Chapter 23

He dies, it’s not him anymore. Let that get HIV. All death worse than death would be no more interesting.

Timathought, “It’s she…”

At that moment, Felicia approached. “Tina, come with me. Let me introduce you to a few people,” she said, smiling brightly as she led Tina away.

As they walked, she lowered her voice. “Is everything taken care of? Did she sign the compensation agreement?”

Tina paused for a moment, then confidently replied, “Of course, I’ll bring the agreement to you tomorrow.”

“That’s wonderful! You’re such a smart woman, Tina,” Felicia praised her with a pleased look.

“It’s nothing. Just a little trick to help you out, Mrs. Munoz. It’s my honor to take a little burden off your shoulders,” Tina said.

Felicia smiled warmly. “You’re such a good child. Soon, you’ll be calling me Mom.”

Tina laughed. “I do now, Mom.”

The two exchanged a look of mutual understanding.

Tina thought to herself, “Anyway, that batch is dead. Whether the agreement is signed or not doesn’t really matter anymore.”

Amer finishing his socializing with a few friends, Luke stepped out to the balcony to get some fresh air.

Lighting a cigarette, he dialed a number on his phone. “Is she still at her parents’ house! Has she not even left the house? Alright, I got it.”

He furrowed his brows and hung up the phone. After finishing his cigarette, he returned to the banquet hall.

“Luke, help me out. Which one do you think is prettier? The pink diamond set donated by Mrs. Reese is gorgeous and so unique! And Mrs. Knight’s ring is lovely too.” Tina cheerfully approached, holding the auction catalog and talking nonstop next to him.

“All of them are nice,” Luke replied absently, his attention barely on the catalog.

His gaze shifted away from the catalog, but suddenly, his eyes darkened, and he glanced back at it. That pink diamond set seemed so familiar.

“Let me see the catalog,” he said.

“Sure.” Thinking he was helping her choose, Tina eagerly handed him the catalog.

Luke flipped to the page with the pink diamond set. The more he looked, the more his frown deepened. There was no mistake. This was the set he personally ordered from Istoria for their wedding anniversary last year. It was a one-of-a-kind set, with only this set in the world.

He wondered how Eleanor Feron ended up with it. He couldn’t help but recall the empty cabinets in the walk-in closet.

“We have the same taste. I also like that pink diamond set. Mrs. Rose is so old, it doesn’t suit her at all.” Tina chatted away, oblivious to his increasingly grim expression.

Luke couldn’t take the catalog to Eleanor in such a public setting. He took a photo of it and sent it to Vespera, only to find that she had blocked him. He tried calling her, but her number was also blocked.

A sense of unease spread in his chest. “You go ahead and enjoy. I have to leave.”

“Han?” Tina was stunned for a moment when she saw Luke about to leave.

She quickly grabbed his arm and said, “You can’t leave, tonight is very important for us.”

“What’s so important?” Luke furrowed his brow, confused.

At that moment, Felicia, the host of the charity gala, took the stage to make an announcement. “Before we begin the charity auction, I have an announcement to make,” she said, exchanging a glance with Tina’s mother, Claire Malone, in the audience.

Then, in an especially excited tone, she continued, “My son, Luke, is about to get engaged to Ms. Tina from the Sole family. Tonight, I will buy the most expensive piece of jewelry to present to my future daughter-in-law as a meeting gift.”

The sound of applause filled the banquet hall. All eyes were on Luke and Tina, and congratulations flooded in from every corner of the room.

Both the Sole and Munoz funds were thrilled. Tina was so overwhelmed with emotion that she was speechless.

Only Luke stood there in complete shock, his mind buzzing. He never said he was going to get engaged. This was ridiculous.

At the entrance of the banquet hall, a woman stood in a dark red, sheer, trailing gown. Her long hair flowed like silk, and her makeup was strikingly cool and bold. She stood there, tall and slender, with a graceful, elegant presence.

As she walked in, the trailing silk of her gown and the two dark red ribbons wrapped around her waist swayed in the air, like blood-red mist spreading across the room.

Her arrival was breathtaking. It was so captivating that the other socialites in the room paled in comparison.

And yet, her beauty was tinged with an undercurrent of danger.

Chapter 24