Emily Jenkins wasn’t particularly scheming; even though she really disliked Jessica Johnson, she didn’t want to underhandedly mess with her. She said helplessly, "Jessica, I don’t want to compete with you. I don’t have money, so I’m just donating this pretty little thing. If someone likes it, and they want to do some charity, that’s their business. If no one likes it, then whoever gets the chance will get it, that’s all."
Jessica Johnson sneered at Emily Jenkins’ words and laughed, "That won’t do. My husband and I are people of status, how could we not keep our word?"
Emily Jenkins pursed her lips and said, "Then suit yourself."
By now it was Emily Jenkins’ turn. She handed the diamond to the registration staff and said, "Can I this?"
The staff member inspected the diamond carefully, while Jessica Johnson leaned out from behind and said, "What’s there to see? It’s just a piece of glass, nothing worth looking at."
The staff members had overheard the conversation between Emily Jenkins and Jessica Johnson. They were truly disgusted by Jessica Johnson’s attitude, but as staff here, they were quite professional. They didn’t show any outward expressions and continued to examine the diamond seriously because, no matter how they looked at it, it seemed to be a real diamond, a rarity for donations on this cruise.
It’s not that people on this cruise couldn’t afford to . There were plenty of ultra-wealthy individuals present. But since this was just a charity event, there was no need to so extravagantly. The intention was to show support, much like how society’s elites only a fraction during major disasters, which still grants them recognition. This was just a small event, so donating large amounts was senseless.
The staff passed the diamond to another person next to them, who examined it closely as well. Afterward, the two staff members nodded to each other. Then the first staff member seriously said to Emily Jenkins, "Are you sure you want to this?"
Emily Jenkins said nervously, "I can’t?"
Jessica Johnson immediately chimed in from behind, "It’s just a piece of glass, what’s the big deal? Could you staff be any more efficient? Taking so long with a fake glass diamond."
The two staff members ignored Jessica Johnson. One of them wrote a receipt and handed it to Emily Jenkins, saying, "Miss, we will carefully safeguard what you have d. There will be no issues during the auction. If you agree, please sign here. If not, you can keep it and bring it to the auction yourself."
Emily Jenkins quickly said, "No need, no need, I’ll just leave it with you." Signing eagerly as if fearing they would refuse to accept it.
John Brown and Lucy Campbell were speechless. Who else in the world would so easily hand over such a large diamond, apart from Emily Jenkins?
Jessica Johnson snorted, "You d such a fake diamond, I don’t even know how to compare with you. Tell you what, I’ll this pair of earrings." She removed her earrings and told the staff, "These are real diamonds, worth over twenty thousand a pair. I’m not comfortable leaving them with you. If you lose or switch them, that’s unacceptable. I’ll bring them for the auction myself."
The staff nodded, seriously filling out the form and letting Jessica Johnson sign it.
"Ah, no one is as generous as I am." Jessica Johnson shook her head, showing a melancholy benevolence, "If you’re doing charity, you have to sacrifice."
In truth, she wasn’t keen on it either, but since John Berk was very superstitious, he heavily believed in karma and retribution. He thought that doing some charity would bring greater rewards, so although he was ruthless in business, lecherous when facing beauties, and unhesitant to bully others, he would always show up for charity donations, and he was rather generous. Jessica Johnson, who was with John Berk, couldn’t control his finances at all. As his wife, she was more like a mistress; everything was decided by John Berk.
With everything recorded properly, the two staff members chuckled silently. Normally, since Emily Jenkins d such a gemstone, they would explain in detail to her, but since she didn’t say anything, they assumed she was pretending to be naive to outsmart others. With their dislike of Jessica Johnson, they certainly wanted to play along and chose not to reveal the truth, relishing the thought of Jessica’s embarrassment during the real auction.
There’s an old saying about the virtue of helping others succeed. Both staff members considered themselves gentlemen, so they wouldn’t ruin Emily Jenkins’ opportunity.
Little did they know, Emily Jenkins was unaware that the diamond was real. If she knew, she might not have parted with it so easily. What girl doesn’t love diamonds, especially one this big?
The charity auction was just a gimmick. Everyone bid on things casually and spent some money. People came either for the actual auction later or to network and find business partners. With many business elites present, it was a rare opportunity.
John Brown and his group entered the auction hall and found a row of seats at the back. Sarah Grandy, seeing herself as naturally taking the seat next to John Brown, sat beside him. With Gina Lopez and Emma Campbell absent, she seemed like the closest person to John Brown.
On the other side sat Lucy Campbell. Everyone wanted to sit next to John Brown except Emily Jenkins, but if Lucy Campbell sat next to him, no one would object due to her status. She needed John Brown’s protection and couldn’t sit far from him under any circumstances.
As they took their seats, Jessica Johnson and John Berk also sat nearby. Jessica, still sarcastic, said to Emily Jenkins, "Hey Emily, you d so little, why even come here? If your item gets no bids, wouldn’t that be even more embarrassing?"
Emily Jenkins smiled and replied, "I’m here to have fun anyway, whether it’s embarrassing or not doesn’t matter. Unlike you wealthy folks who care about appearances; we, not being rich, don’t mind such things."
With wealthy people like Lucy Campbell as her good friends, Emily Jenkins wasn’t envious of money anymore. No matter how rich someone else was, could they be wealthier than Lucy Campbell? Without that kind of wealth, there was no more point in showing off. In her eyes now, Jessica Johnson seemed more like a clown, someone she couldn’t even bother stooping to her level over.
Thinking of this made Emily Jenkins feel a bit smug, as if her ability levels had clearly improved.
If Jessica Johnson knew what Emily Jenkins thought, she’d probably be furious, having gone to all that effort to sarcastically demean Emily, only to be regarded as a clown in the end.
The auction began, featuring some very ordinary items—some brand-name bags, watches, which were mostly things no one wanted anymore. So there wasn’t much competition; most items were bid at the starting price mainly to support the event, deciding later whether they’d want to keep them, just as part of spending some money for charity.
"Say, Emily Smith, why hasn’t your glass stone been brought up? Aren’t they embarrassed to present it?" Jessica Johnson couldn’t resist another sarcastic comment to Emily.
"Perhaps," Emily Jenkins replied with a nonchalant presence, a move of retreat to advance. Had she explained, Jessica would have multiple retorts ready, but since Emily acknowledged it this way, Jessica found herself momentarily at a loss for words to mock Emily.
After some more time, it seemed most items had been auctioned off. Jessica Johnson, with a triumphant air, told Emily Jenkins, "Looks like your item isn’t coming up for auction. Wait and see what the real highlight is like when my earrings are up; plenty of people will be bidding."
"Yes, your earrings are so beautiful; lots of people will surely love them," Emily replied once more, agreeing.
Jessica Johnson rolled her eyes in dissatisfaction. Normally, Emily Jenkins should have shown disdain or some retort, and once her earrings were on display, it would have been delightful seeing everyone bidding for them. But Emily just didn’t follow the expected plot, leaving Jessica exasperated without a chance to shine.
John Brown and Lucy Campbell were just there to observe, occasionally joining in the fun, casually raising their hands, but not actually procuring anything. It was all just for amusement; buying anything wasn’t taken seriously.
Initially, the items being auctioned were those the attendees brought. With those mostly done, the auctioneer announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, next I present to you the most valuable item of the evening so far. I am sure it will not disappoint."
Jessica Johnson beamed, turning to Emily Jenkins and saying, "It’s my turn now. Watch and see what being in spotlight means, something you’ll never experience in your life." She primed herself, ready to stand for the audience’s attention when her item was called.