âAlice Chapman is my youngest daughter and also Ashlynâs biological mother!â Bob replied as he held his tears back. âThis red jade belonged to Ashlynâs mother, yet the poor girl had never seen it before.
Mr. Yates, I understand youâve made up your mind and have no intention of returning the jade to us. In that case, Iâd be grateful if you could consider my request.â
âWhat is it? Iâll think about it as long as itâs within my power,â Ryan answered. Mr. Chapman may have moved me a little with his words, but thereâs still no way Iâd give the red jade away. It is, without a doubt, from our family. That said, I canât explain how the Chapmans got their hands on itâ¦
âCan Ashlyn take a look at it before you keep it? Please?â Bob begged, his gaze steady and earnest.
Ryan was no cold-hearted man, so it wasnât surprising that he couldnât stand a man of his motherâs age looking at him so pitifully.
The next second, he walked up to Ashlyn. âMs. Berry, since your grandfather has requested it, you may have a look at the jade.â
As it turned out, Ashlyn hadnât moved from her seat the entire time. I-I finally get to see what Mom left behind, huh?
She had heard the disagreement between Bob and Ryan and Maryâs seemingly innocent explanation.
Now, she could feel everyoneâs eyes on her as they chattered among themselves.
When she finally looked down at the open hand before her, all she could see was the beautiful piece of red jade.
It exuded a warm, comforting glow that reminded Ashlyn of a motherâs loving gaze.
Her mind had gone blank in that instance, yet strangely enough, she couldnât help reaching for the red jade and clutching it tightly. Oh⦠It feels like Iâm holding Momâs handâ¦
By then, she was all teary-eyed.
Mom⦠Was this your most prized possession? Can I still feel your warmth on it? Oh, but itâs too late now. If I had known this belonged to Mom, I wouldnât have let Ryan win the auction!
After a brief silence, Ashlyn finally looked up and stared into Ryanâs eyes. âPlease sell this to me, Mr.
Yates. What do you want for it? One hundred million? Two hundred million? Feel free to name your price.â
As her voice resonated in the auction hall, everyone turned to her in wide-eyed amazement.
Oh, gosh. Sheâs willing to deal in the hundreds of millions! Thatâs a lot of money, yet she said it without even batting an eyelid!
âIâll buy it at any price you want, Mr. Yates.â
Just then, a low and deep voice rang out. âFive hundred million!â
Naturally, that triggered an uproar in the crowd. After all, no one could believe what they had just heard!
Five hundred million for a small piece of red jade? Lucas Nolan must have gone mad!
âMr. Yates, this red jade belonged to my wifeâs late mother. Could you spare a thought for the deceased and sell it to us for five hundred million?â Lucas asked again, this time in a much gentler tone.
Needless to say, Hera was green with envy as she glared at Ashlyn. Five hundred million isnât a small sum! Is Lucas only doing it to make Ashlyn happy? If thatâs the case, heâs nothing more than a foolish spendthrift! Argh! Whatâs so great about Ashlyn, anyway? How is she worth Lucas spending so much on her?
Similarly, the other women in the crowd couldnât help but gape in awe at Ashlyn and Lucas.
They were already swooning over the latterâs good looks, but what shocked them more was how willing he was to spend hundreds of millions on Ashlyn.
Oh, dear⦠Even our luxury bags and jewelry feel cheap now. How can anything measure up to the five hundred million price tag?
Ryan gazed at the beautiful couple with a conflicted expression.
âMs. Berry, Mr. Nolan, as an acquaintance of yours, I admire the two of you a lot,â he said. âHowever, that doesnât change the fact that the red jade belongs to the Yates family. As such, I must take it home and keep it safe.â
With that said, he promptly reached under his shirt and pulled out a red string.
To everyoneâs surprise, another red jade pendant dangled from it.
The next second, Ryan ripped the pendant off and placed it on his palm.