When Ariadnie left the hospital, a message popped up on her phone.
[Ma’am, the painting your late mother created, the one you asked us to keep an eye on, will be auctioned today at 3 p.m. in Ballroom 7A at the Galleria Grand Hotel.]
Her eyes lit up. Ever since her stepmother moved into the family, that painting had been donated to a charity auction. After changing hands many times, it vanished without a trace.
Today, it finally reappeared before her.
It was the last painting her mother ever made.
She remembered her mother painting it—talking gently to her and her sister while humming a tune.
All of that had been recorded on a chip hidden inside the artwork.
For a moment, she could almost see her mother’s warm smile and the little flower tucked behind her ear.
Bringing home this painting might even help her sister recover.
Inside the ballroom, crystal chandeliers lit the hall as bright as daytime, and the room was filled with elegantly dressed socialites and powerful families.
The moment Ariadnie walked in, she spotted Reagan standing in the center of the hall in a white dress, smiling sweetly and looking innocent.
Next to her were the Stallone brothers, their eyes practically glued to Reagan.
“Ariadnie. You’re here, too?” Reagan saw her and immediately hurried over, looping her arm through hers with an overly sweet smile. “Why didn’t you tell me? We could’ve come together.”
Ariadnie pulled her arm free and said coldly, “Stay away from me.”
Rasper and Redmond came over right away. Rasper’s expression darkened.
“Hey, how can you treat Reagan like that?”
“Reagan, since when were you two that close?”
Ariadnie stared directly at him.
Rasper froze for a moment, but before he could say anything, Redmond stepped in to smooth things over.
“Reagan was my classmate in college. I introduced her to my brother when I got back to the country. You’re probably his girlfriend, right? I’m Redmond, his twin brother.”
Countless nights tangled together flashed through Ariadnie’s mind. But she forced down the wave of disgust rising in her chest.
“I can tell. You two look… pretty average.”
Rasper’s face sank even further. He grabbed her arm.
“Hey. What’s with the attitude?”
Ariadnie yanked her arm back, her voice cold.
“Because I feel like it.”
If it weren’t for the video still sitting in Redmond’s phone, she would’ve ripped them apart on the spot.
Finally, the auction started.
Uninterested in dealing with them any longer, Ariadnie sat down. She was here for one reason: her mother’s painting.
Once seated, the first item was brought onto the stage. The starting bid was 500,000.
The painting showed the soft silhouette of a woman, with two small children chasing after her.
Ariadnie’s eyes warmed. Without hesitation, she raised her paddle.
“One million.”
What she didn’t expect was that Reagan also lifted her paddle.
“Two million.”
Ariadnie looked at her, and Reagan only smiled brighter.
“Ariadnie, what a coincidence. I really like this one, too.”
Then she leaned closer, whispering so quietly only Ariadnie could hear.
“I remember Dad doesn’t give you much allowance. You can’t outbid me.”
She continued, “When I buy it, should I cut it up with scissors for fun… or burn it in the fireplace?”
Since she was ten, their father had given Reagan a monthly allowance of one million.
Meanwhile, she and her sister barely scraped by on what their mother left behind.
But now…
Ariadnie raised her paddle again. “Four million.”
Reagan froze for a second, then quickly raised hers. “Five million!”
Ariadnie let out a cold laugh and lifted her paddle again. “Ten million!”
Reagan’s face went ghost-pale. Her fingers twisted into the fabric of her dress.
Lowering her voice, she hissed, “Where’d you get that kind of money? Don’t tell me you’re like that cheap sister of yours—sneaking around and selling yourself.
“I made sure to enjoy those photos before spreading them, you know. Your sister was so stupid she even actually tried to kill herself.
“She turned herself into a comatose patient, and for the last five years, I’ve made sure the caregivers ‘took very good care’ of her.”
Just as the auctioneer was about to bring down the gavel, Ariadnie’s eyes flooded with red. She couldn’t hold back any longer and slapped Reagan across the face.
“You damn wicked witch!”
The moment the words fell, Rasper rushed forward to shield Reagan, and Redmond charged over as well.
“Ariadnie! Apologize!”
