Chapter 181: Jade Necklace

"Olivia."

Hearing Cameron's voice from behind, Olivia paused for a moment. She didn't speed up, but she didn't stop either, because she knew Cameron would catch up with her.

Cameron quickly walked alongside Olivia. "Your formula, you still get to decide."

"What I said to Mrs. Marie just now was just to avoid putting you in a difficult position. I hope you don't misunderstand."

Olivia couldn't help but glance at Cameron. She hadn't expected him to go out of his way to explain himself to her. It was really quite rare.

Of course, she didn't mind Cameron making decisions on his own.

If Cameron hadn't said that, it would have been hard for her to refuse Clementine's request.

"I understand, thank you."

Cameron didn't chase after her just for a simple thank you. After finishing his work, he came here right away because he wanted to see Olivia.

He was afraid that if he let his guard down, Olivia would slip away from him again.

He wanted to know why.

But looking into Olivia's clear eyes, the words on the tip of his tongue just wouldn't come out.

Just then, Kurt came looking for them.

"Mr. Hayes, the charity gala starts in ten minutes."

They had no choice but to head to the banquet hall. By now, almost all the guests attending the charity gala had taken their seats, and their eyes fell on Olivia and Cameron with remarkable coordination.

The two of them, a handsome man and a beautiful woman, were extremely eye-catching.

Reporters below the stage kept pressing their shutters, capturing the moment.

Jennifer, on the other hand, was furious. She had thought tonight she would be on stage with Cameron, receiving everyone's envious looks, and then get some bloggers to post about her and Cameron.

She wanted to use this to pressure Cameron into marrying her, since Olivia was dead anyway.

But Olivia was alive!

Ruining all her plans!

And now she had to watch from below the stage!

Olivia didn't know any of this. After Cameron finished speaking, she also said a few polite words, then walked off stage holding Cameron's arm.

Just as she was about to step off the stage, Olivia almost slipped, but luckily, she caught herself by grabbing Cameron.

Cameron noticed something and frowned. "Are you not feeling well?"

Olivia took a moment to recover and shook her head. "I'm fine."

It was probably because she hadn't eaten much at dinner. She hadn't had much appetite lately.

But now she felt like she could eat a whole cow.

Unfortunately, the auction wouldn't end for another two hours.

She could only tough it out. Too bad her purse was newly bought and didn't have any snacks in it.

The charity gala officially began, with the host enthusiastically introducing tonight's program and various charity projects.

Sitting below the stage, Olivia found it hard to focus due to her hunger, feeling restless. She wanted to make an excuse to leave and get something to eat several times.

But there were so many reporters at the scene, all watching her every move.

If the reporters caught her eating during the charity gala, they would surely say she only cared about food, which would definitely damage the Hayes Group's image and invite a wave of mockery.

To distract herself, Olivia looked more at the auction items on stage.

Every item was valuable.

Guests were enthusiastically raising their paddles to bid, creating a lively atmosphere.

Watching these people generously donate to charity, Olivia felt a touch of warmth in her heart.

At that moment, an exquisite jade necklace was brought to the auction stage.

A jade necklace from royalty, complete with a poignant love story. Legend had it that if you gave this jade necklace to the woman you loved, you could capture her heart.

Olivia looked at the promotional booklet and naturally saw this legend. She couldn't help but shake her head with a smile, thinking it was nonsense.

There was no such magical thing in the world.

It was just mutual consent, nothing more.

But many people were bidding on this necklace. From the starting price to now, it had reached nearly five million dollars.

And people were still raising the price.

"Six million dollars once, six million dollars twice..."

Cameron, beside Olivia, suddenly raised his paddle and ended the auction by bidding ten million dollars.

The people present weren't surprised, after all, Olivia was sitting next to Cameron.

But Olivia glanced at Cameron, not understanding what he meant. Who was he buying the necklace for? She had just clearly said she didn't like it.

But Cameron still wanted to buy it.

Was he buying it for someone else?

In the end, Cameron won the jade necklace for ten million dollars.

After all, who at the scene would dare compete with the host?

Soon, the jade necklace was brought over by the staff, and Cameron opened it in front of Olivia, letting her get a good, close look.

"What do you think?"

Olivia's gaze fell on the jade necklace. The translucent green color shimmered with a warm luster under the lights. It was indeed beautiful, the kind that makes you fall in love at first sight.

But because of that legend, she couldn’t bring herself to like it.

Of course, even without that legend, Olivia wouldn't accept it.

Not just because the gift was expensive, but because she believed that accepting someone's gift was a signal of having feelings for them.

"Let me put it on you."

Seeing Olivia remain silent, Cameron took the initiative. He leaned closer and lowered his voice. "So many people are watching. Mrs. Hayes, you should respect me, right? Besides, I bid on this necklace publicly, so naturally I can only give it to you."

If it weren't for the inappropriate setting, Olivia really wanted to just leave.

The way Cameron put it made it sound like he was putting on a show for everyone present, which was why he spent ten million dollars to buy the necklace for her, not because he genuinely wanted to give it to her.

Olivia smiled slightly. "Okay."

She had no choice. So many people were watching.

Cameron quietly breathed a sigh of relief. He knew he shouldn't make Olivia uncomfortable in front of so many people, but if he didn't give it here, he believed that if he tried to give it privately, Olivia definitely wouldn't accept it.

He took out the jade necklace, walked behind Olivia, and gently put the necklace on her.

The delicate touch against Olivia's warm skin made Cameron's heart race.

Olivia looked down at the jade necklace hanging on her chest, radiating a soft and charming glow under the lights, but her heart was filled with mixed feelings.

She didn’t want to be anyone’s prop in a public performance.

There were soft gasps and murmurs around them, with many people praising Cameron's devotion to Olivia. But Olivia just pulled at the corners of her mouth, showing a somewhat forced smile.

Cameron returned to sit beside Olivia, his gaze constantly on her, as if he could never look enough.

But Olivia felt a bit uncomfortable. She shifted slightly, trying to ease the awkwardness.

Unexpectedly, at that moment, the auction staff began serving each guest several plates of delicious pastries and fragrant milk coffee.

Olivia's eyes immediately lit up.

Noticing Olivia's expression, Cameron's lips curved up. "We should have prepared some refreshments for the guests anyway. There was a problem with the planning this time."

Looking at the dazzling jade necklace on Olivia's neck, Jennifer's eyes were full of jealousy and resentment. She clenched her fists tightly, her nails almost digging into her palms.