Chapter 53

“I’m fine.” Jude took a handkerchief out and wiped his tears. “Carrie, I’m very happy with this gift. Let me reward you. Tell me, is there anything you want?”

Just as Caroline was about to say something, Brie interrupted her. In a displeased tone, Brie said. “But Mr. Morrison Senior, this is only worth one million dollars…”

Jude’s face fell at once. “Brie, you can’t measure the value of a gift by its price! Although this painting is no match for the perfume bottle in terms of price, to me, it’s the most precious gift. Only upstarts will measure gifts by their prices!”

Hearing that, Brie became hot under the collar. The guests around them began to laugh at her too. Just as she turned around to leave, she almost bumped into a staff member who’d rushed over.

Stunned, Caroline looked at the staff member carefully. She hadn’t prepared any second gifts.

“Oh? Quick, show it to me.” Jude laughed. “Carrie, how many surprises are you planning to give me today?”

Before Caroline could say anything, another staff member arrived with a wooden box.

The box was delicately crafted with complex patterns, and its surface was polished to perfection.

Clearly, it wasn’t something cheap. The staff member put the box on the table and slowly opened it.

Everyone there, including Caroline, held their breaths.

The moment the box was opened, a beautiful piece of antique ceramic vase came into view.

The banquet hall was filled with individuals who were knowledgeable about antiques. As soon as they caught sight of the ceramic, they couldn’t help but gasp in amazement.

Those well–versed in antique collections knew that these ceramics had been made for the royal family centuries ago and were rare to come across.

Considering how old it was, encountering such a treasure was a rarity, let alone having the opportunity to own it as a collectible.

Everyone looked at Caroline in shock. This wasn’t just a matter of money; only those with strong connections could have the chance of acquiring it.

As expected of the daughter of the Evans family. Although they had fallen from grace, their power was still impressive.

It took a while for Jude to come to his senses. “Carrie, how did you get this?”

That was what she wanted to know, too. At first, she’d suspected that someone wanted to set her up with an additional gift. Little did she expect it to be such a priceless treasure!

Eddy stared at the vase, his eyes narrowing.

He’d come here with Kirk. When Kirk had written his signature in the guest book earlier, he’d also written that his gift was two ceramic wares–a vase and a wash basin.

The antique vase here was one of those two ceramic wares.

Eddy spared a glance in the direction of the lounge, wondering why Kirk had done this.

If Kirk wanted to save Caroline from embarrassment, he could have used the wash basin, which cost a hundred times less than the vase. That would have been more than enough.

Eddy just couldn’t figure it out.

Meanwhile, Kirk was watching Caroline on the screen with a smile on his face.

Looking at how flustered she was in the hall, Kirk couldn’t help feeling delighted. “You’ve done a great job,” he said.

The butler immediately replied. “It’s all thanks to you, Mr. Kirk. Ms. Collins was clearly planning to cause trouble for Ms. Evans. Your idea has not only saved Ms. Evans from embarrassment but also salvaged the Morrisons‘ reputation.”

Kirk pursed his lips. The Morrison family’s reputation had nothing to do with him. He just couldn’t stand Caroline being bullied by others. especially when it involved money.

“Go out and help her explain it,” Kirk said, waving his hand.

The butler nodded and went away.

Now that Kirk was back alone, he could finally let his eyes roam freely over Caroline’s sexy and delicate back. Narrowing his eyes slightly. he felt his chest burning up.

By this time, the butler had already walked over to Caroline’s side, interrupting Kirk from enjoying the beautiful view.

Frowning in frustration, Kirk lit up the cigar on the table. As the swirling smoke surrounded him, his gaze grew deeply intense, and desire burned within him.

The butler approached Jude discreetly. “Mr. Morrison Senior, seeing that the antique vase is rare and precious, should we send it home for safekeeping purposes?

It was a sound suggestion, so Jude complied. “Have someone send it back at once.”

Jude didn’t press further. Caroline let out a sigh of relief and looked at the butler gratefully. The butler merely nodded at her before returning to the task at hand.

Meanwhile, the others jumped on the occasion to coddle Jude.

