Chapter 299
“Carter, the auction’s about to start. Whatever it is, wait until it’s over.”
Carter stood still, eyes fixed on the two figures walking away, arm in arm. His lips pressed into a thin, hard line. A glint of cold, silent fury passed through his gaze. (1)
Inside the auction hall, Wendy spotted Sharon and Xavier as they entered and waved them over.
“Sharon, Xavier-over here.”
Sharon made her way toward Wendy. “I told you to come with me. You insisted on arriving alone.”
“You two showing up together-handsome guy, beautiful girl-surely make for a spectacular entrance. If I tagged along, I’d only bring down the effect.”
Wendy raised her brows, proud of her own sacrifice.
“Did you see Kelly and Carter earlier? The way they strutted in like royalty, especially Kelly. She looked like a peacock fanning her feathers, practically shaking them in everyone’s face.”
She curled her lip in disdain.
“And the people around them weren’t any better. Kelly’s so fake, yet everyone treats her like she’s some kind of celestial being.”
Wendy scoffed. “Her few achievements are nothing compared to yours. I don’t know what they’re bragging about.”
Xavier interjected mildly, “Still, for Carter to be hung up on her, and Nate to keep chasing after her, she must have something going for her. From what I’ve found, she was always a top student-school goddess type. Even had directors trying to pull her into showbiz, but she turned them down.
“She plays multiple instruments, but the violin’s her specialty. That’s how she got into Bell University.
“And during the five years she was apart from Carter, she wasn’t idle-competed in all sorts of international contests and won more awards than you could count.
I heard she even beat a rising-star violin prodigy. That girl’s career never recovered after losing to her.”
Sharon said quietly, “There are a lot of prodigies in this field. But the ones who can endure to the end and actually make something of it? Not many. Kelly… she does have talent.”
‘And I… I’m the opposite,’ Sharon thought quietly.
If she hadn’t divorced, would she have ever found the courage to pick up the violin again? Even now, the answer felt uncertain.
As the three of them talked, the auction officially began.
Xavier had never been much interested in these things-he rarely attended in the past. He’d gone out of his way to get tickets this time, but they weren’t front row-fourth row, off to the side.
The closer to the front, the more prestigious the status.
Carter, Kelly, and Nate were seated in the very first row.
As they walked past Sharon’s row, Nate cast her a glance, followed by a soft, disdainful snort. The ridicule on his face was plain.
So this was the big shot Sharon had managed to cling to? Still sitting in the fourth row.
Five minutes later, the auction officially commenced.
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The first item: a set of fine porcelain teacups from the court of Versailles during Louis XV’s reign.
Collectors and tea aficionados alike jumped into the bidding. It finally sold for 300 thousand.
Next came a crown from a European royal family, dating back to the previous century.
Studded with diamonds in every shade, it dazzled under the lights-blindingly bright.
Kelly gasped softly. “What a beautiful crown…”
Nate nodded. “It really is. If you wore it during a concert, it’d be absolutely perfect.”
The starting price was 100 thousand.
Nate raised his paddle. “200 thousand.”
Kelly looked at him with wide, grateful eyes. “Nate, you don’t need to spend that much on me…”
She said the words, but her face told a different story.
Nate drank it all in. “Don’t worry. I’ll win it for you, no matter what…”
But before he could finish the sentence, a cool, familiar female voice rang out.
“300 thousand.”
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