Chapter 66

The auction was on Sunday. None of Elise's brothers were home, and when she asked Ethan where Julian was, he told her that Julian had a meeting at the office. He would come to the auction afterward.

That suited her perfectly. The gifts were supposed to be a surprise, and she didn't want Julian to know she was going to be there at all.

By the time she emerged, dressed and made up, Ethan was waiting beside the car.

Her pale blue dress left her shoulders and delicate collarbones bare. It fitted at the waist, with a light layer of tulle falling in a playful, full skirt just below her knees. The length left her free to walk comfortably. Her stylist had pinned her hair up loosely, leaving a strand by her cheek, and brushed a little color onto her face.

Ethan stared for a moment when he saw her. Then he lowered his head respectfully and opened the car door.

This was Elise's first auction. A little nervous, she rubbed her thumb over the invitation during the drive.

Mu Chuan had given it to her without suggesting they go together. Perhaps he'd thought she might feel awkward. She was relieved; they had only met once, and she wasn't sure she would have known how to act around him for an entire evening.

An hour later, the car stopped outside the venue. Elise handed her invitation to an attendant at the entrance. The attendant looked surprised, gave her a quick glance, and said warmly, “I'll take you to Mr. Mu's private box.”

“Oh, there's no need. Could you find me a seat close to the display instead?”

The attendant didn't press her. She led Elise to a seat on the ground floor of the circular hall. A large display platform stood in the center, with scattered seating on the first two levels and private boxes on the third. From the hall, it was impossible to see who was inside the boxes.

Elise looked around and relaxed. She could see the platform clearly from here. These were gifts for her eldest and youngest brothers; she couldn't afford to choose carelessly.

As she sat down, glances drifted her way and quiet conversations started around her. The wealthy social circle was large enough to contain strangers, but small enough that many people at an auction knew one another. A newcomer naturally attracted attention. Elise's return to the Whitmore family had once been a trending topic, but online news faded quickly, and many people couldn't place her now.

An attendant set a catalog before her. “Here are the lots, miss.”

Elise opened it eagerly. The ordinary pieces would go first, followed by rarer items with progressively higher opening bids. There were antiques, paintings, jewelry, and all sorts of other things.

She turned the pages, considering what Julian and Miles liked. Her plan was to buy each of them a gift, slip it into his room, and write the other brother's name on the card as if it were an apology. Surely that would help ease the tension between them.

A woman sat down beside her. “Why have you put me here?” she asked the attendant, plainly displeased.

“I'm sorry. All the seats upstairs have already been assigned.”

Qi Yaqiu had dressed with care, in a little black dress and vivid red lipstick. Her fine brows drew together as the attendant apologized again and left.

She was still irritated. On previous visits she'd at least been seated on the second floor. Now they had put her down in the main hall. Was this how quickly people looked down on the Qi Group, simply because it was under review?

She glanced at the girl beside her and stopped. She had seen her at Lakeview. Qi might have forgotten an ordinary face, but a beautiful girl stayed in her memory, especially one prettier than herself.

Already in a bad mood, she looked Elise over critically. She remembered the bracelet she'd seen on the girl's wrist, a rare piece featured in a collectors' magazine and worth well over a million dollars. Even someone from an ordinary wealthy family like Qi's might hesitate to wear such a conspicuous thing in public.

“Country bumpkin,” she muttered, rolling her eyes. A country bumpkin wearing a fake, no less.

She had never seen Elise in their circle before. Clearly some man had brought her along to show her the sights. And now she was studying the catalog as though she meant to buy something herself. Was she deciding what to ask her sponsor for?

Qi considered herself naturally superior, and her family's wealth gave her privileges ordinary people didn't have. Women who entered her circle by relying on men were beneath her notice.

Her gaze slid toward the far-left box on the third floor, the one Mu Chuan usually used. He had warned her to stay away from him, using her father's company to make his point, but she couldn't believe he would really be so cruel. He had only just rescued her from Mu Zhun. If he had no interest in her, why would he have done that?

There had to be another reason he didn't want to see her. If she were the mistress of the Mu household, she would be sitting in his luxurious box now instead of sharing the ground floor with a bumpkin.

The thought soured her mood further.