“What a fine addition to your collection, Mr. Morrison Senior.”

“How thoughtful of Ms. Evans.”

“I know, right? Mr. Morrison Senior is so lucky to have a future daughter–in–law like her.”

Jude was overjoyed to hear these compliments.

Brie, who’d been eager to make a toast to Jude, was pushed out of the way by the crowd.

Her face was twitching because everyone flocked toward Caroline. She admitted that Caroline was more beautiful than her, but how was Caroline wealthier than her too? How dare she?

Brie took another glance at the vase, now in the careful hands of a staff member. It didn’t sit right with her. There was no way Caroline could afford such an expensive item. There must be more to it than meets the eye.

As the crowd slowly dissipated, Caroline had a moment of respite. She left the banquet hall quietly. In the main lobby, the butler was already waiting for her.

“Mr. Simon Zellen.” Caroline called out to the butler, who had served Jude for more than five decades.

“Yes, Ms. Evans?

“The antique vase….

Simon knew what Caroline was about to ask. He smiled. “Mr. Eddy’s second uncle told me to do that.”

“Eddy’s second uncle?” Something within Caroline stirred.

“Yes.”

“Where is he?

“He’s in the lounge now. Would you like to meet him?” asked Simon.

“It’s only right for me to thank him in person. Can you show me the way?”

“Of course.”

Simon dropped what he was working on and ushered Caroline to the lounge.

On the way there, Caroline couldn’t hold back her racing heart. She was about to meet the mysterious business tycoon. In an attempt to calm down, she rubbed her temples.

“We are here,” said Simon after a few minutes of walking. He then turned to Caroline and said, “I shall take my leave now.”

Caroline nodded. After Simon disappeared, she knocked on the door. She did it a few more times, but only silence answered her.

Meekly, Caroline uttered, “Hi there, Mr. Morrison. I’m Caroline. I invited you to dinner last time, but you couldn’t come. If it weren’t for your help today. I…”

“What are you doing here?” A husky voice from behind made Caroline jump.

She turned around, flustered. “Why are you here?”

looked out of her reach.

As Kirk looked down, his eyes landed on Caroline’s slender collarbone. The urges he’d tried so hard to suppress flared up again, making him frown. “I’m here to help out. It’s my grandpa’s birthday. What about you?”

Kirk looked away. No more distractions.

“… I’m here to find Eddy’s second uncle, answered Caroline, visibly uncomfortable “Oh?” Kirk lifted his eyebrows. “Are you into him?*

Peeved by Kirk’s mocking tone, Caroline retorted, “I respect him a lot, so don’t talk about him like that.”

All of a sudden, Kirk closed the distance between them, He held Caroline’s waist in one hand and grabbed the door handle with another. As the panicking Caroline floundered in his embrace, his primal instincts kicked in.

“Stop.”

The mint–scented warning seized Caroline’s being. She rested her hands on Kirk’s chest and froze.

“S… Stop making fun of me, Kirk.” Caroline’s voice broke, as if it were a plea. No one was ever nice to her. All she wanted was a safe comer for herself.

Kirk was taken aback by Caroline’s reaction. “Are you crying?”

“No.” Caroline shook her head.

Kirk lifted Caroline’s face with his fingers. Under the glow of the light, her tears shone like pearls, adorning her beautiful features. Kirk scooped out one of the tears and asked, “What is this, then?”

Just like that, Caroline burst into small sobs. Tears overflowed her face. The tough front she’d put up crumbled like paper before Kirk, But who could blame her? She was so young–hardly 20 years old.

She could face death bravely, but that didn’t mean she didn’t fear it.

Seeing a weeping Caroline, Kirk didn’t feel any better either. “Hey…”

Clumsily, he tried to wipe away the tears, but they wouldn’t stop appearing. He gave up, and instead, he leaned in and kissed Caroline. That did the trick. Caroline ceased crying.

Her big, round eyes stared up at him as she tried to protest, but to no avail in the face of Kirk’s greedy and unrelenting kisses. Caroline was too powerless to resist his advance. All she could do was enjoy it.

Noticing his victory, Kirk gave a