The auction was held by a charity committee. With the central goal of the event, it drew more attention than usual. It meant countless big shots in the business world, government agencies, and even celebrities were present. The venue of the charity auction was in the large conference hall of the Maxim Hotel. When nighttime rolled around, media members lined along both sides of the red carpet outside the hotel with their cameras pointed at the junction leading to the red carpet. They watched as escort vehicles arrived and out came celebrities rarely seen in public. All the attendees were dressed like royalty, prompting the media reporters to swarm forward and take pictures. The celebrities were very fond of the spotlight. They waved and posed for the cameras as they traveled down the red carpet. It would take them about a minute to step into the hotel. The businessmen, on the other hand, were not fond of the attention. They would beeline into the hotel the moment they ste
The staff guided Jenna into the banquet hall. The charity auction was scheduled to start at 8:30 p.m., which was about two and a half hours away. It will be held in the conference hall on the second floor of the banquet hall. Until then, guests could eat and mingle around. The European-style long table in the banquet hall was filled with all sorts of wonderful food. Inside, the atmosphere was very lively. When Jenna stepped in through the main entrance, she immediately drew a lot of eyes in her direction. Part of it was because of her great beauty, the other was because she was Quinn's wife. She surveyed the banquet hall with a sweeping glance and immediately recognized the faces of several executives from other companies. She went to collect a glass of champagne before heading over to greet them. The executives were very polite with her, just as they would be with Quinn. Meanwhile, some of the noble ladies became bothered when they saw Jenna’s beautiful gown and b
Mrs. Symons did not get what Jenna was hinting at, but she nodded. “That’s right.” “Fourteen years… You two are an old couple now,” Jenna candidly commented as she glided her fingers over the champagne glass. “I watched an interview with Mr. Symons on the news a few days ago. He mentioned he never got a wedding certificate with you… which confused me. You two have been together for so long. Why haven’t you two gotten a marriage certificate yet?” The other ladies’ curiosity was spurred the moment she brought this up. They all looked at Mrs. Symons. “Is that true?” Mrs. Symons hung out with them regularly and would take every chance to show off the latest diamond she bought. She would always harp about how good her husband was to her. It was shocking to know that the two did not have a wedding certificate despite being together for fourteen years! Mrs. Symons became choked up when she felt their gaze pointed at her. She made herself speak. “It’s something to do wi
Jenna found herself growing speechless. Nonetheless, she joined Jacob. Jacob clicked his tongue when he observed the flashy gown Jenna wore and commented, “Looks like Quinn isn’t with you. That’s the only way you would’ve gotten to dress up so beautifully.” “Even if he did come, I would still dress the same.” Jenna said with a scoff, “If I let him police what I can and cannot wear, I’ll only have a handful of outfits left.” Jacob responded with a thumbs up. “Now that’s a modern woman. I fully agree with everything you said!” Jenna noticed a plate of pistachios set on a table next to the chair. She grabbed a few and ate them. “What’s a doctor doing here?” “Weren’t you aware?” Jacob said with a raised eyebrow, “My dad was the one who found East Mill Pharmaceutical. Since he’s on a business trip, I’m here, in his place, to donate some money to the charity.” East Mill Pharmaceutical was the largest medical company in the country. They dominated the pharmaceutical marke
While the two were busy chatting, more guests entered the auction venue and filled out all the seats in no time. The auction was commencing soon. The first round featured a catalog of paintings, all of which were works of modern painters. Jenna was not very interested in paintings, so she did not place any bids. As Jacob's father was quite fond of paintings, Jacob placed a large bid for a certain abstract painting. Then came the second round of auction, which featured pottery works. Most of them were delicate vases. However, later on, a jewelry box made of pink glass was featured. It was made with exquisite craftsmanship. The surface of the box was etched with flowers made using golden threads. When put under direct light, the box seemed to take on a life on its own. The patterns seemed to dance, and it was very beautiful. After the host announced the starting price, Jenna immediately raised her placard to put up a bid. There were many others placing bids as well.
The person with the placard number twenty-two was sitting in the corner. It was a dimly lit section, and the people seated with the person obstructed Jenna’s sight. So she could not tell what the person looked like. “I think so.” Jenna glanced at the person before leaning back in the chair. “It's up to two hundred million. Are you still bidding?” “Of course! I bet he won’t raise it to three hundred million.” When the person who caught their attention kept upping the bid, Jacob was left interested. He decided to raise the bid again. Soon enough, the price of the Victorian crown had gone up to three hundred million. Once again, it broke the highest price record. Even the auctioneer's hand holding the hammer was beginning to tremble at the notion of such a tremendous price. “The bid is now at three hundred and ten million. Are there any other bidders?” At last, the final price was sealed with a thump of the hammer. “Congratulations to bidder number twenty-two!” After the
The girl shivered at Quin’s cold gaze.After she returned to her friends, she kept looking over at Jenna’s table. “The man beside the lady said she wasn’t a celebrity, but I remember that she was the female lead in a movie.”“No way, you don’t even know who she is?” One of her friends made an exaggerated expression.That friend pointed at Jenna and said, “That’s Jenna Radcliff. She’s been trending for this past while—you’ll see it if you check Twitter. The man beside her is Quinn Forester. He’s the big boss of Elysian Group. Do you think his wife needs money?”The girl was stunned for a moment. “I’ve been busy with exams and haven’t been on Twitter. I thought she was a celebrity ‘cause she looks so similar to the female lead in a movie.”A friend asked, “Which movie?”“I can’t remember, I only watched the trailer…”When her friends heard that, they did not know whether to laugh or cry.Jenna did not think anything of the girl who wanted a picture with her. She was too hungry an
Carina was so angry she nearly threw her teacup at Quinn.“So what if I don’t have a boyfriend? I’m just being cautious!” Carina harrumphed. “I don’t want to end up like Jen, who has such a controlling husband like you who likes to make himself look pitiful, President Forester! It’s terrifying!”“Right?” Jacob agreed and said smilingly, “Doll, you said what I wanted to say.”He placed the peeled crab meat on Carina's plate, then wiped his fingers with a hot towel.“Jen baby, tell me if you ever divorce Quinn one day. I’ll marry you! I’m much more considerate than he is.”Quinn looked up at him and said darkly, “You want to die, don’t you?”“You can’t control his mouth—people will say whatever they want to say.” Carina sighed. “Look at you, President Forester. You’re not just controlling, but you also threaten people willy-nilly.”Jacob put one hand on Carina’s shoulder and sighed. “Do you see how much I suffer being friends with him?”“A lot. Indeed, a lot.” Carina pitied him b