The bank loan reached Caroline's account not long after the call ended.
When the notification appeared on her phone screen, a slight curve touched her lips.
Being Braydon's wife really did make things easier.
After putting her phone aside, she returned to finishing her makeup.
Tonight was the auction for the land.
In her past life, Jacob had attended the same auction with only ten million dollars. In the end, he could only purchase the land in the east of the city.
Everyone laughed at him. Alec even mocked, "You spent money on that piece of trash? You really are pathetic."
Nobody believed the land held any value at all.
Later, though, everything changed once the treasure buried beneath that land was discovered.
Jacob's status rose overnight because of it. Meanwhile, the Lloyd family nearly regretted themselves to death.
Caroline remembered another thing even more clearly. At that time, she knelt before Vivian and begged her to put in a good word with Braydon.
The memory filled her with ridicule.
This time, she would secure that land.
By evening, the auction house had already filled with people.
Caroline arrived wearing a black dress that reached her knees. Her hair had been pinned up neatly, exposing her slender neck.
She wasn't wearing any jewelry that night. Still, people looked at her the moment she walked inside.
At nearly the same time, Braydon arrived outside the entrance.
A dark gray suit covered his tall figure while Jared followed beside him.
The entire walk there, Jared kept talking without pause. "We absolutely can't lose the land in the south tonight. I've already checked the competition. Only three companies are bidding against us, and none of them should be difficult to handle."
Braydon gave no response. Instead, his gaze moved across the crowd gathered near the entrance.
And that was when he spotted Caroline, who was supposed to be at home.
The moment Jared noticed where Braydon was looking, his expression changed. "Hold on. Isn't that your wife?"
A bidder paddle rested in Caroline's hand while she lowered her head to look at her phone near the doorway.
Jared rubbed his eyes before looking again. "She came to the auction? Did she mention this to you?"
Braydon gave no response. His attention remained on Caroline while his eyes narrowed slightly.
At that moment, Caroline lifted her head. The instant their eyes met, she paused briefly before walking toward him with calm steps. "Braydon, I didn't expect to run into you here."
Braydon looked at her. "Why are you here?"
"I'm just here to pass the time," Caroline answered casually, waving the paddle in her hand. "I didn't have anything else to do."
Jared leaned closer. "This is an auction house, not a mall. You're treating this as entertainment?"
One of Caroline's brows lifted slightly. "Are you saying I shouldn't be here?"
That question left Jared speechless.
Braydon glanced at her once more before turning away and walking inside without another word.
Jared quickly followed after him while glancing back again. "What's your wife really up to?"
Braydon stayed silent. He wanted the answer himself.
As more guests entered the auction hall, Caroline found a seat that didn't attract attention and set her paddle beside her.
Not long after, another pair entered the hall.
Jacob sat in a wheelchair. Compared to this same time in her previous life, he looked thinner and paler now.
Still, he carried that refined appearance that always made him stand out. At the same time, the cold distance around him made him difficult to approach.
Standing behind him, Vivian pushed the wheelchair forward, wearing a butter-yellow dress. Although a smile rested on her face, it looked somewhat forced.
Watching the two of them, Caroline slowly curved her lips upward.
While pushing Jacob deeper into the hall, Vivian suddenly stopped after spotting Caroline nearby.
"Caroline?" Surprise immediately appeared on her face. "You came too?"
Lifting her gaze toward them, Caroline answered with a small smile, "I did."
Jacob looked at Caroline quietly. Something complicated flickered through his eyes.
He'd genuinely believed Caroline would become his wife. Never once had he expected Vivian to be the one standing beside him instead.
Because of that, the Lloyd family constantly mocked him. To them, he was nothing more than someone who overestimated himself and wasn't worthy of Caroline.
"Carrie, how have you been lately?" Jacob asked softly.
Caroline looked at him calmly while keeping the smile on her face. "I'm doing very well, Mr. Lloyd. Thank you for asking."
The formality in her words made Jacob pause. She called him "Mr. Lloyd." Before this, she'd always addressed him as Jacob.
Vivian failed to notice the shift between them entirely. After glancing around the auction hall, she lowered her voice and moved closer to Caroline. "Do you know anything about today's auction lots? We honestly don't understand this stuff. Jacob's brother only gave us ten million and told us to buy whichever land we could afford."
Caroline repeated, "Only ten million?"
Vivian nodded immediately. "Exactly. What kind of land can we even get with that amount? I heard the southern land is the best one tonight, but there's no way ten million would be enough for it."
Caroline's gaze shifted toward Jacob.
Throughout the conversation, he kept his head lowered without speaking.
Everything matched her previous life perfectly.
Back then, Alec handed Jacob ten million, wanting him to embarrass himself at the auction.
Once Jacob returned empty-handed, Alec would gain another excuse to humiliate him during the next family gathering.
Pulling her attention away from him, Caroline smiled faintly. "The southern land is valuable, but nobody's getting it for only ten million."
Another sigh escaped Vivian's lips. "Then what are we supposed to do? We can't leave without buying anything."
Caroline thought quietly for a brief moment before speaking again. "Actually, the land in the west isn't a bad option. The price should just be a little higher."
"The west?" Vivian looked at her immediately.
"Yes." Caroline gave a small nod. "That land has a decent location. It can't compare to the one in the south, but you wouldn't lose money buying it."
Vivian hesitated slightly. "When you say the price is a little higher, how much higher are you talking about?"
