An impulse overcame the young woman. She didn't know why but all of a sudden, her mother was annoying to her. She inhaled deeply before hanging up. Guilt clouded her eyes, but they soon became clear.
Ashley opened the car door, sat inside and started the car heading for the place she was currently staying at. However, the watchful eyes from behind the pillar went unnoticed by her.
Ashley jumped on the bed once she got to her small villa. She had bought this villa seven years ago before she married Nathan, and it acted as her residence every time she came to LA since she hated staying at hotels.
With her left cheek pressing against the bed, she scrolled through her phone. There were more than twelve missed calls. And all of them were from her mother. Ashley put down the phone, glad that she had put the phone on do not disturb earlier.
She knew why her mother was trying to contact her and to be honest, she did not want to hear it. Right now, Ashley was completely sure of herself. She truly wanted to divorce Nathan.
…
The 'Treasure Charity Event' began exactly at seven with no delay. A lot of prominent people both inside and outside the county had attended. The event was held at Ruby Pavilion, the largest banquet hall in LA.
"Good evening, Mrs. Li. You look splendid tonight." A man, presumably a business partner of Li Corp said to Ashley. Well, he wasn't lying. Ashley wore a sparkling blue fishtail dress which accentuated her figure. The rim of her neckline was lined with diamonds, showing how incredibly valuable the dress was. Her hair was loose into curls, and she had little makeup in. A sapphire necklace rested on her neck with sapphire earrings hanging on her ears.
"Thank you."
After a short chat, Ashley continued to walk forward to find her seat. However, she was continuously stopped by a bunch of business partners to either Li Corp or Horizon Group.
"Ash, Ash." It was an oddly familiar high-pitched voice. Ashley turned around. Vanessa was standing in front of her wearing a bright red dress, hair brown hair tied into a loose bun, curls hanging at the side. Three young women stood behind her. Ashley assumed it was a couple of socialites who decided to fawn over her.
"Vanessa, I didn't expect to see you here" Ashley's voice was filled with sophistry, something that took years to achieve.
"I was invited as a special guest." Vanessa leaned closer. "It was Nathan who got me the invitation." A gloating look was on her face.
Ashley gave her a mocking look, her lips pulled into A smirk. "Congratulations to you. You've made it known that you can't get anywhere without Nathan's help."
Vanessa gave Ashley a menacing glare and she spoke expecting to see jealousy on her face. "At least Nathan's willing to help me, rather than his own wife. Which shows how much he values me"
Ashley fought the urge to yawn, boredom all over her face. She had never realized that Vanessa was this stupid. "That's because, I can get anything and everything I want on my own. He only needs to give help to the real charity cases."
At this point, a lot of people were staring at the two. Vanessa's face flushed with embarrassment, but it went unnoticed under the layers and layers of makeup.
"You get what you want because you're a Scott and because you have the title of Mrs. Li." Vanessa had fury contorting her face. The makeup didn't make it any better.
Ashley smiled and tilted her head. She then brought up her index finger and shook it. "Nuh uh." She placed her hand down, her grey eyes filled with a dangerous light. "Don't forget. Before having the titles of the Scotts heir and Mrs. Li, I am Ashley. And my name alone has the power to get me everything I want."
Ashley left Vanessa and her entourage. Just as she got to her seat, she caught sight of a very familiar pair of dark green eyes.
"Ash?" The male voice called out and at once, Ashley realized who it was. "Will!"
William walked towards her with a smiling face. The two shared a hug. "I didn't expect to see you here.", Ashley said.
"Me neither.", William spoke with a chuckle. "You look so different from last night."
Ashley chuckled awkwardly. The night before, she was dressed casually in order to prevent people from recognizing her. The paparazzi in LA were much more experienced than those in Washington. Hence, last night, she had replaced her contact lenses with her usual glasses and wore baggy gray sweater and loose gray sweatpants. Her hair had also been tied into a loose ponytail.
But you looked beautiful tonight." Unlike the other men whose words made her feel as though they were ogling at her, William's words made her feel an indescribable sense of happiness.
"Thank you, Will". Her grey eyes stared into his dark green eyes, a smile on both faces.
William held onto Ashley's hand, his eyes still staring into hers. "I'm so glad I saw you here."
The two were so absorbed in their conversation that they missed the camera flash from the corner of the room.
The charity event went on as planned. Ashley sat on the same table as William. A performance by a famous opera singer, Selena Austina began the event.
As the other performances went on, Ashley and William continued to whisper at each other and laughed occasionally. Finally, it was time for the auction.
The first item to be brought out for auction was a painting by a famous Irish painter. The bidding started at five hundred thousand dollars. A man who Ashley remembered as the owner of JFXI real estate, a partner of Horizon Group won the bid at a price of seven hundred thousand dollars.
The auction went on. And then later, the last item, 'The Amethyst' was brought out for auction. It was a necklace not made of amethyst jewels but of black diamonds. It was only called 'The Amethyst' just to have a catchy name. 'The Amethyst' was incredibly beautiful but also extremely expensive. Everyone was surprised upon seeing it. After all, it had been rumored that the jewel was locked up somewhere secret. Only a few people had seen it. The bidding began at fifty million dollars.
"Is it beautiful?", William asked
"Incredibly.", Ashley said unconsciously, not taking her eyes off the piece if jewelry. She missed William's smirk.
"Fifty-five million." Ashley heard a woman speak. From her education on the elites, she knew that was the Viscount of Wisteria, a small country in the east, Viscount Latife's youngest daughter
"Sixty million." That was Jeremiah Smoze, one of the top businessmen in the world.
The bidding continued till eighty-five million. Ashley too wanted to bid but she felt that it wasn't worth it. She had already bought four items amounting to more than a hundred million. Although, it was not like she was lacking the money.
The next bid was at eighty-six million and that was by Baden French, a businessman no one dared to mess with. He was known for using underhanded means to get what he wanted. Ashley looked around. It seemed that Baden French was going to win.
"Ninety-five million dollars"
Ashley went stiff at the male voice she heard. She turned to the man next to her to see William who had raised his bidding card. The man looked back at her and gave a smile.
"Since you love it, I'll get it for you." Ashley's eyes grew wide.
"What?" This was the only word that escaped her lips. She turned to see Baden French who was in the front staring back at them. She then turned back to William. "Don't. I don't want it." She spoke in a whisper.
The man ignored her.
"Ninety-five million going once!"
"Ninety-five million going twice!"
"Sold for ninety-five million to guest number twenty-four!"
A banging sounded. Ashley saw Baden French turn back to the front. Everything felt weird to her.
The necklace was then presented to William. The man got up, took off Ashley's necklace and discarded it on the table. He then helped her put on 'The Amethyst'.
"A beautiful necklace for a beautiful princess."