Chapter 62
“Belle, Belle, calm down. Don’t let Kyle get to you. He’s only doing this to provoke you—it’s not because he truly cares about Faith.”
Chlor’s voice grew urgent as she tried to steady Belle. “Don’t forget, Kyle is just a nobody, a useless man who just got out of prison. Don’t do anything foolish. If you go back to him, everything you’ve worked so hard for will change. You’re the CEO of Life Pharma! Don’t let your emotions ruin everything.”
“Think about it. If you give in now, you’ll be throwing away all those years of hard work. All your achievements will mean nothing.”
Belle wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, her gaze turning cold again. She shook her head. “How could I possibly soften? I’m not regretting anything—you’re overthinking it. I’m just angry, that’s all.”
“Even though Kyle and Lara are divorced now, the fact that he moved on so quickly and is flaunting his relationship with Faith in front of me—that’s a betrayal!”
Chloe exhaled heavily in relief. Thankfully, Belle’s resolve was still strong. Things could have gone in a much more dangerous direction.
Chloe quickly seized the opportunity. “Belle, think about it this way. If Kyle is trying to provoke you, doesn’t that mean he still cares about you? He’s just doing all this to get your attention. If you want to teach him a lesson, make sure he doesn’t dare think of you again.”
“How?” Belle’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Chloe smirked, her voice dripping with malice. “It’s simple. Anyone can see he loves you to the core. All you have to do is give him the smallest bit of hope. He’ll abandon Faith without hesitation and follow your every command. You could even make him humiliate Faith right in front of you. Play him like a puppet, and he’ll dance to your tune. He went to prison for you; this is nothing in comparison. Imagine the scene—we’ll sit back and enjoy the show while Faith completely falls apart. Then, when you’ve had your fun, you can dump Kyle. He’ll probably be so broken he’ll throw himself off a building.”
The venomous suggestion made Belle’s expression light up with agreement. Belle nodded. “Chloe, having you by my side is the greatest comfort. He dares to play mind games with me? I’ll show them that as long as I’m around, Faith will never be anything more than a joke. She doesn’t deserve what I’ve left behind!”
Belle’s mind seemed to wander as she pictured Kyle and Faith’s eventual humiliation. The image alone brought a smirk to her face that she couldn’t suppress. Chloe let out a silent breath of relief, her expression remaining warm and reassuring. “Of course. I’m your best friend, Belle—I’ll always be on your side.” Meanwhile, the painting had already been delivered to Kyle, who immediately handed it to Faith.
Faith stared at the priceless artwork in shock. “This is too much. I can’t—”
Around them, onlookers murmured in admiration. So, this was what it meant to have money.
It was clear from Faith’s reaction that she wasn’t after wealth. But winning her heart, step by step, was still something that required money.
Kyle didn’t give her a chance to refuse, waving his hand casually. “Anything bought with money isn’t truly valuable. The things that matter most in the world can’t be bought.”
To Kyle, money was nothing more than a number, a meaningless symbol. With his plans and preparations, earning money was easy—he could have as much as he needed at any time. What was truly valuable to him, aside from life itself, was loyalty and sincerity. Faith’s unwavering loyalty was the reason he treated her with such care and consideration.
With the painting sold for 60 million dollars, the subsequent auction items, while still valuable, failed to fetch such extravagant prices. After all, this was a charity gala. The auction was more for entertainment than for selling priceless treasures. The event raised over 170 million dollars.
Elisa Hurstage appeared, surrounded by countless children and elderly people in red. “On behalf of the Rivas family, and all those who will benefit, I extend my deepest gratitude. As promised, every dollar will be transparently accounted for and publicly disclosed. Thank you all for your generosity. Tonight’s proceeds have reached nearly 170 million dollars. These funds will help…”
Just as Elisa prepared to step off the stage, Belle suddenly stood up, her demeanor sharp and aggressive.
“Ms. Rivas, pardon me for interrupting, but I have a question. Has all the money from tonight’s auction been counted and accounted for? I don’t mean to question the Rivas family’s financial capabilities, but for the sake of the charity, I felt it necessary to ask. I hope you don’t mind.”
No one directly blamed Belle. Everyone wore the same detached expression, unconcerned. They all understood it was clear that her question wasn’t aimed at the crowd as a whole but squarely at Kyle. It didn’t involve them. Seeing this, Elisa’s expression darkened. Kyle was someone the Rivas family faintly intended to win over. The Rivas family had never planned to demand repayment from Kyle—because they were the ones footing the bill.