Chapter 243: A Suspicious Call and False Promises
The caller spoke very politely, and Maya couldn’t help but focus on the mention of “Mr. Hudson.” In an instant, she covered the phone and turned to Ellis, exclaiming, “The caller said Mr. Hudson bought you something!”
Ellis was confused and thought, Mr. Hudson? Immediately, Ellis sat up from the sofa. She thought to herself, Among all the people I knew with the surname Hudson, the first name that came to mind was Easton. Could it be that the people hired by Victoria were using Easton’s name to make their scam more convincing?
“It’s fake,” Ellis declared, leaning back and lying down again with a listless expression. “Ignore it.”
Maya, who had also thought of Easton at first, upon seeing Ellis’s reaction, realized it couldn’t be Easton buying things for her; after all, Easton had schemed so meticulously to leave her with nothing. Deciding quickly, she ended the call. Then, while stuffing a pillow into Ellis’s arms, she asked, “If the Victoria situation isn’t resolved, can’t you stop living in constant fear?”
“I don’t want to be on edge either!” Ellis replied, her frustration deepening. “Isn’t it because we still haven’t found a proper solution?”
Ellis thought, Not only is there no solution, it’s like an unsolvable problem. Maya racked her brain trying to help her out.
Meanwhile, on the other side of Stonebridge, Easton received feedback from several brands: Ellis was refusing the deliveries. Easton thought to himself, Earlier, she had told me not to have my assistant arrange a place for her, so why now was she rejecting my gifts? Was it that the high value of the items wasn’t enough to catch her interest? Or perhaps the value wasn’t high enough?
Before he knew it, the Ellis he remembered had become entirely unrecognizable to him. He wondered, Would it be better if I delivered them personally?
After much thought, Easton attended an auction that evening. The auction was the grandest event of the year in Stonebridge. Many items up for bid were not only collectible and historically valuable but also included a crown made up of hundreds of diamonds—the highlight of the auction—that captivated everyone’s attention. It was stunning and precious, with a price tag exceeding one hundred million! People were quietly curious about who would win it tonight.
During the bidding, few people raised their paddles, yet the paddle in Easton’s hand remained raised until no one else bid. The auctioneer struck the gavel three times in succession and announced, “Congratulations, Mr. Hudson!”
Those seated next to him laughed and teased, “Mr. Hudson, spending over a hundred million to buy that crown, planning to give it to…? Could it be Ms. Victoria? Your relationship is the envy of everyone!”
Leaving aside the investment aspect of jewelry, its intrinsic charm as an accessory generally overcomes any resistance in women. Easton’s extravagant purchase of the crown naturally evoked months of gossip in high society. Is Victoria finally about to become Mrs. Hudson?
The teasing made Easton’s brows knit together. He shot a cold glance at them and pursed his lips, “Why would I give it to Victoria?”
They hadn’t expected his counter-question and were momentarily stunned. Before they could respond, Easton sneered, “Does she deserve it? There’s no such thing as a good relationship between us.”
Chapter 243: A Suspicious Call and False Promises
At his words, the onlookers were dumbfounded. The onlookers thought to themselves, Damn it, the rumor had long been circulating that Victoria was set to become Mrs. Hudson. Could it be false? Had the involved party now refuted it! But no, that couldn’t be, for Victoria’s side had been releasing news continuously—she was about to become the new mistress of the Hudson family and the new lady of Hudson Group. The news wasn’t fabricated; someone had even confirmed it with Victoria.
After winning the crown tonight, Easton didn’t even notice the gossip burning in their eyes; he simply got up and left, letting his assistant handle the payment. Afterward, Taylor carefully carried the packaged crown and placed it in the boss’s car. Exchanging a glance with Ronnie at the front, she bowed respectfully to the boss in farewell.
Taylor thought to herself, Lately, the company had been running smoothly, its main business and new ventures thriving, and the boss’s demeanor had remained consistently unflappable. Those of us working close to the boss had to be extra cautious to avoid upsetting him and to cling tightly to our golden opportunities.
The car started, and Ronnie drove with utmost care. Several times, Easton’s peripheral vision caught sight of the box as he pondered, Should I give it to Ellis today, or wait? Perhaps deliver it by chance?
After much thought, he still couldn’t decide on the best approach. He rubbed his brows. Yet he hadn’t noticed that his feelings were shifting ever so slightly; he wanted to use the gifts that Ellis liked to earn her favorable glance, almost as if trying to please her.
Ellis thought to herself, A sealed environment doesn’t guarantee safety; if I never leave, the bad guys can still get in.
After spending the entire weekend feeling constantly annoyed and exhausted from non-stop activity, on Monday, when she had no choice but to go to work, Ellis felt an intense aversion to her job for the first time.