Eleanor Sterling saw the ranking of "True Love" and lost interest in anything else; her goal tonight was solely "True Love."
She closed the booklet and focused intently on the stage.
The first item for auction had already begun.
It was a treasured painting by a renowned artist.
As soon as the painting appeared, people in the room started raising their placards to bid, keeping the host busy with quoting prices.
"One hundred thousand!"
"Two hundred thousand!" ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ Nov3lFɪre.ɴet
"Three hundred thousand!"
The price gradually increased, and the bidding grew very heated.
While abroad, Eleanor Sterling had also attended auctions and was familiar with the process.
She watched as the painting was purchased by a man with a beer belly, who went to pay and collect the item.
The next item took the stage.
A new round of bidding began again.
After five auction items had passed, Eleanor Sterling’s hand was suddenly grasped by a warm, large hand.
She turned to look at Alaric Faulkner with confusion in her eyes, unsure of his intention.
"If you like other items, you can bid for them too," Alaric Faulkner’s deep, magnetic voice sounded, with a hint of indulgence.
Eleanor Sterling coughed lightly and whispered, "My target is only ’True Love.’
Hearing this, Alaric Faulkner suddenly chuckled softly.
He leaned close to Eleanor Sterling’s ear and said, "I never expected you to be so thrifty, already knowing how to save money for me."
Eleanor Sterling rolled her eyes at him.
Can’t expect ivory from a dog’s mouth; this man has no shame, saying anything that comes to mind.
Alaric Faulkner did not insist, only kept holding her hand without letting go.
Eleanor Sterling struggled a bit, but couldn’t break free, so she let it be.
At a distance, Faye Sterling and her roommates noticed what was happening with Eleanor Sterling.
"Tsk, Eleanor Sterling really came in with a man; could she be someone’s mistress?"
"Yeah, can an ordinary man get an invitation here?"
"I think so, to actually be hugging and cuddling here, truly shameless."
Faye Sterling followed their gaze.
In the dark booth, two youngsters squeezed into a corner, obscured by the semicircular backrest.
They could see Eleanor Sterling and a man, in a close-to-cuddling posture.
Because the lighting was dim, they couldn’t make out their faces but could see their actions.
They recognized Eleanor Sterling mainly because of her clothes.
Seeing their ambiguous posture, Faye Sterling’s eyes flickered.
It seemed Eleanor Sterling had found a new man; if she took a photo and showed it to Alaric Faulkner, he would surely start disliking Eleanor Sterling.
She had been busy with school matters and hadn’t had the time to look for Alaric Faulkner, but it didn’t mean she’d let Eleanor Sterling covet her man.
Faye Sterling smirked coldly, took out her phone, and snapped a photo in Eleanor Sterling’s direction.
With today’s phone capabilities, even in dim lighting, the image remained clear.
She looked at the photo, found Alaric Faulkner’s contact on WeChat, clicked send, and added the message: Alaric, I ran into Eleanor Sterling at the auction; she has a new man now.
After doing all this, Faye Sterling put away her phone cheerfully, looking at the auction below.
"True Love" was about to start auctioning, she needed to focus.
Alaric Faulkner’s phone buzzed once, he picked it up and glanced at it; it was a message from Faye Sterling.
He hadn’t planned to pay attention, but seeing the name Eleanor Sterling, he decided to open it.
Because of the close distance, Eleanor Sterling also glanced over.
Unexpectedly, the message revealed a photo of two people in a seemingly intimate pose, along with a maliciously gleeful comment.
Seeing the words saying Eleanor Sterling’s new boyfriend, she was left speechless.