I hadn't thought about documentation, either. Of course they'd expect paperwork.
"All documentation will be provided to the winning bidder."
"Excellent. I'll have my legal team prepare the purchase agreement. Expect my offer within twenty-four hours."
After Al-Rashid leaves, I find myself alone with Camilla in the suddenly quiet salon. She hasn't moved an inch from where I positioned her, but something in her posture has changed.
"Is it over?" she asks quietly.
"For today."
"And tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow, we wait for their offers."
She nods slowly, then suddenly her legs give out. She sinks into the nearest chair, her face pale and her hands shaking.
"I can't do this," she whispers.
"You can. You did."
"They looked at me like I was... like I was..."
"Like you were exactly what you are. A valuable acquisition being evaluated by potential buyers." The words come out automatically, but they feel like knives in my chest.
"I'm not an acquisition. I'm not property. I'm a person."
"Not to them, you're not. To them, you're an investment. A luxury item to be purchased and enjoyed."
She looks up at me with eyes that are bright with unshed tears. "And to you? What am I to you?"
The question I've been avoiding. The one I can't answer honestly without destroying everything.
I look down at her—this incredible, strong, beautiful woman—and give her the only answer I can afford.
"You're a transaction."
She stands slowly, rebuilding her composure with visible effort. "Then I suppose I should be grateful that I’m so highly valued."
"You should be. Both men are prepared to make substantial offers."
"When will you decide?"
"When I receive their final offers."
"And then?"
"Then the highest bidder wins or Alessandro pays."
She nods, accepting the reality with the same dignity she's shown throughout this nightmare.
"I'd like to return to my room now."
"Of course."
I escort her upstairs, noting the way she moves, carefully, like she's afraid she might fall. At her door, she turns to face me.
"Renato?"
