NovelBookChapter 821: Then, shifting her gaze to the audience, she said, "I think we should all give Mr. Ashton a round of applause." The hall erupted with applause, thunderous and unrelenting.
Leah had been swept up in the intoxicating thrill of Bruce dropping thirty million on a ring for her. The sheer extravagance of it had momentarily clouded her thoughts. But as the room erupted in thunderous applause, reality crept back in, slicing through her euphoria like a cold blade.
Something felt off.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtHer gaze snapped upward, locking onto Corrine, seated in a private box across from her. The woman's lips curled into a knowing smile, her brows arching ever so slightly. The glint in her eyes was unmistakable—a silent taunt, a deliberate provocation.
A chill prickled down Leah's spine. Her suspicions solidified in an instant. Her fingers curled into fists, nails biting into her palms.
Corrine had done this on purpose. From the very beginning, she had never intended to win those bids. Instead, she had laid a perfectly crafted trap, one that Leah had walked into without hesitation. A fortune spent on meaningless trinkets-Corrine's doing.
The realization burned in Leah's chest, stoking an urgent desire to confront Corrine.
Beside her, Bruce sat rigid, his expression dark. He had sensed it too. Corrine's words, seemingly innocent at first, had been anything but.
She had never truly wanted the ring. Her goal had been something else entirely. To drive the price sky-high. Without her interference, he could have secured the ring for a mere five million. Now, it had cost him six times that.
Thirty million.
Bruce's jaw tightened. Corrine knew she could not stop him from buying the ring for Leah, so she had found another way to strike.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmPetty revenge-fueled by jealousy.
She could feign indifference all she wanted, but her actions spoke louder than words.
Across the room, oblivious to his brooding thoughts, Corrine met his hostile gaze with an infuriatingly serene smile. Her voice, light and laced with mockery, drifted through the air. "Mr. Ashton, your devotion to Ms. Burgess is truly admirable. By tomorrow, all of Lyhaton will be talking about it. I daresay, many will be envious." A ripple of laughter followed, though everyone caught the razor-sharp edge in her tone. Sour grapes. A woman dismissing what she could not have.
"Ms. Burgess is truly fortunate." "Thirty million for a ring-now that is love!"
"They make quite the pair. A match made in heaven, another grand m spectacle for Lyhaton."
Compliments poured in from the crowd. The contents on.novelenglish.net!
Yet, beneath their forced smiles, Bruce and Leah simmered with quiet e resentment.
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