Chapter 70
Alyssa let out a breath of relief, though she quickly put on a flustered look. “No, Howard. We agreed I’d pay for it myself.”
Across the room, several people watched in silence, waiting to see how it would all end.
At that moment, the villa’s heavy doors swung open. The noise in the hall turned silent as every head turned.
A wheelchair slowly rolled inside. An old man with a faint smile entered, his presence undiminished despite his frail body.
“Forgive me for being late. We have quite the lively atmosphere tonight. I could hear the commotion from outside,” he said lightly.
Jimmy shot to his feet at once, hurrying down the stairs. He reached the old man and helped him rise “from the chair. “Grandpa, what are you doing here?”
He thought Edward was watching from one of the private booths. Jimmy was still waiting for him to send word for Megan to be brought over. Instead, Edward had chosen to enter from the entrance, making a statement for all to see.
“I wanted to take a look.” Edward steadied himself on his walking stick. The other two Ferrell brothers also rushed forward to give him support, but Edward waved them off.
His eyes swept across the crowd, pausing briefly on Howard, Alyssa, and then on Megan, before resting on the gemstone at the center of the bidding.
Finally, he murmured something few could make sense of, “It’s good to be young.”
The auction had stalled at his arrival. The auctioneer prepared to resume, but Edward tapped the rim of a nearby dish with his walking stick.
“Let’s take a break. We’ll continue in the second half of the session.”
The auction ground to a halt, making the crowd quite upset. The bidding had just reached its most heated point, and now they were forced to pause.
Edward knew the crowd was getting restless, but he gave no explanation. He made his way to the elevator leading up to the third floor, supported by his grandsons.
Before the doors closed, he turned to Jimmy. “Bring her to me. I want to see her.”
Everyone knew who he was referring to.
Jimmy froze. The timing was all wrong.
Everyone had seen 823 go head–to–head with 888. Edward asking for Megan now could only mean trouble.
2/2
If things had been handled differently earlier, there might have been a chance. But now, no one could tell what would happen.
Philip Ferrell, the eldest of the Ferrell brothers, remained silent.
Brandon muttered with a smirk, “Go ahead, Jimmy.”
Jimmy had no choice. He shot Brandon a dark glare, then went to get Megan.
Megan already knew what was coming. She nodded before Jimmy could even say a word.
Jimmy sighed. He knew this was something she had to handle personally. So, he helped her to her feet and led her to the third floor.
“Grandpa’s in there. Take care. Just call for me if anything goes wrong. I’ll come to your rescue,” Jimmy reminded her.
Megan chuckled. “It’s not as scary as you make it sound.”
“It is!” Jimmy insisted, his sweat betraying his nerves.
Megan didn’t push further. She nodded and said, “Alright. I’m going in.”
Jimmy’s brothers had already stepped out. They watched as Jimmy paced anxiously outside the door.
Inside, Megan closed the door and slowly approached Edward. Once she was close enough, she raised her hand and removed her mask without any hesitation.
At that moment, she stood before Edward, not as Elena, but as Megan.
