Anne let out a silent sigh of relief, feeling the tension drain from her shoulders. Finally, she had stopped Augustine from throwing millions at sothing she didn’t even like.
anwhile, Denis turned slightly in his chair. His eyes found Augustine’s, and with a smug smile, he lifted his glass in a silent toast.
The challenge in his expression was unmistakable.
But Augustine didn’t waver. Instead, he t Denis’s gaze with calm, unwavering confidence, a smirk tugging at his lips. Slowly, he raised his own glass in return.
Augustine barely had ti to take a sip of his wine before Anne snatched the glass from his hand.
"You are not drinking this. You just got discharged from the hospital. I’ll drink it for you."
Before he could stop her, she tilted her head back and downed the drink in one go.
Augustine shook his head in resignation. He recalled all too well how wild she had gotten the last ti she was drunk, and it seed tonight would be no different.
But Anne wasn’t finished.
With a gleam in her eyes, she raised her hand and signaled to a passing waiter. As the waiter approached their table, she smoothly plucked two more wine glasses from the tray.
Augustine’s brows lifted in surprise. "Are you planning to drink both?"
Anne nodded enthusiastically. "The most interesting part is coming—the antique heart-shaped blue diamond necklace. I want to see who wins it."
Her excitent was undeniable, and Augustine knew then—without a doubt—that she wanted the necklace.
A smirk played on his lips as he casually retrieved his phone and typed a ssage: ’I want that last piece of jewelry. Bid for .’
A mont later, his phone buzzed with a response. ’Consider it yours, sir.’
Satisfied, Augustine leaned back in his chair, arms crossing over his chest. His gaze flickered to Anne, who was sipping her wine with bright, eager eyes.
’Enjoy the show, my dear wife... because that necklace will be yours before the night ends.’
The excitent in the auction hall reached its peak as the lady auctioneer’s enthusiastic voice echoed through the room.
"This is the last piece to be auctioned tonight," she announced. "A rare, antique heart-shaped diamond necklace, once owned by Mr. Mayor himself. But tonight, he is offering it for this charity event. The starting bid is ten million. Ladies and gentlen, be generous and bid for this exquisite masterpiece."
The mont the bidding began, Denis was the first to raise his card. "Twenty million."
"Twenty-five million," Another bidder quickly followed.
"Forty million," A new voice called from the far corner.
"Fifty million." Denis’s voice rang out once more, unwavering.
Anne, caught mid-sip, nearly choked on her wine. "Oh my God. This is crazy! The price is almost five tis the starting bid."
Augustine was calm, an amused smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He casually lifted his gaze toward the private booth upstairs, hidden behind dark, tinted glass.
"Seventy million has been bid from the special guest in the private booth," the auctioneer’s voice rose in excitent, "the president of the Sphere Group, Mr. Benette."
A wave of murmurs swept through the hall. Heads turned, eyes snapping toward the luxurious private seating above them. The mysterious bidder had just raised the stakes dramatically.
Anne’s curiosity was piqued. She leaned forward slightly, trying to catch a glimpse through the dark glass.
Augustine maintained a neutral expression, though a sly smile played on his lips. He had stopped using the Beaumont surna long ago, opting instead for his mother’s. It had allowed him to keep his true identity hidden.
No one in the auction room had any idea that the highly anticipated special guest they were whispering about was, in fact, him.
"The president of the Sphere Group is present at the party as a special guest!" Anne murmured in a daze.
"The mayor invited him specially for the event," Augustine said, keeping his tone neutral, his deanor casual.
Anne turned to him, curiosity flickering in her gaze. "Did you et him?"
Augustine held her gaze and then nodded slowly. "Yes..."
Anne’s brows lifted, still dazed, her curiosity only deepening.
The na ’Sphere Group’ carried imnse power and wealth. If the president himself was there, it explained why the bidding had soared so high.
Anne’s attention was drawn to the murmurs rippling through the tables nearby.
"The Sphere Group’s president is at the party. I heard the mayor personally invited him."
"Of course he did," the woman beside him responded knowingly. "The mayor would never pass up an opportunity like this. A man of that wealth? He is bound to secure a huge donation from him."
Across the room, another guest clapped his hands together excitedly. "One of the richest n in the world is among us!" she squealed, barely able to contain herself. "I wish I could catch a glimpse of him."
Anne turned her head slightly, now fully intrigued. More voices chid in, their excitent growing.
"Rumors say he is still single," a woman said in a hushed yet eager tone.
"There is no way a man like him is single," another woman countered imdiately. "He must be keeping his relationship a secret. Soone with his status wouldn’t make his private life public so easily."
"But what if he really is single?" a younger woman chid in, her eyes twinkling with possibility. "I wish I could have a chance with him."
Anne let out a soft, incredulous laugh, shaking her head. "Wow. This man—he is like a ghost, yet everyone is obsessed with him."
Augustine smirked as he silently watched Anne, completely oblivious to the fact that the mysterious billionaire everyone was whispering about was sitting right beside her, watching, listening, and relishing every second of it.
"Are you jealous?" he asked with teasing amusent.
Anne shot him a withering glare. "Why would I be jealous? That guy ans nothing to . His wealth, his na, his fa, his influence—they hold no value in my eyes."
The smirk on Augustine’s lips faltered. An unfamiliar wave of hesitation crept over him. He had been toying with the idea of revealing himself to her, of placing that extravagant blue diamond necklace around her neck and finally letting her know who he truly was. But now, hearing her words, he hesitated.
"Why are you saying that?" he asked, his voice quieter, more serious. "He might be a good person."
Anne snorted. "Rich people are often arrogant." There was a bitterness to her tone, a sharp edge that didn’t go unnoticed. "I know soone like him too well."
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