Chapter 46

Millie kept her face composed and untroubled.

Anyone in the Elliott Group could dig up that much information, so it carried little weight in the grand scheme of things.

"Have you met Millie before?" Jayceon asked out of the blue.

"I haven't," Millie answered in a steady tone.

Jayceon looked puzzled and scratched his head."That's odd."

With a small smile, Millie turned to him and said,"There's nothing strange about it. Maybe she once fancied that tanzanite but then changed her mind about it and later gave it to someone else. After changing owners a few times, it finally ended up at this auction."

Jayceon shook his head and replied, "I don't think so.From what I heard, Millie was attached to that tanzanite. Apparently, someone else wanted it too back then, and she fought hard to get it. It just doesn't add up that she'd let it go so easily."

For a moment, Millie fixed Jayceon with a quiet stare,making him shift uncomfortably.

She eventually broke the silence with a gentle smile."But in the end, she still let it slip away, didn't she?"

Since the tanzanite was now up for charity auction,that meant Millie, along with whoever had owned it after her, had all chosen to let it go.

Jayceon fell silent, realizing she had a point that was hard to dispute.

Nothing came to mind that he could argue.

"Excuse me," Millie said politely, offering a slight nod before continuing down the hall.

She had barely taken more than a few steps when Vivian appeared in her path.

A wave of annoyance passed over Millie, and she tried to move past, but Vivian stepped right in front of her on purpose.

"Serena!" Vivian called out, refusing to let her leave.

Stopping in place, Millie regarded Vivian with calm patience,unsure what she wanted now.

A cold warning filled Vivian's eyes. "You'd be smart to step away now. You're nothing more than Charles

companion. You ought to show Brandon some respect. If you keep this up, you'll only end up hurting both yourself and Charles!"

Millie paid no attention to Vivian's threats and let her gaze drift over the black dress Vivian wore.

There was no denying the dress had all the makings of a bridal gown, with layers of fine lace that only highlighted Vivian's beauty.

Clearly, the gossip making rounds online had been accurate.

Brandon,who typically stayed out of the spotlight,chose this moment to show up in a big way, arriving with Vivian dressed like this.

The thought crossed Millie's mind-what was Brandon trying to prove?

Was he just unaware, or was he giving Vivian free rein on purpose?

Maybe he was in a rush to make his relationship with Vivian official.

Perhaps it didn't bother him at all that he and Millie were still technically married and going through a divorce.

A slight dip of her eyes betrayed Millie's

disappointment before she turned her back on Vivian.

"Vivian, there's no reason for you to say any of this to me. If you want the tanzanite, then bid for it. If I want it, I'll do the same. Let's just see who comes out on top," she answered in a quiet, steady voice.

A cold laugh escaped Vivian. "Come out on top?Serena, that's justwishful thinking. The only reason either of us is here is because of the men backing us.Brandon holds more power than Charles, so I already have the advantage."

Vivian's smugness was grating, and Millie saw no point in dragging things out. She turned and walked away.

A warning rang out from behind. "Serena, you're running out of chances! When you lose, it's going to be humiliating! I'll be waiting for you to crawl back and beg for mercy!"

Only the briefest pause gave away Millie's irritation before she moved on.

Looking to avoid anyone else in the hallway, Millie made her way up to the third-floor terrace garden.

A lively scene awaited her-business tycoons, art collectors, and celebrities all gathered together.

Champagne glasses filled their hands, and each clink seemed to seal another silent agreement between them.

Soft lighting gave the space a gentle glow, while piano music floated on the evening air.

Glasses continued to clink in the midst of so much glitz and sophistication.

Millie slipped into a quiet corner, lifting her champagne glass and letting the breeze brush past her.

Fragments of conversation drifted on the wind from all sides.

"The third auction item caught my eye-a diary written by a courageous young girl battling illness. It deserves a place in someone's collection."

"I feel the same way. Some of these children's drawings show real promise, but their tough situations hold them back from getting any closer to the world of art."

"My hope is that this charity event will raise enough funds and bring some comfort into their lives."

"Whenever the Evans Group hosts a charity gala, I trust them. They always set aside generous funds, so I never worry that the donations won't get to those in need."

"That's a relief. So, what are you hoping to bid on during the second half of the night?"

"Honestly, I'm more interested in the competition.I want to see whether the bidders holding badges 888and 823 go head-to-head!"

"Same here! The suspense is killing me!"

"Maybe we should all place bets on who takes the prize."

Excitement buzzed through the crowd as more people jumped in, their early whispers replaced by animated voices.

Every guest wanted to join in the fun.

While the crowd speculated, Millie stayed quiet,soaking in the lively energy around her.

Suddenly, someone stepped in front of her, casting a shadow over the light.

Turning, Millie saw Brandon standing there, a frown creasing his brow.

Behind him, the shouts and laughter of the betting pool carried on, while his gaze remained dark and searching.

He broke the silence with a single question. "Why did you do it?"

They both knew he meant her bid on the tanzanite.

Meeting his eyes, Millie offered no answer and instead threw the question back. "What about you? Did you do all this for Vivian?"

Brandon said nothing, his mouth drawn in a firm line.

Until that moment, he hadn't really thought about his reasons.

Just like always, he acted on instinct and rarely stopped to wonder why.

For him,that was enough.

However, when the masked woman questioned whether he was doing this for Vivian, he couldn't honestly agree with her in his heart.

Deep down, he simply couldn't stand the thought of the tanzanite ending up in anyone else's hands.

That was the only thing he truly understood.

As for the reason behind that feeling, he had no explanation.

Standing in front of him, the woman seemed delicate and frail, the wind making her appear even more fragile, almost like she could be swept away. Almost without thinking, he asked, "Has it always been like this?"

When her eyes showed confusion, he added, "I mean,has he always pushed you too far and forced you to keep working, even when you're unwell?"

A slight lift of her eyebrows showed that Millie didn't follow what Brandon was getting at.

After a few moments, she replied, "Mr. Watson, are you actually...worried about me?"

She chose the word "worried," not just "cared."

His mouth pressed into a thin line, and he offered no reply.

Dropping her head, Millie smiled to herself, but there was a prickling sensation in her nose.

She had stood by him through endless days and sleepless nights, only to hear him say, "Vivian's dying,you should show some sympathy." But now, with her standing in front of him as nothing more than Charles 'companion, Brandon chose that moment to act like he cared.

The irony was impossible to ignore.

"If you really believe I belong to Charles, Mr. Watson, what are you doing right now?" Millie's voice was quiet as she spoke with her head bowed. "Why say these things to me at all?"

From behind the mask, Brandon could see nothing of her feelings.

Nothing made sense to him-not his own thoughts,and certainly not her heart.

He had nothing to say in return.

Swallowed by a wave of emotion, Millie finally looked up at him, seeing onlyhis silence and furrowed brow.

"Mr. Watson, you shouldn't let your concern reach past your partner, or else you'll only end up betraying her." Millie paused for a second, her lips curling up softly."That kind of thing would only break her heart."

A picture suddenly filled Brandon's mind.

He saw a pairof sorrowful eyes. They were Millie's eyes,filled with tears.

"Some people hardly matter, Mr. Watson, but some really do. And if someone important chooses to walk away, you might never get a second chance." Her voice was gentle, her red lips moving gracefully as she spoke,looking both beautiful and distant.

She wore a smile,but somehow he could feel that she was crying inside.