Shadows in the Auction 3

All eyes turned to Isabella, who sat quietly, her face flushed as she fiddled with her glass. Her shy demeanour only added to her allure, and Jason felt a protective instinct kick in.

"Don't bully her," he said, wrapping an arm around Isabella. "She's a bit shy, but we had a great time today, didn't we?"

Isabella's cheeks turned a deeper shade of pink. "Jason," she mumbled, "you're embarrassing me."

Jason kissed her forehead softly before turning to Veronica and Samantha, his tone gentle but firm. "I care about all of you. Let's not play games or fight over this. Can we agree to just enjoy tonight? Anything else… and we'll deal with it over time.

The women exchanged glances before nodding, their competitive edges softening. Samantha rolled her eyes dramatically. "Fine," she said. "But only because you're ridiculously good at diffusing tension."