Chapter 128
Seraphine's POV
"Lighting the sky lamp?" The entire venue erupted in an uproar!
Octavius also looked up at my private room in shock.
"Oh my god, how rich is this person? They're actually lighting the sky lamp in front of Octavius!"
"If they didn't have top-tier wealth, they probably wouldn't dare challenge Octavius like this!"
The smile on Quinlan's face froze instantly as she jerked her head up toward the second floor.
She was both shocked and furious: "Who? Who's lighting the sky lamp!"
She never expected someone like me to suddenly appear and snatch Moonlight away.
Quinlan, anxious and angry, shouted at me unwillingly: "Lighting the sky lamp? You've got some nerve! Do you know who you're competing against? Mr. Capulet from the Capulet Group is right here! What makes you think your wealth can compare to the Capulet family?"
She was trying to use Octavius's reputation to pressure me.
The whispers in the auction hall grew louder as everyone looked at Octavius, then back up at the second floor.
Octavius still said nothing.
I smiled slightly, deliberately lowering my voice. "What makes me think so? Because I'm Black Jasmine."
When those words fell, the entire venue was shocked.
Even the auctioneer was stunned.
Quinlan's mouth fell open, her eyes full of disbelief.
I looked at Octavius.
Octavius stood up, his gaze sweeping over, as if making eye contact with me.
Perfect. This was exactly the effect I wanted.
"So, I can have this brooch?"
The auctioneer finally snapped back to reality and immediately brought down the gavel. "Then this brooch goes to Wall Street mogul Black Jasmine!"
Applause erupted throughout the venue.
Soren cheered from the crowd downstairs, waving in my direction.
Quinlan's face darkened as she looked at Soren mockingly: "What are you so happy about? The brooch didn't end up in your hands! You were just used as a pawn by someone else!"
Soren wasn't bothered at all, smiling cheerfully, "Ms. Powell, that's what you say, but I'm just an errand runner. Still, seeing certain people try so hard relying on men and ending up with nothing makes me pretty happy!"
Quinlan trembled with anger, glaring fiercely at Soren.
She turned to Octavius beside her, her eyes instantly reddening, her voice aggrieved: "Octavius! Look, they're being so unreasonable! Who is this Black Jasmine anyway? How can they be so rude!"
I couldn't be bothered to watch Quinlan act cute or see how Octavius would comfort her.
The private room door opened, and the manager brought the item in.
I lifted the red cloth and admired the exquisite brooch up close, feeling amazed. "Such a beautiful brooch, definitely worth lighting the sky lamp for."
The manager smiled: "Congratulations, honored guest."
I waved my hand, signaling the staff beside me to put it away, then looked downstairs and suddenly saw Octavius leaving Quinlan behind and heading toward the second floor.
What's he coming up here for?
I frowned, suddenly remembering that in my Black Jasmine identity on Wall Street, I'd had dealings with Octavius - we'd once invested in a project together.
But back then, I couldn't stand how Octavius kept pestering me and pursuing me, so I deliberately went against him.
In the end, we disagreed, the project fell through, and after that there were rumors that we didn't get along and were rivals.
Just then, there was a knock at the door of the private room.
Then the two bodyguards I'd arranged walked in. "Miss, Mr. Capulet from the Capulet Group is outside. He says he wants to see you."
What had to come, finally came.
I took a deep breath, quickly adjusted my state, took out makeup from my bag and started changing my look, finally putting on a face mask.
In the mirror, my makeup was too heavy to show any trace of my usual appearance.
After a final check, I spoke. "Let him in."
The door was pushed open.
Octavius appeared in the doorway, striding in with his long legs.
I didn't stand up, keeping my back to him.
"Black Jasmine." Octavius's voice came from behind me, emotionless, "Sorry to disturb you."
"What can I do for you, Mr. Capulet?" I asked, suppressing my voice.
He didn't answer immediately.
Footsteps sounded, stopping behind me.
I could feel him looking at me, his gaze scrutinizing.
"I'm just a bit curious," he said slowly, "do you like this brooch yourself, or are you bidding for someone else?"
I laughed lightly: "Is Mr. Capulet so interested in other people's private affairs? Why I bought the brooch doesn't seem to be your business."
The private room fell silent for a second.
Octavius took half a step forward.
Smelling his distinctive cedarwood scent, I suddenly realized something was wrong.
My perfume!
I'd forgotten to change it!
Sure enough, Octavius took a breath.
I couldn't let him keep smelling.
I whirled around suddenly, meeting his probing gaze, deliberately making my voice lazy. "Mr. Capulet staring at me like this, I might get the wrong idea."
I tilted my head slightly, "I heard Mr. Capulet is about to get engaged. I just saw Ms. Powell - she's a real beauty. How come you have a fiancée but you're still so interested in other women? That's not very appropriate, is it?"
Octavius narrowed his eyes, staring at me intently.
He suddenly stepped forward, his shadow almost engulfing me.
I couldn't react in time. I tried to push Octavius away, but he suddenly reached out and grabbed my wrist.
"What are you doing!" I exclaimed in a low voice, instinctively struggling, but he held me firmly against the sofa.
Octavius leaned down, staring into my eyes.
"You're right, I am very interested in you, because..." he paused, "your scent, and the habit you sometimes blink twice when looking at people - it's very similar to someone I know."
My mind went blank.
I have that habit? I'd never even noticed it myself, yet Octavius remembered it so clearly.
Had he recognized me, or was he just suspicious?
I widened my eyes, quickly thinking of a response, forcing myself to stay calm: "There are so many people in this world. Is it strange for two people to have the same habit and use the same perfume? Who is this person you're talking about? Let me hear if I know them."
"You know her." Octavius smiled, standing up and looking down at me. "You were just helping her bid earlier. I thought when I mentioned these two habits, you'd think of her."
I curled my fingers, looking up at him intently: "Are you talking about Seraphine?"
"Yes." Octavius turned around and saw the brooch on the table beside us.
He walked over to examine it closely, reaching out to trace the brooch's outline and texture. "How do you know Seraphine? From what I know, you're a very difficult person to get close to. Why would you get involved with her? I wanted to ask last time, but she didn't answer me."
I crossed my arms, leaning back lazily on the sofa: "Since Ms. Whitaker didn't tell you, I have even less obligation to inform you."
Octavius paused, looking at me, his eyes turning cold. "Are you sure you don't want to answer properly? On Wall Street we're evenly matched rivals, but here, on my turf, it'll be hard for you to even leave this auction house today."
My heart tightened.
Octavius was actually threatening me.
But he always did what he said, so I had to believe him.