I Accidentally Got Auctioned for a Date… My CEO Just Bid $5,000 to Keep Me
Chapter 5
After a year together, Alexander asked Sophie to marry him.
He didn’t propose in a ballroom.
He didn’t hire photographers.
He took her to the same restaurant where their first date had happened.
They sat at the same table.
Sophie smiled.
“Why here?”
“Because everything changed here.”
She looked at him.
“You mean the second date.”
“Yes.”
“And the first date?”
“The auction.”
She laughed.
He took out a ring.
Her eyes filled.
“I know how we started.”
“Unusual.”
“A little embarrassing.”
“Very.”
She laughed.
“But I don’t want you to ever think you were something I bought.”
Sophie shook her head.
“I don’t.”
“I want you to know I chose you.”
She cried.
“Alexander.”
He knelt.
“Will you marry me?”
She said yes.
Their engagement was private.
But eventually the news became public.
The internet reacted exactly as expected.
Some people called Sophie a gold digger.
Others said Alexander had bought his girlfriend.
Sophie was hurt.
Alexander wanted to respond publicly.
She stopped him.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t need to prove anything.”
He looked at her.
She continued:
“People who know us know.”
He nodded.
They ignored the noise.
The wedding was small.
Family.
Close friends.
A few trusted employees.
No corporate executives.
No press.
Sophie wore a simple white dress.
Alexander looked nervous.
She teased him.
“You run a billion-dollar company.”
“I know.”
“Why are you shaking?”
“Because this matters.”
She smiled.
They married.
Their professional boundaries remained.
Sophie joined another division.
Eventually, she became director of operations.
She earned the position independently.
Alexander never promoted her.
The board did.
That distinction mattered.
Their marriage became stronger.
They bought a home together.
But both maintained separate finances.
Sophie wanted that.
Alexander respected it.
They traveled.
Built a family.
Learned to disagree.
One argument was about work.
Another about spending.
Another about Sophie taking on too many responsibilities.
They learned.
The relationship became real.
Not perfect.
Real.
One evening, Sophie asked:
“Do you still remember the moment you raised your card?”
Alexander smiled.
“Every second.”
“You knew what would happen?”
“No.”
“Then why bid?”
He looked at her.
“Because I had been noticing you all night.”
She laughed.
“That’s your explanation?”
“Yes.”
She smiled.
“Good.”
He kissed her.
The auction became a private joke.
Their families loved telling it.
Friends teased Alexander.
“You bought dinner for five thousand dollars.”
He always corrected them.
“No.”
“I bought a chance to meet the woman I love.”
Sophie always rolled her eyes.
But secretly, she loved hearing it.
