Chapter 6

Not long after returning from the hospital, Gabriel received a VIP invitation call from Sotheby's auction house.

When he mentioned it to Chloe, she immediately ran back to her room to select a gown with an excitement that suggested her previous ailments had completely vanished.

A moment later, his gaze fell upon Irene, who was sitting in a corner of the living room, reading. His voice, dripping with the tone of condescending benevolence, cut through the air: "You should come along, too. Consider it a reward for donating blood to Chloe. You may pick out a piece of jewelry you like."

Irene was about to refuse, but Gabriel had already turned and walked away, giving her no chance to speak.

...

The auction was a constellation of high society. Whenever Chloe set her sights on an item, Gabriel would raise his paddle without hesitation, drawing envious glances from those around them. Irene, seated to the side, remained indifferent, showing no interest in the expensive baubles.

When a Victorian-era sapphire necklace was presented, a collective gasp rippled through the venue.

Chloe clung tightly to Gabriel's arm, her voice sugary sweet: "Gabe, I want to wear this set when I marry you. I want to be the most dazzling bride in all of New York."

Without a word, Gabriel raised his number paddle, eventually securing the jewelry for the astronomical sum of two million dollars.

Waves of envious sighs swept through the crowd, everyone whispering about how deeply Mr. Thorne doted on his fiancée.

Irene had not looked up once, until she heard the auctioneer’s next words: "The next lot holds special memorial significance. This is a pocket watch that belonged to the late, renowned war correspondent David Lockhart. It was an item lost during his final mission!"

David Lockhart... that was her late father's name.

Irene’s head snapped up, her eyes wide with shock and disbelief. That pocket watch—her father had never let it leave his side. Inside, it held a photograph of their family of three.

As emotions surged, her eyes instantly reddened, tears welling up within them. Without a second of hesitation, she raised the paddle in her hand.

Gabriel did not bid. He simply looked at her with a complicated expression. He recognized the watch, of course.

"Fifty thousand dollars, going once!"

"Fifty thousand dollars, going twice!"

"Excellent. Congratulations to Ms. Lock—"

"Wait a moment!" Chloe, who had previously seemed uninterested, suddenly tugged at Gabriel's arm, whining petulantly, "Gabe, the craftsmanship of that watch is so unique. I want to buy it for my dad's collection."

Gabriel hesitated. He understood what that watch meant to Irene.

But seeing the longing in Chloe's eyes, and remembering that she had just walked back from the gates of death, he turned to Irene and said, "Give up the bid, Irene. I can buy you anything else you want, but Chloe wants this for her father. You know he is a City Councilman; this is important to him."

Irene’s eyes were filled with a bitter sorrow. She did not answer. Instead, with stubborn defiance, she raised her paddle again, her voice trembling: "One hundred thousand."

Gabriel’s face darkened. As if making a final decision, he raised the golden VIP paddle toward the auctioneer.

"Good heavens! Mr. Thorne has raised the Gold Paddle. Since he is determined to win, who would dare compete with him?"

"An immediate ceiling bid? He really is a maniac for his wife!"

The surrounding chatter grew louder, while Irene’s face turned deathly pale. Gabriel knew perfectly well that the watch was her father's relic, yet he still stripped her of her last memento just to make a beauty smile.

Her gaze went completely hollow. Then, she gave a slight nod, tears teetering on her lashes: "Fine."

She released her grip on the number paddle. In that same moment, she also let go of her futile, years-long obsession with Gabriel.

Picking up her handbag, she ignored Gabriel’s shocked stare and swiftly exited the auction hall.

A flight confirmation popped up on her phone. It was a one-way ticket to Istanbul, Turkey, departing at 6:00 PM on the day she completed the bone marrow donation.

Irene glanced at the time and slowly exhaled. Just one more day, and she could finally leave.

...

Upon returning to the manor, she quickly packed her suitcase.

Ironically, she had lived here for over a decade, yet her luggage was lighter than that of Chloe, who had only been here a few months.

Just as she finished packing, Gabriel kicked the bedroom door open. He strode in, the newly auctioned pocket watch in his hand, his expression terrifyingly dark. The dangerous aura radiating from him sent a bone-chilling cold through the room.

His voice was ice-cold as he interrogated her: "Irene, when did you become like this? To achieve your ends, you’ve actually stooped to theft!"

Irene froze in confusion. She wanted to ask what he meant, but he gave her no chance.

Anger boiling in his blood, he coldly flung a bank transfer receipt into her face. "To bid against me for this watch, you actually stole and swiped Chloe’s credit card? If the bank hadn't called to confirm, I would still be in the dark!"

"I know the watch belonged to your father. I intended to get it back for you after Chloe’s father had enjoyed it for a few days, but now I am deeply disappointed by your actions!"

"You turned out like this because I failed to discipline you. For the sake of your late parents, I must teach you a lesson right now."

Trembling with rage, Gabriel stepped forward and delivered a vicious slap across Irene’s face.

Her head snapped to the side, a red handprint instantly blooming on her cheek. She stood there, stunned, her eyes filled with disbelief.

That card had been forced upon her by Chloe earlier as a humiliation—labeled "pocket money"—and she had never touched a cent of it. This was obviously another frame-up.

But she no longer had the will to explain.

Just as his hand fell to his side, he received a call from the hospital: "Hello, is this Ms. Baker's family? Her white blood cell count is plummeting. Could you please come immediately?"