Chapter 124
Emely's eyes met Cherise's, and she smirked when she saw Cherise looking at her hand around Hudson's arm.
Hudson had never actually offered her to hold his arm, but Emely saw how enamored he was with Cherise that he didn't seem to notice anything other than her; she slipped her hand around his arm, pretending that he had allowed her to or even offered her to. Cherise's eyes traveled upward and clashed with Hudson's. She let her eyes wander to where Emely's hand rested on his arm and smirked mockingly at him before whispering to Theo that they should enter and find their seats. Hudson frowned and followed Cherise's line of sight and realized why she looked disgusted by him. He pried Emely's hand from his arm, but Emely played the pitiful, vulnerable card that used to work on every man because it brought out the protective instinct of a
man.
"Hudson..." She tugged his suit sleeve, peeked at him from under her eyelashes, and chewed her bottom lip. "Can't we go back to the way we used to be? Was it wrong for me to hold your arm?"
Hudson frowned again and wondered what Emely was talking about.
"Emely, the only way we used to be was you nearly being my sister-in-law," he said. "You need to remember if not for my promise to Luis or that you'd saved me before, I wouldn't even care for you now, especially after you aborted Luis' baby and blamed Cherise for it."
Hudson yanked his arm gently because there were reporters around them, but he said to Emely in a low voice, "You know I'm trying to get Cherise back now, yet you pulled up this stunt, making her think our relationship is more than what it is." Then he reminded her, "If you ever came in between Cherise and me again, I might think twice about taking care of you despite my promise to Luis."
Hudson knew his words were harsh, but he needed Emely to know her place. He had made sure she knew about his feelings for her, even going as far as telling her that if they got married last time, it would be on paper only, and she had agreed, but look what happened now?
After knowing that she wasn't as innocent as she appeared, he became more annoyed with her and had minimal contact with her.
She came today because his mother and Polly invited her, not because he asked her to be his partner.
Having enough of her and the reporters, Hudson went inside the venue, leaving his mother, sister, and Emely outside. The reporters were used to his arrogance and aloofness, so he could slip inside easily without them stopping him.
Emely, as usual, hid her ugly, contorted expression by looking down. Cherise, Cherise, Cherise! It was getting even more challenging to get Hudson now! He did not even hesitate to embarrass or humiliate her using his words. What should she do now? "Emely, come here!" Polly's voice brought her back to reality. "Let's pose together!"NôvelDrama.Org: text © owner.
Emely quickly rearranged her expression and joined them.
"Where's Hudson?" Dahlia asked.
"He's already gone in," Emely said softly. "You know how he hates being in the spotlight."
"That boy never knows what's good for him or the Amery Group," Dahlia grumbled. "This is a free press, yet he doesn't want to use it fully. Stupid boy."
After feeling satisfied with how the reporters took their pictures, Dahlia ushered Polly and Emely to their seats. Polly purposely shoved Emely to the seat beside Hudson. Emely acted shy but sat down obediently.
As the function of this event was to donate the collected money to selected charities, the objects up for auction ranged from small, cheaper objects such as teapot collections to expensive antiques.Many paragraphs are missing. Read the complete book on Jobni b.co m.The invitees were all big names, and even though the items didn't cost much, they were willing to outbid each other to show their wealth because it was for charity, and wealthy families loved to be known as charitable.
The auction started, and the attendees began to bid for each item even though they were worthless to them. They could always give those items as gifts in the future, they thought.
Cherise was only there as a substitute for Julian as the Alster family representative, so she had not really looked at the items list, and so far, nothing had caught her interest.
She was chatting with Theo about Erica and her lesson when the next item on the stage piqued her interest.
It was a vintage stamp collection depicting various drawings of trains. She knew her grandpa's butler loved collecting stamps and had, on occasion, talked about this collection.
He had been working for them for so long, and her grandpa had treated him like a best friend, so Cherise thought it would be a nice gift for her to give him.
At the same time, Dahlia had been waiting for this stamp collection. She wanted to use it to get close to an up-and-coming new money family. The wife of that family was now the talk of the town, and everyone wanted to be included in her inner circle.
From what Dahlia heard, her husband loved collecting stamps, which was a perfect opportunity for Dahlia to get close to her. If she could win the auction, she would be guaranteed to be included in the famous lady circle and could help with her reputation. Even though no one dared to tell it straight to her face, she knew everyone now saw her as a joke after what she had done to Cherise was spread around.
They made a joke about how the Madam of the Amery family looked down on the Alster's heiress and even abused her. Worse, her son, who used to hate Cherise to his bone, was trying to win her back and punish Dahlia.
So, Dahlia could not wait for this opportunity to arise. Once she was in the circle, no one would look down on her again because everyone knew that the new money lady was difficult to approach.
The starting bid for the stamp was quite low compared to the other items up for auctions at only $10.000 with an increment of $1000, but people still bid for it.
Dahlia brought up her paddle and said in a loud voice, "$30.000."
Most of the guests were shocked when she increased it by $10.000. Dahlia smiled gracefully, but inwardly, she was smug. Yes, Hudson had cut off her monthly allowance, but she still had that much to spare, and if it could get her respected again, then why not spend it?
Cherise smirked as she looked at Dahlia. She never thought they would compete for a stamp collection, but as the Alster heiress, she had more than enough money to last her a few lifetimes.
Just as the auctioneer was about to slam his gravel and announce Dahlia as the winner, Cherise said, "$50.000,"
Everyone gasped and looked toward Cherise, who had a lazy smile on her face. Theo looked at her and leaned closer, whispering, "Are you trying to get back at her? I can help."
Cherise turned her head to look at him and pulled back when she realized how close their faces were. "No." She shook her head and turned to look at Dahlia, who looked like she was ready to spit fire at her. "I want to give it to someone."
Theo just nodded. If she said she didn't need his help, then he would respect her decision.
Hudson witnessed the moment Theo leaned closer to Cherise, and his fists clenched tightly on his lap as he saw them nearly kissing. He only relaxed when he saw Cherise pull away from Theo.
Not wanting to lose, Dahlia shouted, "$60.000."
Cherise smirked, and still with that lazy smile, she said, "$100.000."
This, of course, caused a commotion among the guests. They knew she was rich, but paying $100.000 for a stamp collection, even if it was for charity, was still beyond them. They could only pray she didn't have eyes on the items they truly wanted.
Dahlia was now shaking with rage in her seat. What a bitch, she thought. The auctioneer looked at her to see if she wanted to bid again, and she reluctantly shook her head. Forget it, she thought. There was still another item she could get on from the list and with more money to get it since she didn't get the stamp collection.
The auctioneer then slammed his gravel, congratulating Cherise on winning the bid. Cherise smiled and thought of how happy the old butler would be when he received it.
The auction kept going until a bangle made of colorful crystal was put on the stage.