Chapter 42

Isabella Sinclair felt like she'd been electrocuted, her face draining of all color.

Olivia Bennett jumped in shock as if her veins had frozen solid.

"Holy hell! What was that?"

Sweat beading on her forehead, Isabella clenched her teeth. "Didn't you sell that necklace? Why is it at the auction?"

"I did sell it! This can't be happening!" Olivia gasped, horrified.

"What do we do now? Nathan is right there! He's going to see the gift he gave me being auctioned off. How do you think he'll feel about me? He's going to be furious!" Isabella's voice trembled with barely restrained tears.

"Calm down! Maybe there's more than one of these necklaces. It could just be a similar one."

"There's only one in the world! The auctioneer just announced it was the exact piece Nathan gave me! Do you really think he'd buy such a pathetic excuse?"

Mother and daughter exchanged panicked glances, their minds racing.

Isabella was scrambling for a way to explain this disaster to Nathan.

Olivia, meanwhile, was piecing together how the necklace she'd sold to the pawnshop ended up here—donated under the name of the Vanderbilt Group.

Suddenly, she stiffened, drawing curious looks from those nearby.

Was the pawnshop secretly owned by the Kingsley family?

With countless treasures passing through its doors daily, why would the Vanderbilts choose this particular necklace to donate? What were the odds?

Olivia's blood ran cold as her gaze locked onto Seraphina Lockwood with venomous intensity.

That scheming witch had to be behind this!

Only she knew the Ruby Enigma was Nathan's gift to Isabella. Consumed by jealousy, she must have manipulated the Vanderbilts into exposing it publicly—just to humiliate them!

Nathan Prescott's expression darkened like a storm cloud.

His chest heaved beneath his tailored suit, a cold sweat trickling down his temple.

"Nathan? Are you alright?" Daniel Carter frowned at his friend's uncharacteristic tension, clueless about the cause.

The Ruby Enigma symbolized Nathan's devotion to Isabella. From its custom design to the rare gemstone selection, every detail had been meticulously crafted with his own hands.

He'd never poured so much of himself into a gift for any woman.

Now, his heartfelt gesture was being auctioned off like cheap trinkets, stripping him bare for the world to mock.

"The Vanderbilt Group representative stated this necklace was a token of passion from a lover, making it priceless. True love transcends monetary value, so this piece will be auctioned without reserve!"

Isabella's vision blurred as if she'd been hit by a freight train.

The crowd's excitement surpassed even the frenzy over the Dante Chair earlier.

Nathan couldn't take it anymore. His eyes burned crimson with rage as he ground out through clenched teeth:

"Stop."

"What?"

"End the auction. That item belongs to me."

Daniel's jaw dropped.

Then Nathan noticed—Alexander Kingsley's seat was empty. Seraphina had vanished.

His fists smashed into the armrests with enough force to make Daniel flinch.

Seraphina. Her schemes were impeccable.

Had she finally gotten her fill of humiliating him?

But the show she'd orchestrated was just beginning, and Seraphina had already lost interest.

In the restroom, Seraphina studied her reflection with a heavy sigh.

The old Seraphina, though worldly, had retained an innocent heart. Sheltered by the Kingsley family, she'd never stooped to such tactics.

But now, without Nathan, why was her mind constantly plotting?

She recalled Nathan's shattered expression when the necklace appeared onstage. Maybe she'd gone too far.

She could've pretended not to recognize it. There was no need to publicly shame him. But she just couldn't let it go.

Not because she couldn't move on from their divorce—her thirteen-year obsession had already faded. She'd accepted that.

What she couldn't stomach was Nathan, usually so sharp, being blind to the fact that the woman he loved was rotten to the core.

"I need to stop meddling. This is the last time."

A bitter chuckle escaped her as pain lanced through her chest.

No more interfering in Nathan and Isabella's mess.

BANG!

The restroom door flew open with a violent crash.

Seraphina didn't even blink.

Isabella stormed in, her extravagant gown snagging on the tiles.

"Seraphina! You vicious witch!"

"Three years of the same insults. Don't you have any new material?" Seraphina smirked, unbothered.

"It was you! You put Nathan's gift to me up for auction! How could you sink so low?"

Isabella lunged forward but tripped on her hem, her dramatic entrance ruined as she faceplanted, her cheeks flushing scarlet.

"I merely donated an item honestly. No tricks involved. You're jumping to wild conclusions, Ms. Sinclair."

Seraphina stepped back warily—this rabid creature might actually bite.

"Seraphina! You can't have Nathan's love, so you resort to this? You think embarrassing us will drive us apart? Dream on!"

Isabella's eyes blazed with hatred.

"You sold the necklace willingly. What happens to it after isn't your concern. If you're upset, blame yourself—not others."

Seraphina turned to leave, done with this farce.

If not for Nathan, she wouldn't waste a second on this hypocrite.

"Wait! Get back here!"

Isabella grabbed Seraphina's wrist and yanked hard.

Seraphina hissed as pain shot up her arm.

Isabella had ripped off her bracelet—a precious heirloom from her grandfather—leaving an angry red mark.

"Give it back!" Seraphina's voice turned deadly.

Isabella clutched the stolen bracelet, seething. She'd coveted it since the moment she'd seen it, only for it to go to her least favorite person.

"Seraphina, you steal what's mine? If I can't have it, neither can you!"

With a cruel laugh, Isabella smashed the bracelet against the marble sink.

CRACK.

Seraphina's heart shattered along with the irreplaceable heirloom.