Chapter 67
1/2
This was the first bid of the night from Bidder 888. Everyone knew Alyssa was sitting beside Howard, which meant the paddle was his.
Megan looked over. She wasn’t the only one. Almost every eye in the room was on Alyssa.
The second floor was reserved for more private guests, with seats arranged so people had a choice to either sit in the open or retreat into the shadows.
Alyssa had chosen to sit under the light, while Howard sat back in the dim light. His figure was barely visible to those below, and nobody could see his expression.
Jimmy knew the tanzanite was Megan’s, and he knew exactly why she had put it up for auction. Watching Alyssa smile as she placed a bid, he felt an urge to storm across the room and snatch the paddle from her hand.
Megan narrowed her eyes at Alyssa. She had made up her mind to sell the stone tonight. But one thing was certain–the buyer could be anyone but Alyssa.
Meanwhile, Howard glanced at Alyssa and asked, “Do you like it?”
Alyssa nodded with a smile.
Howard didn’t reply. His eyes were fixed on the gleaming stone.
He remembered seeing it before, back in early March, after his grandparents had pressured him and Megan to have children.
On their way back home, they stopped outside the largest jeweler in Acreport and saw the tanzanite stone.
The night was quite cold, but the atmosphere in the car was warm. He had asked Megan the same question then. “Do you like it?”
Back then, Megan had smiled and said, “I was thinking, if they kept pushing us this hard and I got pregnant now, the baby would be due in December. December’s birthstones are tanzanite and turquoise. Seeing that stone right now feels like a sign.”
He had looked at it again and asked, “What does it mean?”
“They say tanzanite stands for love and eternity, and turquoise for success and victory. If it were me, I’d choose the tanzanite. Because I want our baby to know that we will love him forever,” she said with a smile.
He raised a brow and countered, “I’d rather he always succeed and win.”
When her expression dimmed, he added quickly, “It doesn’t matter. My child deserves the finest stone in the world, something like the Pink Star diamond.”
2/2
Megan hadn’t cared for the idea. When he offered to buy the tanzanite, she had been annoyed, and he had dropped it. But that night, after they returned home, they made passionate love.
Now, sitting in the shadows, Howard could almost feel it again–her breath, her warmth, and her scent. He remembered the mole just above her chest. He loved it all.
He closed his eyes, swallowed hard, and took a sip of wine. He had no idea who had ended up with that tanzanite or why it was here now.
Just as Howard regained his composure, a fair hand lifted a paddle into the air with nails painted in a pale, moonlit shade, graceful and striking.
“We have 90 thousand dollars from Bidder 823!”
Howard and Alyssa both turned to look at who it was.
It was Elena.
- The room erupted. Whispers rose into a roar, filling the villa.
“This is Howard’s first appearance at a charity auction in two years. It’s his first bid tonight. Who would dare to bid against him?”
“Exactly. When I first saw that tanzanite, I thought it was beautiful, but it’s still just a stone. It’s hardly worth competing over. I didn’t even consider bidding.”
“Same here. If it had been a blue diamond, then maybe I’d be interested.”
