Chapter 67

The auction continued. Elise had secured the excellent red wine, but that was only Julian's gift. She still needed something for Miles.

The Ferrari 250 GTO opened at $1.4 million, even higher than the wine. It was the dream car of plenty of wealthy collectors in the room, and more paddles rose for it than had appeared for the bottle.

Elise meant to take it home. She had the money, after all. She spent little on herself, rarely bought clothes or jewelry on impulse, and could easily afford the car as well. Besides, it was a present for her brother. He was worth every dollar.

Beside her, Qi Yaqiu watched Elise raise her paddle again and again. She looked calmer than some of the familiar millionaires bidding against her. Qi's curiosity about her had reached its limit.

If Qi had spent that kind of money, she'd have posted about it eighty times over.

She was terribly jealous.

At last Elise won the Ferrari 250 GTO for $4.4 million.

The room erupted in an even louder murmur. Two expensive lots in succession, and she had spent more freely than some of the daughters of wealthy families in attendance. All at once, everyone was talking about her.

“Whose daughter is she? Did she just come back from overseas? How come we've never seen her at a party before?”

“Maybe her family has been keeping her hidden.”

Elise was excited herself. Winning two lots had given her a taste for the thrill of bidding. She lowered her head and leafed through the catalog again.

“Miss,” an attendant said beside her, interrupting her concentration. “That gentleman over there asked me to give you this.”

The attendant held out a business card. Elise looked across the room. An unfamiliar young man in an impeccable suit was smiling at her, every detail of his appearance polished, his manner as courteous as one would expect from a wealthy young heir. The card seemed to identify him as the head of a major company, but she didn't know him.

She left the card in the attendant's hand. “Please tell him I don't need it. Thank you.”

The attendant hesitated. People often tried to make acquaintances at these events, and most recipients accepted a card out of politeness. A direct refusal was unusual, but she couldn't afford to offend the young woman in front of her either.

She returned to the man and spoke to him quietly. Disappointment crossed his face, but he said nothing and turned away.

“How tactless,” Qi muttered, consumed by envy. She knew the man by sight: one of the most prominent new figures in their circle. Who wouldn't want to meet him? Yet Elise had refused him outright.

Elise heard her and looked up. As their eyes met, Qi hid her envy behind a look of open disdain.

Elise was puzzled. She barely knew this woman; they had only run into each other once. Listening in was one thing, but why criticize her decision to her face? What was wrong with her?

She gave Qi a look and turned back to the catalog.

Qi's face changed color. Was Elise really going to dismiss her like that?

Elise had discovered a problem. She had gifts for Julian and Miles, but what about her other two brothers?

Adrian had written a song especially for her, and Theo had gone to the trouble of finding her a skateboard made by AVE himself. Both had been so good to her. It didn't seem right to come here and buy presents only for the other two.

After a moment, she made up her mind. She would keep bidding and find something for Adrian and Theo too: thank-you gifts for the song and the skateboard.

At the entrance, a black stretch Rolls-Royce drew to a stop. An attendant hurried forward and opened the door for Julian Whitmore. He stepped out, composed and impeccably dressed.

Daniel usually attended auctions for him. The jewelry Julian had bought Elise before had come from sales like this one. Tonight, though, the final lot was so exceptional that he had come to bid on it himself and give it to her.

Daniel hesitated, then leaned close and spoke a few words into his ear.

Surprise flickered across Julian's face. He recovered and raised a brow. “Find out how Ellie got in.”

As far as he knew, he was the only Whitmore who had received an invitation to the charity auction. Yet Elise was here, without telling him.

If she'd wanted to come, she only had to ask. He would have found a way to bring her. Since she had kept the visit from him, she must have a reason of her own.

On the third floor, Julian entered his box and went to the window. He found Elise at once in the crowd below, her pale skin catching the light above her dress.

Daniel returned a little later. “I was told she used Mu Chuan's invitation.”

Julian stared at him.

Even regular guests at the auction were ranked by wealth. Mu had a private box reserved for him alone; it wasn't assigned to anyone else when he stayed away. Julian had a box of his own, but Mu's was twice its size. If Julian was a VIP, Mu was a VVIP.

When had his sister met Mu Chuan? And why hadn't she told him?

Julian went back to the sofa, his expression darkening.

“There's something else,” Daniel said. “Miss Elise has apparently bought several things.”

Julian looked up. Elise, buying things? That was a first.

“What did she buy?”

“A bottle of 1945 Romanée-Conti and the Ferrari 250 GTO.”

Julian's surprise was impossible to hide. Then he fell silent, thinking it over.

So his sister liked bidding at auctions? It had even cured her of being so careful with money.

“And she seems to be planning to continue,” Daniel added.

A smile spread across Julian's face, sweeping away his gloom. This was excellent news. Giving Elise presents had always been his way of spoiling her, but he had often needed to invent new reasons to make sure she'd accept them. If she was willing to enjoy material things now, he could give her everything he wanted without worrying so much.

He lifted a hand. Daniel leaned in, and Julian gave him a quiet instruction.

Below, Elise watched the lots come and go while she searched for presents for Adrian and Theo. She settled on a men's diamond brooch for Adrian and a pair of antique cufflinks for Theo.

She won the brooch for $2.1 million.

The way people looked at her changed completely. One purchase meant money. Two meant wealth. Three? This was wealth on another level. Had some hidden tycoon decided to come out and shop?

The earlier suspicions about a sponsor vanished. Clearly this was someone rich enough to buy whatever caught her eye.

Elise paid no attention to the stares. The bidding itself had carried her along, but once she added up the prices, she realized how much she had spent.

After buying the house, she had still had more than $27 million. Three lots had cost her about $10 million in moments, and she hadn't even bought Theo's cufflinks yet.

At last, the pain showed on her face. That was so much money!

Qi had been watching her the entire time. She breathed a little easier. Had the girl finally reached her limit? If Elise didn't stop soon, Qi thought she would drown in her own jealousy.

She had never envied a stranger this much. Being beautiful was one thing, but Elise was rich too. Those purchases together had cost a fortune. Qi had never seen a young woman spend so freely.

Elise winced, then gritted her teeth. She had already bought three gifts; she couldn't stop before Theo's. He might have a sharp tongue, but he treated her well. If he were the only brother left without a present, she would feel terrible.

Other guests saw the change in her expression and took pleasure in it. Newcomers with money were often driven to reckless spending by vanity. Here was a perfect example, they thought: she had bought everything to show off, probably spending most of what she owned, and now she regretted it.

When the fourth lot came up, Elise raised her paddle more cautiously. She was no longer as quick or as determined as she had been with the brooch.

Some people at auctions enjoyed driving up a price, especially when a bidder annoyed them or appeared particularly wealthy. Elise had begun to understand that. She didn't want to be taken in, and the cost still made her wince.