Chapter 25 – The Sterling Gift and a Rival’s Shocking Collapse (1
The crowd was still buzzing with excitement after Damien Sterling’s jaw–dropping bid. Three hundred million yuan–a number so astronomical that it had silenced even Ivy’s venom–laced protests. I sat frozen in my seat, emotions colliding inside me like warring armies. Relief that Julian and Ivy didn’t get the bracelet warred with disappointment that I hadn’t secured my mother’s legacy myself.
But more than anything, confusion reigned. Why had Damien Sterling intervened? What would he do with a feminine jade bracelet? And what would he expect from me in return?
The auction continued around me, but I barely registered the other items being presented. My eyes kept drifting up to the VIP suite where his silhouette had now disappeared from view. The absence only amplified my questions.
“Miss Ashworth?”
I blinked, startled to find a slender woman in an impeccable black suit standing beside me. Her posture was military–straight, her expression professionally neutral.
“Yes, that’s me,” I replied, suddenly aware of the curious glances from nearby attendees.
“I’m Kendall Roberts, Mr. Sterling’s executive secretary.” She spoke with crisp efficiency. “If you would please follow me.”
Heart pounding, I rose from my seat. As I followed her through the auction hall, I noticed people turning to stare. Whispers trailed in our wake like perfume.
Instead of leading me toward the exit or the VIP suites as I’d expected, Kendall stopped in the center of the room. The auctioneer had just called for a brief intermission, and the crowd’s attention was now fully on us–including Julian and Ivy’s.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Kendall announced, her voice clear and commanding. “On behalf of Mr. Damien Sterling, I would like to formally present this jade bracelet to Miss Hazel Ashworth.”
She opened a velvet box that I hadn’t even noticed she was carrying. Inside, my mother’s bracelet glinted under the lights, more beautiful than I remembered.
A collective gasp swept through the room.
“Mr. Sterling recognizes the profound sentimental value this piece holds for Miss Ashworth, as it once belonged to her maternal family. He wishes for it to be returned to its rightful owner”
The blood rushed to my face as every eye in the room turned to me. Across the hall, I could see Julian’s expression morphing from shock to something unreadable. Beside him, Ivy’s face had contorted into a mask of pure hatred.
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The corridors of the auction house were quieter than the main hall, allowing me a moment to breathe. I was still trying to wrap my head around what had happened. The bracelet on my wrist -my mother’s bracelet–caught the light as I walked, almost as if winking at me.
As I rounded a corner searching for the VIP suite entrance, raised voices from a nearby room caught my attention.
“-can’t believe you’re acting like this!” Julian’s voice, strained with frustration.
“Like what? Like a wife who doesn’t want her husband drooling over his ex?” Ivy’s voice was
razor–sharp.
I knew I should walk away, but my feet seemed rooted to the spot.
“I wasn’t drooling over anyone,” Julian protested. “I was trying to keep you from making a scene.”
Ivy laughed bitterly. “Don’t lie to me. I saw how you looked at her. You regret it, don’t you? You regret choosing me.”
“That’s not-”
“It is! You wish you were still with her, especially now that she’s cozied up to the Sterling family. God, the way you stared when that secretary announced the gift. You couldn’t have been more obvious if you tried!”
“You’re being ridiculous,” Julian said, but his voice lacked conviction.
“Am I? Then why don’t you look me in the eye and tell me you don’t miss her?”
A heavy silence followed.
“That’s what I thought,” Ivy said, her voice suddenly calm in a way that was more frightening than her shouting. “You know what’s funny? You left her for me because you felt sorry for me. Poor, dying Ivy. And now you’re stuck with me, watching while Hazel moves up in the world without you.”
“Ivy, stop. This isn’t good for your health-”
i
“Don’t you
dare use my health as an excuse!” Her voice rose again. “You never loved me. You just wanted to play the hero, and now you’re realizing what a mistake you made.”
“I never said-”
“You didn’t have to say it! It’s written all over your face every time you look at her. Well, you
made your choice, Julian. You chose me. You married me. And now you have to live with it until I die. Isn’t that right?”
Another silence, longer this time.
“Answer me!” Ivy shrieked.
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“Yes,” Julian finally said, his voice hollow. “I chose you.”
“And you’ll stay with me? No matter what?”
“I… I will.”
Ivy’s laugh was cold and bitter. “At least until my cancer finally kills me, right? Then you can run
back to her. Except she’s got Sterling now. She won’t want you anymore.”
“This isn’t about Hazel-”
“Everything has always been about Hazel!” Her voice rose hysterically. “Ever since we were
children, it’s always been Hazel this, Hazel that—”
Her words cut off abruptly, replaced by a terrible choking sound.
“Ivy? Ivy! What’s wrong?” Julian’s panicked voice echoed through the door.
I heard shuffling, then a strangled cough.
“Ivy! Oh god, you’re bleeding—”
The door burst open, and Julian rushed out, carrying Ivy in his arms. Her face was deathly pale, and blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. They collided directly into me, Julian’s eyes widening in shock when he realized I was there.
“Hazel,” he gasped, his voice strangled with fear. “How long have you—”
“Long enough,” I said, recovering from the shock of seeing Ivy’s condition. Despite everything, the sight of blood alarmed me. “Should I call an ambulance for you?”