Elise, absorbed in the catalog, noticed none of this. Two lots had caught her eye: a bottle of 1945 Romanée-Conti and a Ferrari 250 GTO from the 1960s.

Julian enjoyed wine and had a cellar at home. The description made the bottle sound rare and exceptional; he was bound to like it. Miles loved cars, and the vintage Ferrari was a legendary model coveted by collectors around the world.

Neither opening bid was cheap. The wine started at $1.1 million and the Ferrari at $1.4 million.

Elise touched the bank card in her little purse and pressed her lips together. They were expensive, but even after buying the house she still had millions in her account. She could afford the two gifts!

There were many lots before them. Elise wasn't interested in bidding on those, but she watched the other guests with enthusiasm. Nothing stirred in Mu's box upstairs. She paid it little attention, assuming that, like Julian, he might not have arrived yet.

Qi bid once during the earlier lots and won an emerald for $840,000. The curious and envious looks directed at her made her feel much better, especially when she saw Elise's undisguised surprise.

Elise had recognized her neighbor by then. They had met once before, and she couldn't help staring at the emerald. Spending that much on a gemstone for yourself was extravagant! Even if she were buying something else, she wouldn't choose jewelry that looked pretty but served no practical purpose.

At last the cheaper lots were finished, and the remaining pieces all started above $700,000. Elise sat up straight and took hold of the numbered paddle the staff had given her at the entrance. All she had to do was raise it to bid.

Qi noticed the movement and gave her a mocking glance. As she'd thought, the girl had come to see how the other half lived.

“Our next lot is a 1945 dry red from the renowned Romanée-Conti estate. We will open at $1.1 million!”

A collective intake of breath followed. It was a high starting price, and some time passed before a few paddles went up.

“One point one million!”

“One point two five million! Going once!”

“One point four million!”

“One point seven million!”

The price climbed. With each increase, fewer people remained in the bidding. By $2.4 million only two bidders were left, both regulars known for spending lavishly.

“Two point four million, going once!” The auctioneer's excitement came through in his voice. “The highest bid takes it. Do I have more?”

Elise raised her paddle.

“The lady bids two point five million!”

Heads turned. A murmur spread through the room at the sight of an unfamiliar face.

“Who is she?”

“I've never seen her. Who brought her?”

“Is she here with a sponsor? Or is her family newly rich?”

Elise heard them and frowned. She was only bidding on a lot. Why was everyone making such a fuss?

Beside her, Qi was too shocked to conceal it. The woman had actually bid! Who was she? Was her sponsor so generous he would let her buy things worth millions?

Qi turned away, struggling to make sense of it. She could afford to spend hundreds of thousands or a little over a million without much trouble, but she wouldn't casually throw away more than two or three million. Not while her family was under scrutiny; she'd be scolded as soon as she got home.

When the shock faded, envy took its place. She bit her lip, her chest aching with it. Some bumpkin! The bumpkin had more money than she did.

Her contempt gave way to caution. Just who was this woman?

The noise died down, and the auction resumed. One of the earlier bidders dropped out when the price reached $2.8 million, but the other man persisted.

“The gentleman bids three point one million! Going once!”

The auctioneer looked toward Elise, inviting another bid.

In the box above, Mu Chuan turned the wine in his glass while the fingers of his other hand tapped against the arm of his chair. His brow was furrowed. If he could, he would buy Elise everything she wanted.

But they were only newly acquainted friends. Such extravagant attention would frighten her, and getting close to her afterward would be even harder. She had told him she wanted to buy gifts for other people; if he intervened, it would change what those gifts meant. She might even come to dislike him.

Even knowing that, he wanted to bid every time he watched her raise her paddle. At last he got restlessly to his feet and went to the window, following every move below.

Pei Yi, standing nearby, had seen it all. The day Mu asked him how to pursue a woman, Pei had nearly dropped his teeth in shock. Mu Chuan wanted to pursue someone? Weren't women always the ones pursuing him?

After watching him over the past several days, Pei was no longer surprised. The man's nerves and shifting emotions made it perfectly clear: he had fallen hard.

Elise didn't notice anyone watching from above. When the auctioneer looked her way, she gritted her teeth and raised the bid again.