Chapter 58
She looked him up and down, her gaze landing on the man's cuffs.
The man across from her seemed to be sizing her up, too.
"Sir, your cufflink is about to fall off."
Ava bit the bullet and greeted him, immediately feeling like her pickup line was so clichéd.
The man wore an elegant silver-gray suit, his entire being wrapped in an air of wealth. He raised his hand to check his cuff.
"How embarrassing."
"My friend here is a fashion designer. If you need help, my friend can fix it for you."
The man raised his eyebrows slightly. "That would be great."
With that, he took off his suit jacket and handed it over.
Ava was secretly pleased, thinking about how to ask this gentleman to get them both inside later.
Lucas had a bit of an occupational habit—he always carried a needle and thread with him. He found a light gray thread and carefully sewed the button on, stitch by stitch.
"Miss, I'm so lucky to have met you and your friend today. How can I repay you?"
The man seemed to see through Ava's intention and offered to return the favor.
Ava cleared her throat. "No need for repayment. Just get us both into the charity auction."
The man nodded. "No problem."
The two followed their savior and got in smoothly.
The charity auction was decorated luxuriously, with champagne, red wine, and all kinds of fancy appetizers filling the tables.
Ava and Lucas found an inconspicuous corner to sit down. The charity auction was about to start, and everyone began taking their seats.
The host had already presented the first piece of jewelry to be auctioned today—a pigeon blood ruby.
Hearing the host's announcement, Ava's nerves immediately tensed up. She cursed that bastard William a hundred times in her mind.
That pigeon blood ruby was something he had won at an auction and casually tossed to her when he got back. Ava treasured it—the quality was rare in the world. At least among all the jewelry exhibitions Ava had seen, she'd never seen a stone with such a pure color, red as dripping blood.
If someone else bought this stone, she'd probably feel terrible for quite a while.
Someone had already bid eight hundred thousand.
Then people from all directions raised their paddles.
Ava felt like she was facing enemies, and these enemies were all different strangers.
The price was driven up to three million.
In the end, only one person was still holding on. Ava didn't hesitate to raise the paddle on the table—four million.
Everyone turned around to look at the woman who bid four million, whispering among themselves.
"Which socialite is that?"
"Don't know her. Probably keeps a low profile. From her demeanor, she looks like an heiress."
The competing bidder glanced back in Ava's direction and immediately raised their paddle—five million. They looked determined to win.
Ava's palms were sweating. She'd never spent this much money at once. Today, she'd make William bleed a little—that bastard really should do more charity work.
She took a breath and raised her paddle—six million.
Backstage, James came running, out of breath.
"Mr. Morgan, Mrs. Ava Morgan got in and is bidding on that pigeon blood ruby. She's going head-to-head with our plant, and the price has been driven up to six million."
William rubbed his temples, feeling a bit of a headache coming on.
He'd only paid six hundred thousand for that stone. This spendthrift woman had pushed the price to six million in just a few minutes. What kind of wife does this?
His heart ached.
"Let her have it."
James got the order and immediately sent word to their plant in the venue. The pigeon blood ruby ultimately went back to Ava.
Next, the host announced the second piece of jewelry at today's auction—the Angel's Tears necklace.
Ava's heart tightened again.
She had found this necklace at a jewelry exhibition, spending all her savings at the time. She'd kept it in her jewelry box and never even worn it. That bastard William was really generous—using his own wife's jewelry for charity.
This time, Ava raised her paddle even more smoothly. The person competing with her in the last round backed down again at the final step.
The Angel's Tears ultimately fell back into her hands.
She went on to bid on the third, fourth, all the way to the eighth item.
Every piece of jewelry was Ava's beloved treasure, and she bought them all. When it was over, her hand was numb from swiping William's card so many times.
Backstage, James couldn't help but report.
"Mr. Morgan, Mrs. Ava Morgan just spent three million."
"Mr. Morgan, Mrs. Ava Morgan just spent another ten million."
"Mr. Morgan, Mrs. Ava Morgan just spent eight million."
......
William's phone in his pocket kept vibrating.
"Stop talking. I have notifications."
James looked at William's gloomy face and wanted to laugh, thinking, no wonder Ava bid so freely—William's card was in her hands.
William had shot himself in the foot. Of all things to auction, he had to use Mrs. Morgan's jewelry as bait.
After the jewelry auction came free mingling time.
Many celebrities and dignitaries had come today, including quite a few socialites.
Wine glasses clinked, and colorful gowns swayed gracefully.
The auction had turned into a networking venue for high society.
Many people came with the intention of landing a rich catch, and everyone had already begun networking skillfully.
Ava was a bit hungry and went to get some snacks.
"Want something to drink?"
Ava turned around at the voice. It was the man who had just gotten her in, walking toward her with two wine glasses.
She smiled awkwardly. "Sorry, I can't drink alcohol."
The man shrugged, indicating it was fine.
"I wouldn't have guessed—this lady is quite the quick spender. I've attended many auctions, but this is the first time I've seen someone buy everything in the entire sale."
Ava coughed. "Spending someone else's money doesn't hurt."
The man curved his lips. "Someone else's?"
Ava lied. "My brother's card."
The man smiled and handed over a business card. "I can tell you're a straightforward person. How about we be friends? I'm quite interested in jewelry too. We could exchange ideas when we have time."
As Ava took the business card, her phone rang. She apologized and walked to a quiet place to answer the call.
The man's eyes followed her as she walked away.
He had clearly seen the name on her screen—William.
The arranged business marriage his old man had set up for him, he had rejected without hesitation. Now it seemed necessary to have the old man make another trip to the Morgan Family.
Ava was called by William to the VIP room upstairs.
"Pretty rich, aren't you, Ms. Davis?"
William's words were sarcastic, but Ava didn't feel guilty at all.
"You're pretty generous, Mr. Morgan, using your wife's jewelry for charity. Why didn't you just auction off your wife?"
William pinned her against the door, his smile wicked.
"How much do you think you're worth?"
"In Mr. Morgan's eyes, I'm worthless. But maybe in someone else's eyes, I'm priceless."
"You're quite confident."
William had been taken for quite a bit of money by this woman, but his mood wasn't bad. At this moment, in the dim light, he looked her up and down.
Like admiring a beautiful painting—so beautiful he couldn't look away.
"Does it feel good spending your man's money?"
Ava answered honestly. "Pretty good."
With a beep, the money was gone. Today, she'd really shown off the style of Mrs. Morgan from a wealthy family.
"Your man is pretty good to use, too. Want to come back to the master bedroom tonight?"