Chapter 26
Strictly speaking, Yasmin and Caleb weren’t seated right next to each other–there was one person between them. However, with just a slight turn of their heads, they could see
each other.
Calb, who was tall and had long limbs, enly needed to extend his arm to reach Yasmin.
The auction proceeded in an orderly manner, but Yasmin had little interest in the items being presented.
While she was distracted, she could keenly feel the invisible pressure coming from her right
Yasmin glanced sideways at Caleb in annoyance. To her surprise, he was looking straight ahead. He only turned toward her when he sensed her gaze.
His brow arched slightly What was Yasmin up to?
Yasmin clenched her teeth and huffed, quickly looking away to refocus on the auction.
Brendanudged Yasmin and whispered, “Your soon–to–be ex–husband is staring at you. Veronica is also watching you both.”
Yasmin immediately tumed, looking past Caleb to gaze at Veronica
The strange atmosphere was too hard to ignore. Jeremy, who had been fully engrossed in the auction, suddenly snapped to attention. He looked at Yasmin on one side, then at Veronica on the other, with a battled expression.
“Next up, we have a platinum necklace featuring an ornate pattern, accented with emeralds and diamonds!”
The auctioneer’s voke made everyone turn toward the stagh
It was indeed the emerald bead necklace that once belonged to Annie.
When the auctioneer introduced the rule on the necklace’s platinum clasp, Yasmin looked at Veronica with a mocking expression. What was the point of arguing when details match up?
Veronica kept her gaze fixed ahead, pretending she hadn’t heard a thing. She acted like a regular bidder.
If Veronica were sitting next to Caleb, she would’ve explained herself. However, since Caleb and Yasmin were seated closely together, who knew what rumors Yasmin might spread to him?
The bidding began.
There were many bidders, and soon, the price went from the estimated 5 5 million dollars to 10.5 million dollars
Some had realized that Veronica was intent on winning the bid. Given her close relationship with Caleb and the powerful Whitmore family backing her, many wished to avoid conflict and chose to pull out in the end, only two remained in the running.
“Eleven million dollars.” Veronica raised her paddle with confidence
No one would challenge her now, right? The price had already far exceeded the estimated value, and no one was foolish enough to keep bidding
“Twelve million dollars.”
Veronica turned toward the voice and saw a young man in a suit with a Bluetooth earpiece in his left ear. He was clearly a proxy bidder.
“Is there a bid higher than 12 million dollars?” the auctioneer called.
“What are you waiting for? Raise your paddle!” jeremy reminded Veronica.
Veronica’s expression darkened, and she whispered, “This price is already more than double the estimated value. It’s not worth it!”
It was only priced at five million dollars when it was originally sold!
Most action items tended to exceed their estimated value, but she didn’t want to spend more money on Yasmin’s things. She and Wanda had agreed that if the price went too high, they would use the excuse of an inflated price and insufficient cash to pull out of the bidding.
“But we promised to return Annie’s belongings to Yasmin!” Jeremy’s voice was loud enough for nearby auction–goers to overhear, and several of them immediately turned to
listen
Oh, there was more to this story?
Curious eyes shifted between the three siblings of the Whitmore Candy
Yasmin calmly stared at Veronica
“Who’s Annie?” someone whispered.
A lady nearby replied, “She was the previous matriarch of the Whitmore family and Yasmin’s mother. She came from a wealthy family in Glenfield”
Those present were quick to connect the dots with the little information available. The deceased biological mother’s inheritance had been squandered by the stepmother. Yasmin must have found out, and now, the Whitmore family had to deal with the aftermath
“The Whitmore Lamily really does have some nerve!”
“Exactly!”
