Chapter 224 Empty Joy

Chapter 224 Empty Joy

After the meeting ended, people left in twos and threes.

Evelyn walked at the front, moving quickly. Several businesspeople tried to catch up and talk to her but couldn't keep pace.

Maggie stayed behind, unhurriedly gathering her notebook from the table, straightening her collar, before heading out.

Frank caught up from behind and walked beside her.

"Ms. Smith, are you free tonight? Want to grab dinner together? I know a newly opened restaurant—nice atmosphere, good food."

Maggie smiled and shook her head. "I've been too busy with work lately. Maybe another time. There's a pile of things waiting at the office, I really can't get away."

Frank wanted to say something, but seeing her expression that clearly said she didn't want to talk more, he swallowed his words.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, they walked out of the conference hall one after the other.

As soon as Maggie stepped out of the city hall building, her phone rang.

She looked at it—it was Eleanor.

She answered, and Eleanor's voice exploded from the other end, barely containing her excitement, like she'd found treasure.

"Maggie! Guess what I heard?"

"I heard Luke recently bought a gemstone—over 800 million dollars! My god, think about it, over 800 million dollars! Buying such an expensive gemstone out of nowhere—isn't he planning to propose to you?"

Eleanor rattled off everything in one breath without pausing.

Maggie held the phone, her steps faltering for a moment.

She stood on the steps at the city hall entrance as the autumn wind blew past, tousling her hair.

She took a deep breath, her voice fairly steady: "Who told you this?"

Eleanor's tone was certain: "A friend at the auction house told me! She saw Luke's secretary pick up the gemstone with her own eyes. Said the packaging was incredibly elegant—clearly meant for someone very important."

"Maggie, think about it. Now that Evelyn and Mr. Miller are divorced, Mr. Miller couldn't possibly buy something this expensive for Evelyn. If it's not for you, who else could it be for?"

Her voice rose several notches. "Maggie, everyone at home is thrilled! Grandma says good things are finally coming, you'll soon be Mrs. Miller!"

Maggie's heart suddenly beat faster. Those words were like fire, burning through her ears and into her body, making her feel hot all over.

She took a deep breath to calm herself somewhat.

She couldn't show it, couldn't let anyone see how much she cared, and especially couldn't let anyone see how long she'd been waiting for this day.

"Okay, I got it." With that, she hung up.

Her expression was calm, showing no emotion, but her fingers gripped the phone tightly, hiding the excitement she could barely suppress.

Eleanor's words had made her feel lightheaded.

An 800-million-dollar gemstone, picked up personally by his secretary, beautifully packaged.

For several days in a row, Maggie was in an exceptionally good mood.

When Maggie's birthday arrived, the Nguyen family made it especially grand.

Hannah personally took charge, bustling about from early morning, directing the servants to decorate the living room.

The table was filled with all kinds of dishes and desserts, plus a three-tier cream cake with "Maggie" written in large letters on top.

Quite a few friends came that day—Ella, Calvin, and some of Maggie's business acquaintances.

Everyone brought gifts, beautifully wrapped boxes piling up all over the table.

Maggie smiled as she accepted them, thanking each person.

She wore a red dress today—the one Luke had given her before—making her look even more radiant.

Though she smiled, her eyes kept glancing toward the door. The person she was waiting for hadn't arrived yet.

Hannah noticed too. She came over, took Maggie's hand, and asked in a low voice, "Maggie, why hasn't Mr. Miller come yet? Call him and ask, maybe he forgot."

"...Okay." Maggie took out her phone, found Luke's number, and dialed.

The phone rang for dozens of seconds. No answer.

She tried again. Still no answer.

She frowned, hung up, found Luke's secretary's number, and dialed.

This time it connected.

"Ms. Smith, hello."

Maggie asked, "Has Luke left? He's not answering his phone."

The secretary said, "Mr. Miller has already left. He might be driving and didn't hear it. Please wait a bit longer, Ms. Smith. He should arrive soon."

"I see."

Maggie breathed a sigh of relief and hung up.

About twenty minutes later, a black Bentley stopped at the Nguyen Manor entrance.

The car door opened. Luke got out, wearing a dark gray suit, holding an elegant gift box, and walked into the courtyard.

Eleanor saw him first and shouted excitedly, "Luke's here!"

Everyone in the house looked toward the door.

Maggie smiled—a smile more brilliant than any before.

She went to meet him, stopped in front of Luke, her voice gentle. "You're here."

Luke nodded and handed her the gift box. "Happy birthday."

Maggie took it, her fingers trembling slightly as she carefully unwrapped the paper and opened the box.

Her movements were slow, like she was unwrapping a gift she'd anticipated for a long time.

Finally, the box opened.

Inside was a diamond necklace.

A platinum chain, set with dozens of small diamonds, with a main stone of about twenty carats in the center, refracting soft light under the lamps.

Beautiful, elegant, worth a fortune.

But nowhere near 800 million dollars.

Eleanor stood right next to Maggie, craning her neck to look into the box.

The moment she saw the necklace, her mouth dropped open and she almost cried out, "How is it this?"

Fortunately, Maggie stood behind her and quickly grabbed her arm under the table.

Eleanor stumbled, swallowing the words at the tip of her tongue.

Her expression went from shock to confusion to disappointment, finally settling on a bitter smile.

Maggie looked at the necklace in the box, her fingers pausing.

She looked up, her smile unchanged. "Thank you, I love it."

Her voice was gentle, betraying nothing unusual.

But only she knew that the palm holding the box was already soaked with sweat.

Calvin stood nearby, holding a wine glass, leaning over to chime in, his tone full of envy.

"Luke is so good to Maggie. All these years, I've never seen Luke give any other girl a gift. Maggie, you've been receiving them for so many years—you're one of a kind."

Others around them agreed, saying Maggie was lucky, that Mr. Miller was thoughtful.

Maggie smiled and responded, but her gaze drifted.

When it was time to cut the cake, Maggie held the knife but didn't cut for a long time.

Eleanor quietly reminded her, "Maggie, time to cut."

Only then did she snap back and cut down.

The cake immediately split in half, cream sticking to the blade, all sticky.

While serving the cake, her eyes drifted toward Luke again.

He stood by the window, talking to Calvin about something, holding a glass of water, his expression the same as usual, showing nothing unusual.

Eleanor came over, lowering her voice in her ear, her tone very certain: "Maggie, don't worry. The biggest surprise is always saved for last—the finale."

"Just wait, maybe Luke will take out that gemstone and propose to you in a bit."

Hearing this, the weight in Maggie's heart lifted a little.

She nodded, took a deep breath, and pulled herself together to continue greeting guests.

After cutting the cake, she carried a plate to Luke and handed him a slice, asking casually, "How come Andy didn't come?"