The secret auction site is hidden in an ancient building in the shadow of the city.
Evan walked in front, arm in arm with Lilith, who was dressed in a dazzling gown. Lilith turned back from time to time to cast provocative glances at me. I followed behind, like a silent ghost.
Watching Evan take pictures of Lilith's ancient jewelry, each one imbued with dark power, my heart was broken.
"The next lot is the painter Lin H-sheng's last work, 'Returning Home on a Moonlit Night,' with a starting price of 500,000 yuan."
The oil painting on the stage slowly unfolded, depicting an ancient castle under the moonlight, the shadows of bats, and a dark path. The brushstrokes were extremely delicate. It was my father's last work.
Back then, Evan was injured by a silver bullet and hunted by his enemies. He urgently needed 300,000 yuan to buy a secret elixir to remove the seal of divine power. With nowhere else to turn, I had no choice but to sell this painting. I once cried to him, "Someday, I will redeem it." He hugged me, wiped my tears with his fingertips, and promised, "Elaine, I will remember this in my heart. I will find this painting for you one day."
"Five hundred thousand." I held up my number plate. This was the money I'd saved from secretly designing rune manuscripts for others over the Evanars.
Lilith's face darkened instantly. She leaned close to Evan and whispered something, then raised her sign: "800,000."
"Ms. Lilith, this painting means a lot to me." I turned to her, my tone filled with a final plea. The 100 million in the overseas account couldn't be used immediately, and even if it could, it couldn't compete with Evan's wealth.
Lilith chuckled, her fingers tracing Evan's arm in an ambiguous manner. "Sister Elaine, if you like, then it's fair game. Master Evan said that whatever I want, he will grant it to me."
"One million." I raised the sign again.
"One million and a half." Lilith immediately raised the price and leaned closer to Evan. "Master Evan, I love this painting too. Would you mind buying it for me?"
Evan's eEvans fell on the painting, then glanced at me with a slight hesitation in his eEvans. Perhaps he remembered the ancient promise.
After a moment, he raised his sign and said in a calm and cold voice, "Two million."
A faint hope flashed through my mind, perhaps he had not completely forgotten the past.
But the next second, Evan took the painting from the waiter and put it in Lilith's arms: "As you wish, Lilith."
Lilith hugged the picture frame in surprise, then suddenly looked at me with a malicious smile on her lips.
In front of all the attendees, she pretended to lose her balance and slammed into me, but she grabbed both sides of the frame with both hands and tore it apart!
Swish——!
The canvas split in half, and the scene of the Moonlight Castle was ruthlessly torn apart.
"Oh!" Lilith immediately became panicked, tears filling her eEvans. "Sister Elaine, I...I didn't mean to do that!"
"Lilith!" I rushed forward, trying to snatch the damaged painting, but Evan grabbed me. His grip was so strong that it hurt my wrist, and his eEvans burned with cold anger. "Elaine! Have you had enough of this? It's just a painting! Tear it up, tear it up! I'll find it again! You scared Lilith!"
"This is my father's last work! I sold it to save you!" I struggled desperately, tears dripping onto the back of his pale hand. "Evan! You promised me! You would get it back for me! Have you forgotten?!"
"We've made so many promises, how can I remember them all?" Evan pushed me away impatiently. I stumbled backward and bumped into a display stand of ancient porcelain. The porcelain fell to the ground and the fragments scratched my ankle, causing blood to ooze out.
Before I could stand firm, he suddenly raised his hand and slapped me in the face.
Burning pain spread across my cheeks. I looked at Evan's hand frozen in mid-air and Lilith's smug smile, and suddenly I smiled.
The last bit of regret for him was finally completely shattered along with the torn painting.
After the auction, I did not return to the castle with Evan.
Returning alone to the ward at the blood therapy center, I retrieved from the depths of my suitcase the recording device, the DNA test report on "canned pet food" (with Uncle Zhou's secret help), and the copy of the castle surveillance footage he had helped me obtain. I mailed them all to the lawEvanr who specializes in occult law.
Then I called Evan's nemesis, another powerful vampire prince, William.
"Sir William," I said, my voice as calm as a deep pool, "I'd like to make a deal with you. I think you'd be interested in the inside information about the Tremere family."
After ending the call, I picked up my brother's urn and rushed to the airport.
As the car drove out of the shadow of the city, I looked back at the ancient city shrouded in eternal moonlight.
My phone rang, and the screen displaEvand the name "Evan." I took a look, blacklisted it, and turned it off.
Achen, let’s go home.
As for Evan and Lilith, I will personally collect the blood debt they owe me, bit by bit, with interest.
