Chapter 13: A New Story to Tell

Chapter 13: A New Story to Tell

Ethan stood in the corner, his tall figure half-hidden in the shadows, but his intense gaze fixed on one direction.

His deep eyes cut through the light and crowd, landing on the woman's exquisite face—and the young man beside her.

He watched for a while, unnoticed, as she chatted intently with the man.

The man must have said something amusing, as her red lips curved into a beautiful smile, her eyes sparkling.

The colorful lights of the venue cast a vibrant glow on her face, making her light-colored eyes shine like gems.

Every smile and glance she made was radiant and captivating.

Ethan squinted slightly and recognized the man next to Emily—the same celebrity who had posed with her for photos and appeared in trending news.

Jason had mentioned that such celebrities are top-tier, often referred to as "young heartthrobs."

So, she was not only making headlines with this heartthrob but was also sitting and chatting with him?

Ethan recalled Emily's remark about "a not worth mentioning old man"...

Did she really find him too old?

People often marveled at Ethan's wealth, calling him the "youngest billionaire" due to his achievements before reaching thirty.

Yet today, he realized that he was almost seven years older than his young wife.

At twenty-three, she was youthful and beautiful, fitting perfectly beside the young heartthrob...

This thought stirred a knot in Ethan's chest. He glared at the woman's glowing smile for a few more seconds before striding over.

There was also a female celebrity sitting at the outer edge of the table. She was adjusting her hair while holding a tall wine glass, her peripheral vision catching Ethan's tall figure approaching.

She was clearly stunned. Throughout the night, she had heard other female celebrities whisper about how handsome the billionaire was, lamenting that they couldn't get close to him...

Now the billionaire was approaching her!

Seeing Ethan's handsome and profound features, the female celebrity's heart raced. She struggled to maintain her composure, her hands flitting between holding the wine glass and pulling out the chair beside her.

Ethan reached her side but his gaze was firmly fixed on the inner seat.

"Excuse me, may I pass?"

The female celebrity blinked, confused. "Hmm?"

Ethan furrowed his brow slightly. "Excuse me."

The female celebrity, unable to hide her disappointment, reluctantly got up. Ethan walked past her and settled into the seat next to Emily.

Both Emily and the young man turned to look at him, surprised.

Ethan ignored Emily and fixed his dark, intense gaze on Ryan.

"Excuse me, that's my seat."

Ryan was puzzled. "?"

Emily: "…"

Ryan looked from Ethan to Emily, perplexed. "Is the seating arrangement predetermined?"

Emily was visibly displeased.

Ethan, hands in pockets, looked down at Ryan, showing no intention of backing down.

Wasn't the seat next to his wife his by right?

Confused but aware of Ethan's powerful presence, Ryan quietly said goodbye to Emily and politely nodded at Ethan before leaving.

Ethan took the seat, unperturbed, and glanced at Emily, who had turned her face away in irritation.

It seemed she was angry.

Emily was indeed upset.

How dare he interrupt her chat with a celebrity!

"What were you two talking about?" Ethan asked.

"Nothing much," Emily replied coldly.

A thought crossed her mind, and she smirked slightly, "He complimented me on how beautiful I looked tonight."

Ethan's face darkened instantly. He turned to look at her, but his gaze was drawn to her delicate neckline.

Ethan's eyes softened a fraction.

"You do look beautiful tonight."

Emily was taken aback, even thinking she might be hearing things.

Had Ethan lost his mind today?

Or had he forgotten to take his medication??

Emily, feeling a bit smug, slightly pouted and murmured, "Hmm."

Ethan frowned.

When other men complimented her, she beamed like a flower, but his praise elicited such a cold response?

Ethan smirked silently, "It seems that my compliments are less appreciated than those from young men."

Emily whirled around to glare at him, "Who are you calling a young man?"

Insulting my idol is the prelude to breaking up!

She curled her lips in sharp sarcasm, "It took you two years to realize I'm beautiful, while others aren't as blind!"

You don't deserve to see my beauty :)

Ethan's lips twitched, feeling both subtly pricked and irritated.

Just then, the lights dimmed.

The charity auction began.

The items displayed were mostly not highly valuable, with the elite and celebrities merely raising bids to show courtesy.

That was until the last auction item appeared, drawing murmurs from the audience.

A rare tanzanite necklace.

