Chapter 34: He Had Become Increasingly Ruthless

“Mommy, have you arrived yet? On nights I’m not around, please remember to drink a warm glass of milk before bed. Don’t forget your vitamins, and please keep your blanket on—you’ll catch a cold. I left Eli’s and my favorite plush toys in your suitcase. If you can’t sleep, let them keep you company…”

His eldest son, when he didn't feel like talking, remained silent. But when he did speak, he sounded like an elder, constantly nagging. It was unclear where he'd inherited this trait. Cecilia often felt he was the adult in their relationship.

“All right, I’ll definitely remember,” she replied.

Only after Jon finished did Cecilia reluctantly end the call. When she’d first gone abroad, she'd battled depression and hearing impairment, and pregnancy had led to sleepless nights. After the twins’ birth, her condition improved, though not entirely cured. Surprisingly, as they grew, the children began caring for her, becoming her saviors.

After milk and vitamins, Cecilia opened her suitcase, finding two rabbit plushies, faintly smelling of milk. That night, holding them, she slept peacefully.

The following day, at dawn, a text arrived: Nathaniel returns home today and attends a charity auction at the Stelason Hotel at nine o’clock this evening. Cecilia had already begun investigating him before returning. She knew of his overseas project and expected his return, but not so soon. Four years had passed, and though she'd moved on, the prospect of facing him again stirred complex emotions.

Chapter 34: He Had Become Increasingly Ruthless (continued)

At nine o’clock that evening, the charity gala began. Nathaniel, a powerful man, had a private room. He didn't need to bid; an assistant handled that. Immaculately dressed, he sat on the second floor, his obsidian eyes dispassionately observing the auction below. He was there for a necklace—one Cecilia had left at the Smith residence, later sold cheaply overseas, and now resurfaced. He'd never missed any news about Cecilia.

The Trapiche emerald necklace came up, with a starting bid of ten million. Nathaniel’s secretary promptly bid twenty million, doubling the price, eliciting gasps. Everyone knew his secretary, and understood the risk of offending him.

Just as it seemed the necklace was his, a stunning woman bid thirty million. The gasp wasn't about the price, but the audacity to challenge Nathaniel. He'd grown increasingly ruthless; those who crossed him faced ruin or worse. He was the tyrant, and none dared defy him.

Nathaniel’s gaze fell upon her. His pupils contracted; his heartbeat seemed to stop. In his dark eyes, he saw Cecilia’s face. Four years ago, she’d worn only dark clothes and no makeup. Now, in an off-shoulder ivory gown, her black hair cascaded around her, adorned with a pearl hairpin—radiant, elegant, not overtly seductive. Nathaniel’s blood surged with excitement.