‘Barbara doesn’t know me well. We only got in touch when Ryleigh introduced me to the group the other day.‘If she were someone I’ve kept in touch with all this while, to the point that I’m very close and familiar with her, I’d appreciate what she’s done to help me. But Ryleigh didn’t ask Barbara to help me out in that incident, so I can’t say that I’m not somewhat suspicious.’Ryleigh paused for a moment. “Are you referring to the owner of Passion Jewelry?”She then looked around and raised her hand to lower her voice. “Barbara helped you with that?”Maisie nodded.Ryleigh gave her a thumbs up with a smile. “She’s quite a loyal one then. She’s willing to help you even though you haven’t known each other for a long time.”Maisie smiled helplessly. “She helped me for no reason? What do you think?”“Ms. Vanderbilt,” Barbara called her from not far away.Maisie turned her head and saw that Barbara was waving at them.The two of them walked toward her. Barbara was troubled by the
Maisie turned her head around.‘Where is Ryleigh?’Ryleigh rinsed her face with water in the restroom and looked astonished.‘Although he was wearing a mask, that middle-aged man is Helios’ uncle if I’m not mistaken. And the woman standing next to Helios’ uncle is definitely not his aunt. Is Helios’ uncle cheating on his wife?‘No, I have to go back and have another look.’Ryleigh picked up her mask immediately and walked out of the bathroom. She had just put on her mask when she bumped into someone at the corridor's corner.She staggered backward, and the man supported her in time. She then heard a familiar voice coming from above her head before seeing the person. “Ryleigh Hill?”Ryleigh held onto her mask and raised her head instantly. Although the tall man in front of her was wearing a mask, his jawline looked extremely familiar, especially when it came to his voice.“How can you still recognize me?” She adjusted her dress.Louis’ deep scoff came from the top of her head.
Ryleigh froze instantly upon hearing that Aunt Boucher was here. She thought of something at that moment and suddenly became extraordinarily silent.Barbara wrapped her arms around Maisie’s. “Wow, we’ve found ourselves a couple here. We look so pitiful all of a sudden.”Of course, Barbara knew about Ryleigh and Louis’ marriage.Only one sentence was enough to pique Ryleigh as she dragged Maisie over to her side. “Who told you that we’re a couple? And how can you slander me deliberately?”Barbara then dragged Maisie back to her side again. “Even if you’re not a couple now, you’ll still be husband-and-wife in the future.”Maisie felt a little dead inside as the duo dragged her to and fro. Fortunately, the auction was about to start, and they stopped acting like two young girls fighting over a doll.They then entered the venue, where there were at least enough seats for more than 1,000 people. Barbara’s reserved seats were located in the first row, near the auction platform.Maisie
The middle-aged man’s expression was one of utter embarrassment.The bidding for Raw Gemstone #2 began shortly after, and Barbara raised her placard as its auctioneer. “7.5 million.”The price of 7.5 million dollars in the first go shocked everyone present. After all, Raw Gemstone #6 did not contain a big gem, so everyone wondered whether Raw Gemstone #2 would contain anything. However, this was the only raw gemstone left for them to bid on.The middle-aged man did not dare to raise his placard anymore. He had spent 15 million dollars for a piece of rock, but it only contained such a tiny piece of gem. Thus, Mrs. Boucher won Raw Gemstone #2 with a total bidding of 12.5 million dollars.Maisie found that Barbara seemed to have given the raw gemstone to Mrs. Boucher on purpose.‘Barbara could offer a starting bid of 7.5 million, which indicates that she does possess the money, but she didn’t go against Mrs. Boucher till the very end. But I can’t tell whether she has other motives or
Eugene paused. “Did Samantha tell you that I’m here?”Christina put down her teacup and mocked him. “Samantha has protected your other woman Katrina for so long, yet you suspect her?”Eugene was quiet.Christina stood up. “Samantha is a decent woman. Leaving you wasn’t a loss for her but for you. You’ll regret this one day, and Yael and I will not help you anymore.”They walked out of the room next door. Ryleigh wanted to see her aunt and get some news but was probably there for the gossip.Maisie and Barbara stopped in the hallway, and after Ryleigh left, she slowly spoke. “Were you the one who snitched him to Mrs. Boucher?”“Yes,” Barbara admitted.Maisie was a little surprised, “How did you find out such private news of the Bouchers?”Even the media didn’t know that Eugene was cheating, but she knew. She was even the one who had told them that Mrs. Boucher was here.Barbara flipped her hair and smiled at her. “I know Katrina.”Maisie was shocked. Barbara leaned against t
Barbara returned after a few years when those rumors had been long forgotten, so her name Barbara Chase was as if she was reborn.Maisie was really impressed by Barbara’s calmness. If it were other girls, and that happened to them, they might have chosen a different way out of the rumors.Even if she had a past like Barbara, she couldn’t say that she would be able to survive just as well.If Barbara weren’t born where she was, she would have been sent to prison by the deceased's family and would have had to live with all the guilt. Maisie was in deep thought and stood outside the door. Nolan walked out of the study and saw her standing there, so he walked toward her and hugged her from behind. “You’re back.”Maisie was pulled back into reality and suddenly fell into his arms. Nolan paused, gently putting his hand on the back of her head. “What’s wrong?”“I missed you.” Maisie rubbed her face on his chest. Nolan’s eyes were gentle upon seeing how she was acting. He then pushed th
Eugene’s jaw moved, but he didn’t dare speak. Christina put down the teacup. “Dad, please calm down.”“How could I calm down?” Elder Master Boucher knocked on the table. “A great woman like Samantha was married to you for over 30 years, and how much did she sacrifice for this family, Francisco, and you? You could go out with other women, but you should always remember that you have a wife and son at home!”Eugene relaxed his fist and frowned. “Christina, did you expose this?”Christina paused, then said in a serious voice, “You think I did this?”She looked stoic and didn’t hesitate. “If I wanted to do this, why would I have said all that at the auction? I’m one of the Bouchers, and it’s my responsibility to protect our reputation.”Eugene was bewildered.At that moment, Samantha walked through the door with light makeup and plain clothes, no flashy jewelry.“Dad, Christina.”Elder Master Boucher looked calmer when he saw Samantha, “Samantha, I’ll get someone to suppress the
Samantha turned around and stopped in front of the pen, picked it up, and placed it on the desk. “I’ve already signed the papers. If you don’t sign, I’ll talk to Dad. I don’t want to bring this to court to avoid affecting our reputation. I’ll give you three days.”The cut on her palm hurt so much it became numb, and blood dripped onto the tiles like flowers. She left the Bouchers without looking back, leaving everything behind. At the hospital…The nurse helped Samantha sew up her wound and bandaged it. She told her not to get it wet for a few days and that they would be able to remove the suture in a week. Samantha picked up her bag and left the room but bumped into Ryleigh and Maisie there.Maisie immediately recognized her. She was the woman who had saved Kennedy the other day, but before she could speak, Ryleigh suddenly called out, “Aunt Samantha?”Samantha smiled and walked toward them. “It’s you.”Then she noticed Maisie and was going to say something, but Ryleigh was s