The "Heart of the Ocean" necklace from the movie Titanic was made of tanzanite.

The crowd speculated about the generous donor, amazed that such an item was being donated.

Ethan slowly turned to Emily, his jaw tight and face frozen.

This necklace was a gift he had given her during their engagement.

Tanzanite comes from Tanzania and is extremely rare. It's said that there's only one tanzanite mine in the world, expected to be depleted by 2020, making tanzanite highly collectible, and almost impossible to find in the domestic market.

Ethan had given Emily this teardrop-shaped tanzanite pendant, weighing 17.7 carats, which contained the number "77" representing her name. Emily loved it and wore it on their wedding day.

She loved romance and was thrilled to receive a pendant identical to the one from the movie.

Ethan remembered their first wedding night when Emily, emulating the movie's heroine, wore nothing but the pendant...

Now she was donating this pendant.

Ethan's lips tightened, his dark eyes hiding his emotions as he stared at the woman beside him.

Emily, sensing Ethan's low pressure, felt uneasy and shifted her neck. She avoided Ethan's gaze, focusing intently on the stage, her face showing no sign of guilt or discomfort.

The bidding had started.

"Two million!"

"2.5 million!"

"2.8 million!"

…

There were quite a few bidders. Tanzanite wasn't as expensive as diamonds but was valued for its rarity, and the attendees were knowledgeable.

"Five million!"

Emily glanced up to see who made the bid.

It was Eric.

Five million far exceeded the value of the pendant, and his eagerness to bid was clearly an attempt to gain favor.

"Five million once!"

"Five million twice—"

Emily frowned slightly.

She didn't want her pendant to end up in Eric's hands. Besides, if he won it, he might find more excuses to approach her...

The silent man beside her suddenly spoke up, "Eight million!"

Emily blinked in surprise, looking at Ethan as others did.

The billionaire was bidding, his gaze narrowed and focused.

He was determined, almost as if he was competing out of spite.

"Eight million twice!"

Emily glanced at Ethan. His expression suggested he was willing to pay ten times the price if necessary.

No one dared to compete with the billionaire who threw money like paper.

"Eight million, sold!"

When the gavel fell, Emily's heart jumped inexplicably.

She glanced at the man beside her.

She couldn't quite describe the feeling...

"Ethan has also become the top donor of the evening. Thank you for his generosity!"

"And congratulations to Ethan for winning the auction!" The hostess pushed out the display case, with the sea-blue pendant gleaming inside. She gestured towards the audience, "Ethan, would you like to say a few words?"

People turned to see the wealthy and kind-hearted Ethan looking down, one hand on—

Playing with his phone??

Ethan tapped on the screen a few times, put his phone away, and then stood up to walk towards the stage.

Meanwhile, Emily's phone buzzed.

She opened the newly received WeChat message and her eyes widened in shock. She nearly dropped her phone.

Hearing something drop behind her, Ethan's lips curled into a faint smile.

Emily scrambled to pick up her phone, her face burning red. She held the phone low, guilty as if stealing something, and peeked at the screen again.

It was indeed her.

It was a photo.

To be precise, it was... a sensual private photo.

Was this a tribute to the movie?

In the film, the heroine wore nothing but the tanzanite, and this photo of her also featured the pendant, though not as revealing, but almost...

Hints of allure, barely concealed.

Emily stared at the photo of herself wearing the tanzanite, completely forgetting its sordid history.

She looked up to see Ethan's tall, imposing figure.

Her face reddened further.

Ethan had this photo on his phone!

Why had she taken such a photo?!

Had he taken it?

What were they doing at that moment...

As she was lost in thought, the voice on stage rang out.

The man's deep voice was amplified by the microphone, sounding even more profound: "Every piece of jewelry tells a story."

Emily: "..."

Ethan, please be quiet!

Ethan continued expressionlessly, "I hope this piece of jewelry here will create a new story."

A new story :)

Emily: "...…"

Ahhhh, go to hell!!

The audience responded with hesitant and scattered applause. They didn't quite understand Ethan's "story" :)

Ethan's dark eyes scanned the crowd, settling on the one person who understood.

The woman's vibrant face was as red as if she were drunk, her lips pressed tightly together, and her eyes, like small hooks, were filled with resentment and embarrassment as she glared at him.

Ethan

, too, met her gaze, a small smile playing on his lips.