Dark Revenge Of A Jilted Bride: Till Life Do Us Part!-Chapter 38: Auction IV

Her mother’s necklace.

For a moment, Gianna thought she couldn’t be seeing it well. Her vision stilled, caught between disbelief and a rising flutter of panic.

She leaned forward, slowly, breath held hostage in her chest, and peered at it as the man lifted the said item—plastered around a plastic black neck—while listing off its properties in a voice that suddenly felt far too loud.

It was it.

And when her eyes scanned the room for her cousin, searching through bodies, glittering gowns, and soft golden light, and found those mischievous eyes staring back at her with that familiar glint... she knew her analysis was right.

Knew she was in trouble. Knew precisely how deep, especially when she heard the bids start going off like small explosions.

"What the hell!" she cussed under her breath, and the sound snapped Noah out of his admiration for the jewellery; he’d been busy testing its texture virtually around Gianna’s neck, imagining how it might look on her.

"What’s the problem, beauty?" he asked, confused warmth in his voice.

Gianna’s response was another cuss, harsher this time.

Noah forgot about the jewellery instantly. His attention tunneled to her.

"Come on, you can talk to me, beauty..." he coaxed gently, trying to ease her open, to share whatever had just shifted her mood so drastically.

He wondered if this was a mood swing... was she in that period that always had his sister cussing every two minutes?

"The jewellery... belongs to my mother. It shouldn’t be there..." Her voice trembled, thin like a thread stretched too tight.

Noah frowned deeply, turned to inspect the necklace more critically. It seemed ancient, delicate in its craftsmanship. Jade set into soft, time-worn metal... simple and vintage, but undeniably rare.

And by the bids going up—currently at twenty thousand—he was sure he wasn’t the only one seeing that it was real, that the quality was unmistakable.

"Who put it up there then?" His tone dropped. Whoever it was would have him to contend with.

"My cousin..." Her voice was small—not the sound he was used to. He didn’t like it, didn’t like how diminished she suddenly seemed. He remembered the duo she’d claimed were "unimportant," and instantly knew those troublesome fellows were behind this nonsense.

"Gianna..." he murmured.

But Gianna was already spiraling, calculating how much she would give up for the necklace.

This was definitely what Sabrina had meant when taunting her about her bank balance, knowing she would be ready to give up all she had to get back her mother’s necklace.

Gianna bit her lower lip. If the necklace was here, it meant they had broken into the room she had chosen to store her parents’ things... and a few of her grandfather’s, which her uncle had let her have.

Why? Wasn’t that a breach of privacy? Was it because they lived in that mansion, and she didn’t?

Her fists tightened, knuckles straining, anger riding her veins hotter with every heartbeat—especially when she heard the last caller shout, "35,000!"

She snatched up the pad with the handle—placed on her seat but left resting on the floor—and she was just about to lift it when Noah stopped her.

"What are you doing?"

She looked at him like he was stupid. "Bidding for my mother’s necklace, obviously."

He sighed. "I can do that for you..."

She shook her head immediately. She already knew how much was in her account... surely the people here wouldn’t be dense enough to go over a hundred thousand?

And even if they did... she would handle it. She could recover the money in six months, considering the rate of her work at the Becketts.

"Don’t worry Noah, I appreciate your concern, but—"

She scowled when he raised his pad and called out, "50,000!"

And of course, he drew the attention of everyone in the room, because he had just made a jump of an extra fifteen thousand dollars!

"Don’t you listen, you fool?!" she cussed, glaring daggers at him. She would have pushed his hand away when it came to rest on her cheek, but the gazes on them—especially Sabrina’s—kept her still.

"Rely on me, beauty... just this once..." he whispered.

She bit back another scoff and nodded stiffly. She would pay him every cent back. No way was she falling into debt to an over-the-top chivalrous man.

Just as she tried to relax into her seat, someone called, "55,000!" and another followed with, "60,000!"

Were these people mad?

She gritted her teeth, searching the room, scanning faces—her forehead creased with confusion when she picked out Mason, who was glaring at... no, not her, but at the male with her.

What? Did they know each other?

Before she could ask Noah, she picked out the last bidder.

Zane Whitman.

He wasn’t even looking at her. He was laughing with a beautiful lady—an actress she recognized—another girlfriend. How many did he have?

"Seems there is going to be a tug of war..." Noah whispered behind her, dragging her attention back to him, amusement curling in his words.

"You know Mason." A statement, not a question.

"Of course. He is my cousin. You would know Esme... she works as a designer in the Becketts too. She is my sister..."

Gianna’s mouth opened a fraction. Then she chuckled—dry, humorless. Was this some joke? She was going to have cousins fighting over her now?

So much for thinking she was free from scandals for the year. Already, she felt the urge to bolt out of his presence... but first—the necklace.

"I see. Congratulations."

Noah raised a brow. "Congratulations...?"

She waved him away just as Mason called out another figure, higher than Zane’s.

"You have to win it. I will pay you back when it is over, but get me that necklace."

Noah wasn’t pleased, neither did he so much as twitch when Zane increased the bid by another ten thousand—unlike Gianna, who flinched, believing that Zane was going to gift her mother’s prized possession to one of his girlfriends, whom he might even dispose of the next day.

"I would rather go on five dates with you... or one for every ten thousand do..."

"It’s either you get it, or I do. For this, I don’t have qualms reaching out to my best friend or her family for help."

That shut Noah up.

Without another word, he lifted the pad and called, "100,000!"

Gianna’s neck snapped to him. "Not that high!" What was wrong with this fellow and making jumps?

Her fear mounted, spiraling fast. She wondered if Arthur was here too... if he would think she was making his family waste money. Her head began to ache.

Oh gods, help me. She muttered the plea intermittently, rubbing the middle of her forehead as the numbers kept going up.

"200,000," Noah called out next—far too delighted—holding back a laugh when Gianna glared furiously at him like she would throttle him. A fifty-thousand jump?!

"Do you even have that amount?!" she whisper-yelled.

"Of course, beauty. Of course... and anything for you."