Farewell to Love: The CEO's Desperate Chase novel Chapter 112

Tyler didn't say much. He simply placed the safe, still containing the tanzanite, further into the car.

The tanzanite was not meant for Vivienne.

That was why he had bid on the pigeon blood ruby pendant.

As long as he gave Vivienne the pendant, all he needed was a flimsy excuse to keep the tanzanite for himself.

Yet even now, Tyler couldn't explain why he felt the need for an excuse at all.

He had always done things his way, never needing a reason.

…

Across town, Emilia had already gotten off the helicopter and was now in the backseat of a sleek Maybach, waiting to be taken back to the hospital.

The car glided smoothly through the night. Emilia curled up in the rear seat.

"How are you feeling? Any better?" Christian shot her a worried glance.

Emilia shook her head gently, signaling she was fine, then turned her gaze to the city lights flickering past the window.

The charity gala had drained her, not just physically but even more so mentally. The exhaustion in her mind far outweighed the weakness in her body.

It was late. The wind was picking up, swirling bits of debris and leaves along the deserted street, spinning them into little eddies beneath the street lamps.

When was the last time she'd felt this worn out?

She thought back to four years ago, in Highcrest.

That night aboard the ocean liner—the infamous duel of the twin spotlights. Glasses clinked, laughter echoed, and in the middle of it all, someone had held her hand tightly, raising their paddle again and again.

While others hesitated and faltered, he'd orchestrated a bidding war between two rivals, manipulating the battle with invisible strings.

She watched as the two men, caught in his web, drove the price higher and higher, burning through fortunes. All the while, he leaned in and whispered, "Emily, emotions are the enemy in a bidding war—see how they're losing their heads now?"

That year, the two of them worked seamlessly together, rallying their allies to stoke the bidding frenzy, draining their target's funds ahead of time so they could swoop in for the real prize when it appeared.

When their winning lot was finally secured, they slipped away to the waiting speedboat, watching in silence as chaos erupted on the cruise ship behind them.

The wind on the deck that night had been fierce, but he'd shielded her from most of it.

Emilia scrolled through the endless stream of gossip and headlines.

Christian, barely containing his anger, blurted out, "Look at this nonsense!"

"They should be praising you for standing up to Tyler—matching him move for move, holding your own in a psychological battle! But all anyone does is rave about Vivienne!"

"And there's even a rumor going around that you faked your donation?"

"It's ridiculous! The tanzanite is yours; you put up way more money than Vivienne ever did—the real freeloader here is her!"

Christian's frustration grew with every word.

"Our Donovan Group never even invited Vivienne. She just forced her way in!"

"I just checked—she didn't even follow through with any donations. She just latched on to Tyler."

Emilia finished reading, then quietly handed the phone back.

"She's standing next to Tyler. Of course people will credit the donations to her," Emilia said calmly.