Chapter 57
The charity auction hosted by the Morgan Group was tonight.
Ava was vaguely worried whether her precious collection had already been taken away by William. She wondered if that rude guy had been careful with them - he wouldn't have just stuffed everything into a big bag, would he?
The more she thought about it, the more worried she became.
Lucas felt that buying a dress wasn't enough for Ava - she needed to get her hair and makeup done.
He dragged her to a trendy salon, and after several hours of fussing, Lucas was quite satisfied. Ava didn't think there was much difference from before - she went in with a bun and came out with a bun, just styled more naturally than when she did it herself, with a string of pearls wrapped around it.
At noon, the two grabbed a quick bite outside when Ava received a call from an unknown number.
"Is this Miss Ava?"
A clear male voice on the other end directly said her name.
Ava answered, "Yes."
"Hello, Ms. Davis. This is Emerald City Trust Bank. A five-million-dollar trust has matured, and you are the beneficiary. Would you like to withdraw the principal now or continue the investment?"
Ava was stunned for a moment. "I never bought a trust. What's the name of the person who set it up?"
"Nancy Davis."
Ava's heart ached. She had no idea her mother had bought a trust for her. Her mother probably knew Steven was unreliable and wanted to leave her daughter some security.
Her voice choked up. "I'll withdraw the principal."
Steven's company had almost gone bankrupt a while ago, but later he somehow got an investment from a big shot and saved it.
That company was built from scratch using Nancy's premarital assets. After Steven made his first fortune, instead of being grateful to his wife, he kept Sarah's mother as his mistress and then had Sarah.
Ava couldn't swallow this injustice. Her mother's death was suspicious, and Steven had moved his mistress and her daughter into the house her mother bought, living the good life.
She had to do something.
Now with this money, she suddenly felt confident.
She opened her stock trading app and found Steven's company. The Brown Group's stock price was only one dollar and ten cents per share. Ava's lips curved into a smile.
Lucas felt there was something behind that smile.
"Ava, you're not planning to do something bad, are you?"
Ava chuckled softly. "I just want to take back what should have belonged to my mother."
Everything was going according to her plan.
She arranged with the bank staff to handle the paperwork on Monday.
Today's focus was the charity auction.
Ava changed into the Hepburn-style dress and put on full makeup. She looked like a dazzling star.
When they arrived at the Emerald City International Auction Center, many guests were already streaming in with their entrance tickets. Anyone who could enter through that door was someone important in Emerald City - either rich or powerful.
Several security guards at the entrance carefully checked the tickets, afraid that someone suspicious might sneak in.
The two stood there about ten meters from the entrance.
"Ava, how do we get in?"
Ava had overlooked this important question.
"Wait, let me make a call."
She took out her phone and called James.
At that moment, James was following behind William, keeping him company while he networked.
"Mr. Morgan, Mrs. Ava Morgan is calling."
James felt somewhat honored. Mrs. Ava Morgan rarely called him. Not sure what it was about, he didn't dare answer without checking and went to report to William first.
William raised an eyebrow. "See what she wants."
James found a quiet place and pressed the answer button.
"Mrs. Ava Morgan, what's the matter?"
"James, I'm outside the Emerald City International Auction Center. Could you come get me, or have someone bring me an entrance ticket?"
James couldn't help but tense up. This wasn't something he could decide on his own.
He knew clearly that all those jewels William brought were Mrs. Ava Morgan's precious possessions. If she came in, things would get interesting.
"Mrs. Ava Morgan, I can't leave right now. Why don't you find a place to have some tea, and I'll come find you when I'm done."
James thought he'd bring her in after the auction ended. William had gone through so much trouble with Lolly to set up this plan - nothing could go wrong today.
He hung up and told William that Ava had come to the charity auction. William barely hesitated before instructing,
"Don't let her in."
Outside, Ava discussed with Lucas - there was nowhere nearby to have tea, so they might as well wait here.
James didn't show up, but Sarah and Emily did.
When Emily saw Ava, she was like a chicken ready for battle, all her feathers standing on end.
"Ava, what are you doing here?"
Ava rolled her eyes at her. "That's funny. Do I need to report to you where I go?"
"Give back my brother's black card. That belongs to the Morgan Family."
"You know it belongs to the Morgan Family. William and I are married now, and you'll eventually marry and leave the Morgan Family. No matter what, it's not your place to keep that card, right?"
Emily was so angry she wanted to hit someone again, but seeing Lucas's tall, imposing figure next to Ava, she held back.
Sarah stepped forward with a fake smile. "Why are you standing in the wind? Aren't you cold in that dress? Can't get in? How about this - I'll call William and ask if he has an extra ticket for you."
Ava found her smug look disgusting.
"You're joking. This is my husband's event - how could I not be able to get in? Can't I just enjoy the breeze? The smell is too strong here."
Ava pretended to cover her nose. Sarah's perfume was so strong that it invaded her nostrils from several meters away.
"Well, you keep enjoying the breeze then."
Sarah pulled Emily inside, and the two discussed without regard for the setting,
"How pathetic. She clearly can't get in but pretends she's just enjoying the breeze outside. Her makeup's going to blow off."
"William is something else. Don't worry, you'll marry him sooner or later."
"You're such a clever little thing."
Their conversation drifted over on the wind.
Ava sniffed and pretended not to care. Lucas knew she felt bad and didn't bring it up again.
There were fifteen minutes until the charity auction started.
Most of the people who should be there had arrived.
Still no sign of James. When Ava called again, it went to voicemail.
James was rarely unreliable. She couldn't help but suspect he was deliberately not answering, and that it was that jerk William's doing.
"Ava, what do we do?"
The two stood outside at a loss. The evening wind was a bit cold. Ava's dress was strapless, with her arms and shoulders exposed. It would be a lie to say she wasn't cold.
Ava looked at the neon lights in the distance, feeling sad.
William was inside freely spending her jewels while she was blocked outside.
Footsteps approached. Ava looked up and met the gaze of the man in front of her.