Farewell to Love: The CEO's Desperate Chase novel Chapter 85

It was Serena!

All eyes snapped back to the stage. The hum of excited chatter filled every corner of the mansion, buzzing louder than before.

"This is Tyler's first appearance at a charity auction in two years, and tonight's the first time he's placed a bid. It's not even for anything particularly rare—who'd be foolish enough to try and outbid him?"

"Exactly! When that tanzanite first came out, I'll admit I was impressed, but it's just tanzanite. It's not exactly a showstopper. I didn't even bother thinking about bidding."

"Right? Same here. If it were a blue diamond, then maybe I'd be interested."

"Hold on, wasn't it that woman with him—Vivienne—who placed the bid?"

"Does it matter? She's holding Tyler's paddle, and he didn't stop her. It's the same thing. Even if it's just to please his date, he'll buy it for her."

Everyone nodded in agreement; this was an unspoken rule among them.

Unless someone absolutely had to have an item, it was customary to let the ‘right' person win. It was just how things were done.

"Hey, just heard—the person who bid was Mr. Christian's guest, that Serena woman."

A wave of confusion rippled through the crowd.

"What's going on? Is Christian trying to pick a fight with Tyler now?"

"Who knows? He's always been hot-headed—who can say what's set him off this time?"

As the speculation swirled, up in a private box on the second floor, Wyatt was nearly doubled over with laughter.

"My foolish brother! You've already irritated the old man, and now you're making things worse. I swear, I won't even have to lift a finger—you'll dig your own grave."

Someone sat beside him in the shadows, quietly sipping their drink while Wyatt laughed.

Meanwhile, Vivienne couldn't believe someone was actually competing with her.

This was her plan all along.

At these charity auctions, she never went for anything too expensive, but bidding too low would make both her and Tyler look bad. This tanzanite was perfect—just significant enough.

It would look like she was bidding with Tyler's paddle, making a generous gesture for charity. Soon, the stone would be a symbol of their love story. Tyler wouldn't let her lose out; whatever she spent tonight, he'd make it up to her—and then some. Plus, she could spin the purchase into a lucrative story online.

"She's raised the price. I guess she really wants that tanzanite."

"Think 823 will counter?"

All eyes shifted to where Emilia sat in her private box.

Before the auctioneer could even continue, a slender, pale hand rose without hesitation.

"Bidder 823 raises to 1.1 million!"

Vivienne gritted her teeth, scribbling quickly—she couldn't let herself be outdone.

"Bidder 888 raises to 1.2 million!"

There was no pause. Almost instantly—

"Bidder 823 raises to 1.5 million!"