get yourself killed for harming him Assad. Calm down." Father tells him, and he scoffs.

"I don't care. You knew I was going to bid for a dinner with Paulina you bastard." Dennis chuckles darkly, adjusting his jacket as his piercing gaze settles on Assad.

"You think I wanted to fly all the way from London for this. I came only on the request of your mother, to stop you from ruining your life."

"I am not ruining my life! I love her!"

A collective gasp rippled through the hall, shock and disbelief hanging in the air. My eyes widened in horror at his public confession as whispers quickly spread, like a rising tide of murmured speculation.

"Out of the hall now." Mother softly mutters, carrying her decorum with ease.

"Paulina-" Assad tries to reach for me, but I turn around, meeting the prying gazes of the guests right in front of me.

I walk forward, trying with my all to not let my emotions get the best of me. Keep your head held high, the words repeated to myself in my head.

I knew it was right of me to tell him not to come today, but I should have known he would not have listened to me.

Flashback

"Hello?" I remain quiet. With his silence after I would believe he knew it was I.
"You finally called."

"Do not come to the auction tomorrow." I immediately instruct him, leaving no room for idle conversation.

"Paulina, this is our chance. I have enough money to outbid them all."

"Where are you even getting this type of money Assad? Do not do anything that will cost you your life." I try to reason with him, but he just chuckles.

"Don't worry about me my love. Everything will be fine, I promise you. Can I...can we meet again? I really want to clear up what happened between us last time."

"What did Dr. Phillis tell you?"

"I swear to you Paulina, all he told me was that you still experienced pain from the tear that happened. That was all, he said nothing else."

Good. I don't ever want him to know of the baby. Knowing him, it'll only cause more harm than good, for both of us.

"This is the last time I will speak to you Assad."

"Paulina-"

"No! Mr. Baker is right. We must be mindful of our actions. I would rather you alive and not with me, than to have a target on your back."

"You are a Kingston, no one will ever go against you—they didn't even when you stood and continue to stand for colored people."

"Is that truly what you think?"

"Isn't it the truth? Anything you Kingstons say goes. All of Pemberton knows that."  He says in a casual tone, as if oblivious to any struggles beyond wealth and status.

"You make it sound as if it's that easy."

"But it is. A simple write up of a contract."

"A simple write up of a contract." I scoff out a irritated laugh.
"Do you any idea....Nevermind."

"Paulina-"

"Do not come to the auction Assad. I don't care for reputation, but for your life. If the truth is exposed, your life will be far more worse than mines. It's the horrible truth." I say hanging up before he could reply.

I push open the doors, rushing down the corridor as fast as I could towards the room I once was, ignoring the continuous calls of my name behind me.

I was furious, absolutely livid, yet at the same time, pain surged through my body; my nerves were on edge, my body becoming weak and the urge to cry lingered just beneath the surface.

"Paulina!" I hear Assad call again, managing to grab hold of my arm, but I quickly tore it away from him, staring up at him through tearful eyes; his own eyes filled with sadness.

"I told you not to come!" I push against his chest.

"Paulina please." He grabs hold my hands, and I try to pull it away again, but he tightens his grip this time.

"Let me go Assad!"

"Paulina simply let us discuss this." He begs.

"Let go of my wife!" Carl rushes up to us, his parents and Dennis following behind him. Assad let's go of me, turning to attack Carla's he reaches us but he dodges his punch, and returns his own, causing him to stagger back.
He quickly collects himself, rushing to Carl making them both fall to the floor.

"Stop this right now!" Mr. Ignius shouts, him and Dennis trying to pull Assad off of Carl, but he would not let him go.

STOP IT!" I scream again, my voice trembling as Assad delivers another vicious blow to Carl's face, the sight of Carl's blood spiking fear into my body. Tears blur my vision as I watch on, my gaze shifting to Mrs. Ignius. The outrage in her tearful eyes towards me, cutting deeper than any knife.

She has been nothing but good to me, and this is what I cause.

"CUT IT OUT RIGHT NOW YOU TWO!" Father's voice booms louder than the ruckus, as him, mother and Robert finally join us; Dennis and Mr. Ignuis now able to separate the  battered and bruised men.

Carl's face was swollen and oozing of blood from his lip and a cut below his eyes, while Assad had a busted lip and several swollen areas on his face.

"What the hell is wrong with all of you?! We can hear the sound of your ruckus the moment we open the side door!" Mother shouts walking up to us, a harsh look thrown in my direction.

"Do you have any idea the trouble you have caused boy! Everyone is talking. EVERYONE!" She shouts at Assad, who remained seated on the ground, still glaring at Carl who sat opposite of him, also glaring.

"I can only picture how all of that looked? Another man proclaiming his love for a married woman, in front of your husband!" She directs her anger to me this time.

"Tabatha-"

"Not now Gregory." She angrily cuts him off.
"She has ruined our reputation just as I knew she would."

"Tabatha that is enough!" Father shouts at her again, and this time she remains quiet; huffing and folding her arms in anger. The corridor falls into a tense silence.

"How long have you been shagging this colored man Paulina?" My gaze snaps to Mrs. Ignuis.

"Grace-"

"Shut up Parker." She glares up at her husband, pointing in his face.
"There seems to be many things occurring within this family that I am not aware of, yet these two strangers seem to know." She points to Robert and Dennis.

"How long have you been cheating on my son, girl? I won't ask again." I open my mouth to speak to her but nothing comes out, my heart breaking even more when her shoulders slack and a look of pain blankets her face.
"I treated you as my own daughter, and this is what you do. This is the hurt you cause my baby boy." I look away from her but she shouts at me to look at her.

"Look at me! Carl has loved you. Loved you more than I am realizing you deserved."

"Mother please." Carl stands to his feet, walking up to her. She holds her hand out to him, stopping him from coming any closer to her.

"You knew she was cheating and said nothing Carl." She heartbrokenly mutters, tears falling like a river from her eyes.
"And what of you Parker? How can you let this happen!"

"I'm so sorr-"

"Sorry is nothing but a painkiller that eases the pain only for a while. But just because the pain eases, it does not mean the issue has been solved." I cover my hands with my mouth, to muffle the sob that breaks from my lips.

"Paulina please don't cry."

"Do not comfort her Carl! Why do you care for her so!" His mother stops him from coming to me. My vision blurs from my tears as I watch the two argue, regret and guilt choking me for coming between the mother-son duo.

I was responsible for this. I look around the room, Mother, Robert and Father, talking with each other in a circle, Assad glaring at the floor, as Dennis stooped in front of him, speaking to him as well.

It's all my fault.

All my fault.

"MADAM PAULINA!" I hear Rebbeca's voice shout, the feeling of my head impacting harshly with the ground, and everything goes black.