Chapter 53
The charity auction rolled on with more lots as various groups kept bidding, but nothing came close to the earlier fireworks.
Amelia waited.
Her finger traced down the auction catalog until it stopped at one particular item.
Then-
“Our next lot is a 6–carat Burmese pigeon blood ruby pendant…”
Nathan’s second bid of the night.
He took it for 28 million.
Watching this, Amelia smiled bitterly.
Same old Nathan.
Just like a month ago, after learning about tanzanite and turquoise birthstone meanings, he’d told her-
“Whatever. Nathan Harrison’s kid deserves the most expensive diamonds–like the Pink Star.”
She could practically read his mind right now: Nathan Harrison’s woman deserves expensive pigeon blood rubies. A million–dollar tanzanite would be embarrassing if she wore it out.
Time crawled until finally, the grand finale.
.“This isn’t one item, but artwork from those poor kids–twenty pieces total. You can bid on one or several. Every penny goes to charity.”
Other auctions would end with some ultra–rare treasure, but this was a charity gala–using these paintings made perfect sense, even if they weren’t
worth much.
Amelia studied the artwork but didn’t raise paddle 823.
Instead, she looked at Louie.
Louie got it: “Which one?”
Amelia smiled, pointing at the tablet: “This one by little Sissy.”
A cactus in sunlight–simple, but she loved it.
Louie nodded and used his paddle.
They both knew paddle 823 needed to stay down now.
But as invited guests, they each had paddles.
Louie’s paddle 811 was totally under the radar. Sitting together was fine–just raise the paddle. People mingling and chatting on the second floor was completely normal.
No rule about one person per seat.
After the final lots, the charity auction was basically done. Just some entertainment left, then the group photo.
Nathan hated group photos, but Vivian gave him those puppy dog eyes, so he reluctantly joined.
Everyone deferred center stage to him, but he just scowled and stood at the back corner.
30.22
Mr. Harrison. Wake Up Your Wife’s Gone
22.9
Chapter $3
Amelia and Louie positioned themselves as far from Nathan as possible.
Other VIPS elbowed each other for prime real estate in the middle.
“Alright everyone, look here! One, two, three!”
“Click!”
First shot.
“Perfect, one more! One, two, three!”
During the second photo, Nathan was getting antsy, but for some reason glanced toward the pair at the far end.
The masked woman was whispering something to Louie, lips curved in a smile. Unlike when she’d looked at him, now she seemed soft and gorgeous.
Louie’s got decent taste this time. Better than his usual picks, Nathan thought,
“Click!”
Second shot done.
At the camera sound, Nathan snapped his attention back to Vivian beside him.
Vivian hadn’t caught Nathan’s wandering eye, just kept working her angles.
“Last one! Eyes on the camera!”
Amelia was feeling pretty good.
Her phone had buzzed–payday.
That tanzanite was hers. She’d sold it to Louie upfront, but they’d cut a private deal.
Auction donation rate was 70%, except the opening Ming piece at 50% and the finale kids‘ art at 100%.
So from 25 million, after donating 70%, she kept 30%-7.5 million. Even after taxes, serious money remained.
Cavendish Group moved fast, so the cash had already hit Louie’s account and transferred to hers.
She’d grab that sunshine cactus painting later–everything could be stored.
“Not bad,” Amelia told Louie.
The originally million–dollar tanzanite, after donating 70%, still left her loaded
Louie sighed: “But he still got the damn stone.”
Amelia shook her head, smiling: “Best case scenario. That tanzanite was always getting auctioned for sick kids. Now I made bank and the kids got way more charity money. Win–win.”
Days ago at city hall, they’d signed the divorce property split.
For a mega–corp like Harrison Group, they’d had ironclad prenups protecting company assets. That’s why she’d cleanly walked away from most things, just to slip one loophole into the agreement–a way to reclaim her family’s old erritory.
During intermission on the rooftop, she’d set her max at 20 million.
Thinking this, Amelia felt eyes on her and looked toward Nathan.
He was studying Vivian, lost in thought. His profile stayed unreadable as always.
30.22
Mr. Harrison. Wake Up Your Wife’s Gone
23.16
napter 53
“Click!”
Third shot in the can.
“That’s a wrap, everyone! Great job.” As the photographer called it, Amelia looked away.
Photos done, Amelia and Louie headed for the exit.
Nathan and Vivian got mobbed by networking vultures.
“Mr. Harrison, I’m with Apex Construction…”
“Mr. Harrison, I’m… mind if we connect?”
“Mr. Harrison…”
Everyone tried getting Nathan’s attention, but he wasn’t having it.
So they pivoted to Vivian.
“Ms. Hope, you look stunning tonight. I’ve followed your story online–so inspiring.”
“Absolutely, Ms. Hope is such a giving person, attending this charity event.”
“Ms. Hope, any future plans? Our firm has relevant opportunities…”
Vivian ate up every word, beaming nonstop.
Nathan stood there getting more irritated by the second. Looking through the crowd, he spotted the pair making their exit.
Out of nowhere, annoyance flared in his chest again.
Looking back, he watched Vivian still working the room like a pro.
“We’re leaving,” he said flatly.
Vivian looked up: “Oh, okay.”
Nobody dared block them, and the crowd parted.
Some guests lingered in the mansion, but most were heading out.
Outside, camera crews had everything locked and loaded.
“Almost showtime?”
“Yep, just wrapped photos. Doors should open any second.”
“Positions, people! The moment those doors crack, grab your spots!”
“Copy that!”
The mansion doors, sealed for hours, finally started opening.
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