"Okay," Nyla answered.After seeing Oliver off, she bathed Mason and put him to bed.Hesitating for a moment, she texted Damon to ask if he was free the next night, as she planned to drop Mason off.Damon responded quickly.Damon: [I'm free. What's up?]Nyla: [I'm going to an auction tomorrow night, and I might be back late. Buddy should be asleep by then, and I don't want him to be scared if he's alone at home.]Damon was typing for several minutes before his reply came through.Damon: [Okay. I have to attend the same auction, but Lydia can put Buddy to bed.]Nyla hadn't expected him to be going too, but Lydia was a better choice than the new nanny.Nyla: [Alright.]Damon didn't reply after that, so Nyla put her phone away and went to shower and sleep.…After exiting the texting app, Damon called Spencer from his study. His voice was cold as he instructed, "Get me a ticket for tomorrow night's auction."Spencer sounded surprised. "But Mr. Sumner, you said you weren't int
Oliver stopped and looked at Nyla, his gaze a little dimmed.After a few seconds, he sighed. "Nyla, I shouldn't have gotten angry with you... I'm sorry."He had been upset about her arriving with Damon, but most of his anger had melted away the moment she held his hand.Nyla gazed at him and said softly, "It was my fault. You have every right to be upset. I didn't consider your feelings."Since she had agreed to be with Oliver, she knew she should keep her distance from other men, especially since she and Damon shared a past. It was only natural for Oliver to feel uneasy about their interactions.Oliver's gaze softened. "It's just a small matter. Let's move on. Shall we head inside?""Okay," Nyla replied.As they entered the auction venue, Nyla finally felt the intense gaze on her back fade away.Valarie, who was also attending the auction, saw Nyla and immediately approached her with a smile. "Nyla, you're here too!"Nyla was pleasantly surprised to see her. "Yes, it's been s
Nyla hadn't expected Damon to force Rebecca to marry Nathaniel."After everything she put you through, you don't want to get back at her?" Valarie asked.If it were five years ago, Nyla might have sought revenge.Since having Mason, her only goal had been to work hard and provide a happy, carefree life for him. Other matters simply didn't hold the same significance anymore."Didn't you say she married Nathaniel and suffers frequent abuse? That sounds like retribution to me," Nyla replied.Valarie pouted and scoffed. "You might be able to let it go, but I can't. She's been hiding for years, so I haven't had a chance to deal with her. Now that she's finally out in public, I definitely have to teach her a lesson."Nyla frowned. "Valarie, I know you're trying to stand up for me, but it's not worth it. You said she's with that Mr. Nuttall, right? Don't go offending others because of me.""Don't worry. I know what I'm doing," Valarie assured her.Realizing that Valarie wouldn't liste
Rebecca bit her lip, a hint of panic flashing in her eyes.If Valarie didn't raise the bid again, she wouldn't have the money to pay. Yet, judging by Valarie's earlier behavior, it was clear that she was doing this on purpose and wouldn't bid any higher."20,000,000 dollars, going twice!" the auctioneer called again.No one else raised their paddles.The jewelry set was made of ordinary emeralds—though it had a nice design, it held no real collectible value. Only a fool would pay 20,000,000 dollars for it, let alone raise the bid further.Orlando gritted his teeth. "Didn't you say Valarie would raise the bid again?"Facing Orlando's angry gaze, Rebecca bit her lip, her eyes welling with tears. "Mr. Nuttall, I'm sorry. I was wrong…""I only agreed to give you 15,000,000 dollars, no more. Figure out the remaining 5,000,000 dollars yourself!" Orlando snapped.He wasn't stupid. He could tell Rebecca had been deliberately trying to outbid Valarie earlier.At that moment, he regrett
"Rebecca, do you even know the state of the Preston Group right now? Where am I supposed to find 5,000,000 dollars for you?! Are you trying to bankrupt the company?" Nathaniel growled.Rebecca sneered. "Nathaniel, don't think I don't know how much you've been pocketing from your deals with the Nuttall Group. 5,000,000 dollars might be a bit much for you, but it's not impossible."Nathaniel's anger intensified. "Even if I could afford it, why should I spend that kind of money on a useless piece of junk?!"To him, jewelry that couldn't be immediately cashed in was worthless. He didn't even want to spend 500,000 dollars, let alone 5,000,000 dollars."Mr. Nuttall is only willing to put up 15,000,000 dollars. If you can't cover the remaining 5,000,000, it will ruin our relationship with the Nuttall Group, and any future business between them and the Preston Group will be difficult. Think it over," Rebecca warned before hanging up.After a while, she received a notification that 5,000,0
Nyla quickly stepped back, shaking her head. "I can't accept something so expensive."Oliver paused for a moment before chuckling. "Expensive is relative. This kind of money doesn't mean much to me, and when I saw this jewelry set, I instantly thought of you.""It might not mean much to you, but it's a big deal to me," Nyla replied earnestly.Seeing the seriousness in her eyes, Oliver frowned. "You're my girlfriend. Isn't it normal for me to give you jewelry?"Nyla pressed her lips together, about to speak, when Valarie leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Nyla, so many people are watching. Do you really want to embarrass Oliver like this?"Honestly, this is nothing to him. You could easily afford to buy him something just as valuable, so just accept it."Nyla glanced around and realized that everyone was indeed watching her and Oliver, some already whispering.She looked back at Oliver and said, "Alright."Oliver smiled and stepped forward to help her put on the sapphire neckl
As Valarie reached the entrance, Brandon stepped in front of her again. "Valarie, are you avoiding me?"Valarie rolled her eyes. "Mr. Sumner, we're not close. Please call me Ms. Weir. No, I'm not avoiding you. I just don't want to deal with you.""Why don't you want to deal with me? Is it because I'm too handsome and you're afraid of accidentally falling for me?" Brandon asked.Valarie was momentarily speechless, then huffed. "You're so full of yourself!""Seriously, I've been chasing you for five years now. What exactly don't you like about me? Just tell me, and I'll change!" Brandon pleaded.Valarie's heart skipped a beat as she looked into Brandon's serious eyes, and she quickly averted her gaze. "Okay, then tell me what you like about me. I'll change that too.""I like that you don't like me," Brandon countered.Valarie raised an eyebrow as she replied, "That's a hard one to change. Maybe you should pick something else to like.""No can do. From the moment I met you, I knew
"This time it's for real, I promise!" Brandon argued.He spoke with unwavering conviction, but Damon merely looked down, unwilling to engage with him any further.Brandon let out a sigh, feeling the weight of his troubles with no one to confide in. He asked again, "Uncle Damon, are we still drinking?""When did I agree to drink with you?" Damon replied.Brandon sighed, realizing he had misplaced his hopes.After turning the car around to drop Damon off at his villa, they arrived just as Nyla and Oliver were coming out, holding hands with Mason.The three of them wore smiles, appearing like a warm, happy family.Brandon noticed Damon's souring mood and instinctively quieted his breathing, fearing that Damon would take out his frustration on him.The group soon spotted Damon, and Nyla bit her lip before saying, "Mr. Sumner, I'm taking Buddy home."Damon didn't respond. His gaze remained fixed on the hand Oliver was holding—Mason's.The thought that Mason had spent several years