I Refuse to Be Your Second Choice novel Chapter 325

Natalie didn’t say a word.

Arianna watched her, her eyes full of concern. “Alexander Ramirez is not worth your tears. After everything he did to hurt you for Camila White, him getting sick now feels like karma, honestly.”

Natalie tipped her head back and took a long drink of beer. The icy liquid slid down her throat, but it didn’t do anything to calm her nerves.

“Arianna, do you think I’m awful?” Natalie asked quietly. “I heard he’s sick, and even after everything, I still can’t help worrying about him.”

Arianna let out a small sigh, her brows knit together. “You’re not awful. You just have too soft a heart.”

The next day came fast.

Natalie had just finished a meeting and was heading out of the conference room when Anne hurried up behind her.

“Nora, we have a problem,” Anne blurted, out of breath. “The buyers from the livestream auction are all pulling out. Some want their money back and are returning the pieces. Others are refusing to finish their purchases. They’re scared… scared everything they bought might be fake.”

Natalie stopped in her tracks.

Anne pressed on, her voice tight with worry. “After that news blew up online, they’re convinced their stuff isn’t real. They’re all waiting in the lounge right now.”

Natalie’s face stayed calm. She turned around and headed for the lounge. “How many buyers are there?”

“Almost all of them. And they’re not backing down,” Anne replied, her voice shaking just a little.

“Let’s go,” Natalie said, her eyes steady and determined.

As soon as she pushed open the door, the noise inside vanished.

A dozen buyers turned to look at her all at once. Suspicion and anger were written all over their faces.

“Yeah, we want answers, right now!”

The room erupted again, voices overlapping, the tension thick.

Anne edged closer to Natalie and whispered, “Should I call security? They’re getting out of hand. What if this turns ugly?”

Natalie shook her head right away. “Absolutely not. That would only make it look like we really are guilty, like everything we sell is fake. We can’t let that happen.”

She turned back to the crowd, raising her voice so everyone could hear her. “Everyone, please, let’s settle down.”

The angry chatter slowly died down.

Natalie spoke clearly. “To put your worries to rest, here’s what I suggest. You can each bring in your own trusted appraisal expert to check every single auction piece. Billy Firth will pay for all the appraisal costs. If any items turn out to be fake, we’ll refund you immediately, cancel the sale, and cover any losses you have.”