The reason was wicked.
But aside from that, Vivian could not think of a more reasonable explanation.
Otherwise, why would someone as powerful as Ethan come to a small place like Northbridge?
Why would he insist on staying near her, making her his girlfriend, teasing her in every possible way, even bringing her handmade breakfast early in the morning?
For a while, Vivian had almost believed she had met fate.
She looked at Ethan, waiting for an answer.
Ethan's face turned innocent.
"Miss West, you're wronging me badly."
Vivian raised an eyebrow.
"So you're saying you're serious?"
Expectation hid in her eyes despite herself.
Ethan shook his head and smiled.
"I've never played with socialites, let alone gotten tired of them."
Vivian's bright eyes dimmed instantly.
She clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes.
"Get lost. You never stay serious for one day."
Ethan laughed without shame.
Vivian decided to ignore him and turned toward the auction stage.
If Ethan did not want to explain, she was sensible enough not to chase the answer.
Everyone had secrets.
At least for now, Ethan's appearance in her life brought only benefits.
The auction was about to begin.
The organizers were making final preparations.
...
At the same time, in Shaw Group's CEO office, Celeste was reviewing documents.
"Oh my God. Is that real?"
A low exclamation came from nearby.
The voice was not loud, but in an office with only two people, it was hard to ignore.
Celeste looked up.
Her secretary sat not far away, staring at her phone with a shocked expression.
Celeste frowned slightly, more curious than angry.
The secretary seemed to notice and looked up, meeting Celeste's gaze.
Her face changed.
She quickly turned off the screen and put the phone away.
"Miss Shaw, I'm sorry. I'll get back to work."
"Don't be nervous," Celeste said. "What happened? Why were you so surprised?"
"It's about Tennant Auction House."
"Tell me."
Celeste was grateful for a distraction.
Strangely, the famous workaholic had been unable to fully focus today. A face kept appearing in her mind, again and again, giving her a headache.
With permission, the secretary began eagerly.
"Miss Shaw, something huge just happened at Tennant Auction House. Marcus Blackwell, the Blackwell family's eldest son, got into a conflict with someone."
Celeste thought for a second.
"Marcus Blackwell? That spoiled heir?"
"Yes."
The secretary nodded.
"And guess what? This conflict brought all four heads of the Four Families to the scene."
Celeste became interested.
She set down her pen.
"Then?"
"Then the four heads all bowed ninety degrees to that young man in front of everyone and called him Mr. Cole."
Celeste's expression changed.
"Those four people bowed to one young man?"
"Yes. And that's not the most explosive part."
Celeste shook her head.
"Leonard Blackwell publicly stated that the true power behind all Four Families is actually that Mr. Cole. Most importantly, the other three families did not deny it."
The secretary's face was full of excitement.
She clearly enjoyed sharing this gossip.
"There is such a person?"
Celeste was truly shocked.
She had always believed the Four Families were independent forces.
She had never heard that one person stood behind all of them.
Celeste frowned and murmured, "Then what were they fighting over all these years? If they all answer to the same person..."
The secretary thought and offered her theory.
"Maybe to show ability in front of their master? Competing for favor?"
Celeste fell silent.
It sounded absurd.
But if the Four Families truly had the same hidden controller, their open and hidden struggles might indeed be competition for favor.
Two departments inside the same company competed.
Four massive families competing under one master suddenly seemed reasonable.
Then Celeste remembered something.
"The invitation from Tennant Auction House..."
She pushed her chair back slightly and opened a drawer.
"It really is here."
Inside lay a delicate unopened invitation.
It was from Tennant Auction House.
Celeste stared at it and sighed.
"If I go now, it's probably too late."
She placed the invitation back and closed the drawer.
If possible, she would have liked to meet such a top figure.
If she could earn his appreciation, it would be a tremendous opportunity for both herself and Shaw Group.
But missed was missed.
She could only hope there would be another chance.
Celeste cleared her thoughts, picked up her pen, and returned to work.
Back at Tennant Auction House, the auction officially began.
The host walked onto the stage and cleared his throat.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to tonight's auction."
"Now, please welcome our first lot."
Two staff members pushed a cart onto the stage.
On it sat a glass display case lined with black velvet.
Whatever lay inside was covered by red cloth.
The host counted down from three and lifted the cloth.
Light fell.
A pink diamond necklace lay quietly within.
The main diamond was the size of a pigeon's egg, perfectly cut, scattering dazzling light beneath the lamps.
Gasps rose through the hall.
"Beautiful..."
Vivian was no exception.
Her eyes lit up as she looked at the necklace.
Her expression nearly wrote the word like across her face.
Ethan turned to her.
"You like it?"
Vivian came back to herself and shook her head.
"No. I just think it's pretty."
"If you like it, I'll buy it for you."
"No. No. It must be very expensive."
Vivian hurriedly refused.
She already owed Ethan too much.
How could she let him spend even more?
Her mouth said no.
Her eyes stayed honestly on the necklace.
Ethan noticed and said nothing.
On stage, the host continued.
"This necklace is named The Pink Heart. The main diamond weighs eighty-eight carats. It is pure in color and was designed and cut by a master jeweler. There is only one in the world."
"Starting price: thirteen million."
"Minimum increment: one million."
Someone raised a paddle immediately.
"Fourteen million."
Another followed.
"Fifteen million."
The price climbed quickly.
Vivian watched the bidding and muttered, "Starting at over ten million, and people are still fighting for it. Does their money come from the wind?"
She turned, intending to joke with Ethan.
Then she saw Ethan raise his paddle.
"Sixteen million."
Vivian's words got stuck in her throat.
The auction hall, which had been lively a second ago, went silent.
No one dared raise a paddle.
No one dared speak.
The host waited a few seconds.
"Sixteen million, once."
Still no response.
"Sixteen million, twice."
"Sixteen million, three times."
The hammer fell.
"Sold."
The host pointed toward Ethan.
"Congratulations to the gentleman in seat three for winning The Pink Heart, tonight's first major treasure."
Vivian stared for several seconds.
Just like that?
It was taken so simply?
Author's Note:
This story will continue updating here.
If you want to read more, you can unlock it here:
/c/TYMercer
Thank you for reading.