Chapter 19
The waiter was right. Jeremy did not fit into that criteria. He didn’t have that much money.
In the end, Jeremy could only sit downstairs in the lobby, glancing up every now and then.
But Lexi, sitting upstairs with Henry, didn’t even glance his way at all.
Jeremy took a deep breath and told himself it wasn’t over yet. There was still a chance, and he just had to be patient.
Before coming, he’d done his research. He knew there was a necklace once owned by Princess Dorothy being auctioned tonight.
Lexi had mentioned more than once how much she liked Princess Dorothy. If he could win that necklace, maybe it would lift her spirits.
The auction officially began. The first few items went for tens of millions of dollars. The fourth piece was the necklace worn by Princess Dorothy before, starting at five million dollars.
Jeremy was the first to bid. “Six million dollars.”
In the private box upstairs, Henry said playfully, “Looks like Jeremy is trying to win you over with that necklace. He’s clearly not over you.”
Lexi hadn’t expected Jeremy to still be this obsessed. It seemed to be true that people always wanted what they couldn’t have.
“How pathetic,” she said coldly.
If he had treated her this seriously earlier, things wouldn’t have ended like this. He had no one to blame
but himself.
“I know you’ve always loved Princess Dorothy. Let me bid for it,” Henry said as he gave the waiter a casual wave. “Eight million dollars.”
Downstairs, Jeremy’s face fell.
If Henry wanted the necklace, too, he wasn’t sure he could win. He looked up and saw Lexi leaning against Henry. His fists clenched tightly.
“Nine million!” he shouted.
The crowd murmured in shock. The real value of the necklace wasn’t in its materials, but the story behind it. Nine million dollars was already way above what it was worth.
“Isn’t that Mr. Frey from Tenby? I guess outsiders really don’t get how things work around here. Is he seriously trying to fight the Garner family?”
“You clearly don’t know the gossip. Word is Jeremy’s in love with Lexi. It makes sense why they’re both
bidding on the same thing.”
‘Tsk. The Shaw and Garner families are both top-tier elites. The Frey family only started rising in recent years. He should go home and dream instead of overreaching.”
Their voices were loud enough for Jeremy to hear. He bit down hard on his lip.
In the past few years, when he and Lexi were secretly married, people said the same kind of things. Back then, she was just a secretary, and the rumors never stopped.
One time, she’d seriously said to him, “Jeremy, let’s go public. I’m tired of hearing people talk like this.”
He remembered how he had answered her. “We can’t stop people from talking. Let’s just focus on
ourselves.”
She got upset and gave him the cold shoulder for days. He thought she was being petty and immature. Now that the tables had turned, he realized just how harsh those words could feel.
Upstairs, Henry narrowed his eyes. “It looks like Jeremy wants to challenge me financially.”
Lexi raised a brow. “Are you scared you’ll lose?”
He chuckled. “I just don’t want him to go bankrupt. You might end up feeling bad for him.”
“Feel bad for him? Please. He doesn’t deserve it. I’d only feel bad for your wallet. After all, that’s our future shared marital assets.”
He leaned in and brushed his lips against her earlobe, smiling. “Since you said so, I guess I won’t hold back.”
He got up, walked to the window, and looked down at Jeremy with a smug smile. “I can tell Mr. Frey really likes that necklace, but my wife loves it, too. So I’m definitely taking it home.”
Behind him, Lexi blushed. Henry had called her his wife on purpose in front of everyone, just to provoke Jeremy.
Downstairs, Jeremy sat up straighter with a cold expression. He said slowly and clearly, “Funny. My wife happens to like this necklace as well. She’s been upset with me lately, so I wanted to buy it to make it up to her. Mr. Garner, if you’re eyeing something else, I’ll be happy to back off, but not for this.”
Tension filled the room. They didn’t say it outright, but everyone there could read between the lines.
The spotlight landed on Henry’s face, making his expression look even sharper and colder. “Back off? No one’s ever been able to take anything I set my eyes on from me.
“This necklace can only be mine. If you really like it, Mr. Frey, then let’s compete fair and square. The Garner family’s got plenty of money to play with.”
