The Paper Wife’s Empire novel Chapter 174

No one wanted to see someone else immediately outbid them by three million. As expected, it was that mysterious VIP in the exclusive section.

Jotham couldn’t help but stand up, peering across the room.

Ramona lifted her binoculars for a quick glance, spotting the bidder.

It was Jotham. And sitting right beside him was Brianna.

How devoted, she thought, a loving couple through and through—even with chaos tearing their home and business apart, they still found time to attend an auction together.

Ramona hadn’t had the energy lately to keep up with the Holt family drama. After she’d publicized the real relationship between Brianna and Milo, she’d assumed the Holts would banish both of them from Havencrest City, and Jotham and Brianna would explode in a spectacular family feud.

But now, seeing them together, she realized she’d underestimated just how shameless this family could be.

Snakes of a feather, all cut from the same cloth—the whole rotten lot of them were probably reunited by now.

A flicker of frost crossed Ramona’s eyes as she called over the manager, pointing subtly in Jotham’s direction.

Unsurprisingly, Ramona’s generosity won her the pink diamond earrings.

Jotham only put up a token fight before giving up. If the rumors were true and this was the Covington Group’s heiress, he knew he couldn’t compete. But, truthfully, his attention was already fixed on the mysterious figure in the VIP box; he had no heart left for the rest of the auction.

Brianna sighed, disappointment written all over her face. “Just my luck. I really liked those earrings.”

“You liked them?” Jotham looked at her, startled.

“Of course. Weren’t you bidding for me? You jumped in so quickly, so I thought you were buying them as a gift for me.”

Brianna paused, suddenly realizing she’d read the situation all wrong. She’d thought Jotham was indulging her, so she’d leaned in close, wrapping her arm around his.

“We’re here to choose a gift for someone from the Covington Group,” Jotham replied coldly. “I don’t have your kind of budget.”

His words drained all the color from Brianna’s face. She frowned, about to retort, when suddenly several men in tailored suits appeared behind them, quietly asking the couple to step outside for a word.

“What’s going on?” Jotham had no choice but to rise with Brianna and follow the men into the corridor.

“Excuse me, sir, may I see your invitation, please?” one of the men asked politely, though his tone was decidedly distant.

“I don’t have an invitation. I bought a ticket.” Jotham’s annoyance was clear, but he still pulled out his entry pass for them to check.

But the man barely glanced at it before saying, “Sorry, you’re not an invited guest. That’s a violation of our auction rules. We’ll refund your ticket, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave now.”

“What do you mean?” Brianna was stunned. Since when did auctions throw people out like this?

“This is absurd. What rule did we break?” Jotham’s anger simmered.

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