The Billionaire's Regret

Chapter 42

Everyone’s gaze was fixed on Ivy, and the atmosphere was in a frenzy. Xian gazed at Ivy, perplexed. “What do you intend to use it for?” Ivy’s lips were hooked. “Don’t you think it’s quite nice?” “I don’t think so,” Xian replied. It appears to be a regular tobacco pipe. So, what’s the big deal about it? He thought. Ivy was aware of Eva and Piper’s gazes on her, so she smiled weakly and made eye contact with them. The Reeds duo—Eva and Piper, were clearly taken aback. They were aware that Ivy was familiar with this emerald pipe. Eva had requested Ivy to clean the historic hall by herself one night back then. Eva grabbed the pipe from the safe and placed it on a high shelf, hoping Ivy would accidentally bump into the shelf and shatter the emerald pipe. If that happened, the Don would undoubtedly exclude Ivy from their family. On the other hand, Ivy was clever enough not to touch it. Eva would have shattered it herself and falsely blamed Ivy if it hadn’t been for the CCTV camera in the hall. Unfortunately, Eva’s plan did not work out because the Don cherished this pipe more than his own life! As a result, Eva never had another chance. This time, the bitchy duo stole the emerald pipe and placed it up for auction because Piper’s reputation had suffered after Ivy revealed that Piper had taken the “L’Incomparable” necklace to gamble with. Ivy relentlessly insulted Piper after returning to the country, where Piper was practically an outcast by the elite circle. Piper desired to reestablish herself in the high society bachelorette group and find a way to become the group’s primary focus once again. As the Reed family’s Young Lady, Piper must always be the center of attention. This charity auction event provided an excellent opportunity for Piper to repair her image and preserve her reputation as a: high-society lady. This was the most appropriate time. Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

As a result, Piper urged her mother to sell off her grandfather’s emerald pipe discreetly. The emerald pipe was valuable enough to place her in the limelight. People who knew about their family heritage were afraid of Don Reed and would not bid on it. Those who were unaware of it would not bid on it either. Therefore, her strategy was ideal. She’d take it out and bid on it herself as a display to reclaim her reputation. However, Eva and Piper never expected to meet Ivy here. Eva was concerned because Ivy was definitely not holding back on her bid price. Because the two of them had no power in the Reed family, their limit was a mere 10 million dollars. They barely received a monthly allowance and had little in personal funds, so they couldn’t continue bidding. Ivy’s presence came as a complete surprise. Eva had anticipated that even if someone bid on the emerald pipe, the price would not be more than 10 million dollars. Even if it did exceed $10 million, no one would have the courage to take on the Reeds. Ivy, on the other hand, was different. She came to get them, the Reeds! “$10 million going once!” As he yelled, the host’s eyes brightened up. Piper nervously grabbed at Eva’s garments and murmured something to herself. Eva pretended to be calm and turned around to give Ivy a stern warning look. Ivy lifted her brows, smiled faintly, and turned to face the item on the stage. She has got to get her hands on it! “10 million dollars, going twice!” The host turned to face the audience, but there was silence. They didn’t want to compete with Wyatt Reed’s ex-wife for the spotlight, and they didn’t want to spend money on an emerald pipe they couldn’t get their hands on. The host’s gaze traveled across the hall and noticed Eva raising her bidding paddle. “Eleven million dollars,” Eva asserted and acted cool. Ivy smirked. She believed they’d set a limit of $30 million. “Twelve million dollars!” Ivy trailed behind. She wanted to put their patience to the test. Suddenly, the phone in her palm rang. Ivy looked at the phone number and recognized the caller even though there was no caller ID. Piper.

Ivy clenched her teeth and refused to answer. While she was at it, she also blocked Piper. “$13 million,” Eva exclaimed once more. She was clearly on pins and needles at this point. The host appeared to recognize that this was a game for both parties, and the atmosphere in the hall began to heat up. “OK, 13 million dollars,” he said, raising his voice, “—would you like to bid again, Miss?” Ivy did not answer, leading the host to believe that she had given up. “$13 million going once!” “$13 million going twice!” Eva and Piper sighed with relief. “$15 million!” Ivy abruptly cut in before the last call and crept a sly smirk on her lips. How does that make you feel? Eva’s eyes were agitated. She bowed her head to address Piper. Piper seems to have taken a massive decision without hesitation. “Twenty million dollars!” Ivy scoffed. Do they believe that she can’t beat that amount? Even Xian became tense and looked at Ivy. “Do you need support?” Ivy arched her brow and smiled. “No, this is nothing.” She then raised her paddle once more. “$30 million!” the host exclaimed. Suddenly, the audience went ecstatic. Ivy was tired of teasing Eva and Piper and wished for them to quit bidding. The flickering lights illuminated Eva and Piper’s pale and sad faces. “OK, $30 million going once!” “$30 million… going twice!” Nobody made a sound in the room. Ivy was confident that she had won. “30 million dollars for the emerald pipe, sold!” the host declared, “best wishes to this young lady. The earnings will go to Faith Elementary School.” The audience began to clap, breaking the stuffy and tense mood. Ivy smiled broadly at the two women in front of her as she greeted everyone. She smiled brightly and whispered, “what a wonderful day today.” Ivy and Xian went backstage after greeting everyone to grab the item. Eva and Piper, as expected, refused to give up and were waiting for her there.