Chapter 27

Veronica clenched her teeth, glaring at Jeremy. What a useless fool! He only made things worse.

Jeremy, however, looked innocent. Had he done something wrong? He hadn't. He refused to back down from her unwarranted glare, simply crossing his arms and turning away.

With many eyes watching, Veronica had no choice. She raised her paddle, calling out, “Twelve and a half million dollars.”

The proxy bidder immediately countered, “Fourteen million dollars.”

Veronica glared at the bidder. After a long pause, she exhaled slowly and snapped, “Fourteen and a half million dollars.”

The bidder remained unfazed. “Sixteen million dollars.”

The audience was thoroughly entertained, their attention fixed on Veronica, waiting to see how far she would go.

Veronica’s expression darkened. “Yasmin,” she asked, “you have no proof the emerald bead necklace belongs to Annie. Are you really being so reckless? Just because of a hunch, you’re making the family spend a fortune on jewelry you won’t even wear? Only an older woman could carry off an heirloom-grade emerald bead necklace. A woman in her early twenties wouldn't be able to pull it off.”

Veronica subtly twisted the narrative, making Yasmin seem unreasonable while implying the Whitmore family had already gone to great lengths to accommodate her. After all, Veronica had a good reputation in high society, unlike Jeremy, the well-known playboy. Who would the public believe?

Brenda's expression darkened. Before she could speak, Yasmin raised her paddle and said, “Sixteen and a half million dollars.”

Yasmin’s action demonstrated the necklace's significance to her. If it didn't belong to Annie, why spend such a fortune?

“Don’t be impulsive,” Veronica hissed. “Do you even have that much money?”

Jeremy responded matter-of-factly, “Isn’t Caleb paying?” After a brief pause, he turned to Caleb and asked, “You’re covering this, right? I mean, I’ve never seen a man take his woman shopping and expect her to pay. That’d be embarrassing.”

Caleb nodded, signaling his agreement. He turned to Yasmin. “Do whatever you want. I’ll foot the bill.”

A middle-aged socialite behind Yasmin chuckled softly. “Mr. Grant really knows how to pamper his wife!”

Veronica wanted to strangle her useless brother. What a reckless fool! Today had been a series of misfortunes—from her outfit to everything else.

Yasmin tightened her grip on the paddle. After the other bidder raised their bid again, she chose not to bid further. The emerald necklace went to the persistent proxy bidder.

Yasmin’s gaze lingered on the proxy bidder. She felt regretful and guilty. She hadn't wanted to spend Caleb’s money.

Caleb, however, quickly texted Harris, instructing him to investigate the proxy bidder. If Yasmin wanted the necklace, he’d gladly buy it back at a high price as a gift.

Though Caleb’s expression softened slightly, he was still visibly displeased. “Are you really unwilling to spend my money, Yasmin?” He stood up and moved to her side, whispering, “Don’t you know that our marital assets are shared? There’s no reason to be so stingy with yourself, right?”