Chapter 43 Missing the Mole on Her Chest
This is the first bid of the evening from bidder number [888].
Isabella is William's guest, so bidder 888 is actually William.
Amelia also looked over.
Actually, it wasn't just Amelia—almost everyone present turned their attention to Isabella.
The second floor had seating for more private individuals, but it was optional. Some seats could be chosen to be visible to others, while others could remain hidden in the shadows.
Right now, Isabella was in plain view.
William sat in the shadows. People on the first floor could only vaguely make out his silhouette, but couldn't see his expression.
Jeffrey knew the tanzanite belonged to Amelia, and he also knew why she put it up for auction. Seeing Isabella bid on it now, he wanted to rush over and tear her apart.
Amelia narrowed her eyes, looking at the smiling Isabella.
Tonight she was going to sell this tanzanite, but it could go to anyone—anyone except Isabella!
On the other side, at William's seat, he glanced at Isabella holding up her paddle in front of him.
"Like it?" he asked calmly, his dark eyes showing no emotion.
Isabella smiled and nodded.
William said nothing, just looked down at the sparkling tanzanite below.
He remembered—he seemed to have seen this tanzanite before.
It was in early March, when he and Amelia saw it together.
They had just dealt with another round of pressure from Finn and Cleo about having children.
On the way back to the villa, the Aston Martin passed Shadow City's largest jewelry store, and they saw this tanzanite.
On that early March night, there was still a slight chill outside the car, but inside it was warm.
He saw Amelia look at it for an extra moment, so he asked the same question: "Like it?"
Amelia just smiled and said, "I was thinking, Grandpa and Grandma are trying so hard to get us to have a baby. If we conceived now, the due date would be in December. December babies get tanzanite or turquoise as their birthstone."
"And we just happened to see this tanzanite right now. Feels kind of coincidental."
After hearing this, he also took another look at the tanzanite and asked, "What's the significance?"
"They say tanzanite symbolizes love and eternity, while turquoise represents success and victory," Amelia answered. "If it were me, I'd lean toward buying tanzanite."
She smiled at him: "Because I'd want to tell our child that Mom and Dad will always love them."
Back then, he raised an eyebrow slightly: "I'd rather they always succeed, always win."
Seeing she was a bit unhappy, he said, "Doesn't matter either way. My child deserves the most expensive diamonds."
He remembered Amelia didn't care much about it. When he said he'd go buy that tanzanite, she got a bit upset, so he had to let it go.
But that night after they got back, from the car to the villa, from the entrance to the bedroom, they went wild all night.
The scene from that night seemed to appear before his eyes again. Her breathing, her warmth, and her scent all seemed to linger still.
And that mole on her chest... he really liked it.
William closed his eyes, his Adam's apple bobbing, and when he opened them again, he picked up his drink and took a sip.
He wondered who ended up with that tanzanite, and why it appeared at this charity auction?
Just as William was calming down a bit.
Suddenly, from a nearby seat, a hand reached out. The fingernails had moon-white polish, mysterious, beautiful, and pure. This hand held a bidding paddle.
"After bidder 888's offer, bidder 823 has joined the bidding with an offer of $900,000!"
William and Isabella both looked over.
That hand, that seat.
It was Lika!
And everyone's attention focused again, with loud discussion echoing throughout the entire villa.
"This is William's first time attending a charity auction dinner in two years, his first bid of the evening, and it's not even anything particularly special. Who's foolish enough to raise the bid?"
"Right? When this tanzanite first came up, I was pretty impressed for a moment, but it's just tanzanite. I wasn't even thinking of bidding."
"Exactly, me too. If it were a blue diamond, I'd be somewhat interested."
"Wait, everyone, wasn't it Isabella next to him who made the bid?"
"Doesn't matter. She's using William's paddle, and William himself didn't stop her, so isn't it the same? Even if his date likes it, buying it to please her is still the same thing."
Everyone nodded. This was an unspoken understanding among them.
Unless you absolutely had to have something, giving face to those who deserved it was an established convention.
"Found out—the bidder is that woman named Lika who came with Mr. Adams."
Everyone was confused.
"What's going on here? Is Jeffrey trying to go up against William?"
"No idea. He's always had a temper. Who knows what he's up to now?"
While everyone was discussing, in another private seat on the second floor, Zaid was practically doubled over with laughter.
"Foolish Jeffrey! You already made Grandpa unhappy, and now you're being stupid again! This is hilarious. I don't even need to make another move—you'll destroy yourself!"
Next to him, another person hidden in the shadows listened to Zaid's loud laughter and calmly took a sip of wine.
On the other side, Isabella couldn't believe someone would actually compete with her bid.
That was her whole plan.
At this charity auction, she wouldn't bid on things that were too expensive, and things too cheap would be beneath her and William's dignity.
This tanzanite was just right.
She could say she was buying it for fun using William's paddle, contributing to charity.
This tanzanite would become a symbol of their love from now on.
And William wouldn't let her lose out. What she spent here today, he'd give her back much more.
Not to mention just from online marketing alone, she could make a fortune.
This was their first bid. By convention, people should defer to them. She even deliberately added $100,000 to the starting price, calling out $800,000. She never expected Lika would dare to compete!
Whose idea was this? Lika's, or Jeffrey's?
Was it a test?
Or were they trying to go against her or William?
Why?
Isabella couldn't figure it out. Should she raise the bid again?
This tanzanite was valued at $1 million. Her maximum price was $1.2 million. Beyond $1.2 million, she felt it wouldn't be worth it.
While Isabella was still hesitating, the auctioneer had already moved on with the process.
Asking if anyone wanted to raise the bid.
So Isabella raised her paddle again.
She didn't believe Lika would really dare.
"Bidder 888 bids again, offering $1 million..."
People were still discussing.
"She raised it. Looks like she really wants this tanzanite."
"Will 823 follow?"
Just as everyone looked again toward the private seat where Amelia was.
Before the auctioneer could continue with the process, almost without hesitation, that hand reached out again.
"Bidder 823 bids again, offering $1.1 million!"
Isabella gritted her teeth and quickly wrote down her bid. She couldn't lose face.
So—
"Bidder 888 bids again, offering $1.2 million!"
No need to wait. The next moment—
"Bidder 823 bids again, offering $1.5 million!"