Ashley prepared a limited edition Hermes bag for the charity auction.
After a thorough authentication process, the staff member said, “Alright, Ms. Miller. I’ve recorded your auction item. Please take a seat in the hall.”
Ashley was still racking her brains on how to sabotage Vivian’s auction when the staff finished identifying her designer handbag. Suddenly, a malicious smile flickered across her face as an idea popped into her mind.
She smiled courteously at the staff. “I admire your working attitude! How about we become friends?”
Meanwhile, Xavier was also present at the popular auction event. After greeting Finnick and Vivian, he rushed off to catch up with the others.
Other than Xavier and a few others, the faces in the hall were unfamiliar to Vivian.
On the contrary, most of them knew Finnick well enough to exchange pleasantries with him. Upon knowing that Vivian was his wife, they couldn’t help but cast curious glances at her. Every second spent in the hall was getting more unsettling for Vivian. Sensing her anxiety, Finnick patted the back of her hand gently.
Finnick reassured, “You’ll get used to these occasions. Don’t worry, I’m here for you.”
“Okay.” Vivian certainly felt better after Finnick’s encouragement.
Fabian hadn’t taken his eyes off Vivian from the moment she entered the hall.
While he understood that Vivian was new to grand occasions like the auction event, he couldn’t help but feel bitter at the sight of her leaning close to Finnick.
His heart throbbed painfully at the realization that Vivian’s heart no longer belonged to him.
Fabian wanted to go forward and greet Vivian, but he couldn’t find any excuse to do so as Ashley was keeping an eye on him.
When the auction was about to begin, Vivian rushed off to the toilet again because she was too nervous.
Finnick offered, “Do you need me to accompany you?”
Vivian shook her head in response and dashed off with her bag.
Before Fabian could follow her, Ashley turned towards him and said, “I’m leaving for a while, Fabian. It won’t take too long.”
He couldn’t possibly go after Vivian when Ashley was heading in the same direction as her. Deciding that it wasn’t a wise move to upset his pregnant wife, he stayed put.
When Ashley tiptoed into the restroom, Vivian just entered a cubicle and forgot her bag on the basin.
Ashley’s initial plan was to rope in the staff members and destroy Vivian’s diamond necklace, but she couldn’t resist the urge to try her luck by following Vivian to the restroom.
It turned out that she was having a stroke of good luck that day. Vivian conveniently left her bag on the basin!
What else could be more perfect than this?
Careful not to make any noise, Ashley rummaged through Vivian’s bag. Her face lit up with delight when she found an object that would surely embarrass Vivian in public.
Chuckling under her breath, she sneaked out of the restroom and made her way to the storage room before anyone could notice her.
Vivian only exited the cubicle after Ashley was long gone. When she opened her bag to get her lipstick, she realized in horror that her amulet was missing. Vivian’s mother went to great lengths to obtain the amulet for her years ago. She had carried it with her in her bag ever since. How could it vanish all of a sudden?
After a frantic search, she poured out the contents of her bag. Her lipstick, tissue, phone, and keys tumbled into the sink, but she couldn’t find her amulet anywhere else in the restroom.
Could it have dropped out of my bag in the hall?
Vivian rushed out of the toilet and ran into a man before she could see him. She felt a splitting headache from the force of the collision.
