Callie gradually adjusted to the daylight, squinting as she watched the three people on stage holding the knife together to cut the cake.
Nelson was calm and composed, no longer the passionate and confused man he had been in the room earlier, now restrained and indifferent.
Charlotte was surrounded by people, looking every bit like a princess. She looked at him, and he returned her gaze. It might have been an illusion, but there seemed to be warmth in his eyes.
Callie glanced at the audience below. Sienna was also wearing a cheongsam today, in a dark cyan color, smiling as she watched Charlotte.
“It’s nothing, just thinking that some things in this world are really unfair.”
Callie scoffed lightly and found a corner to sit down, letting the lively atmosphere on stage continue without her.
Jamir’s gaze fell on her reddened ankle. “Does your foot hurt?”
It was only after his reminder that Callie realized her high heels were a bit small, leaving red marks on her fair ankles.
“Yes, it hurts.”
Jamir knelt down and took off her shoes, his large hand covering her foot with a cool touch.
Callie instinctively pulled back and looked around. “This isn’t appropriate.”
Jamir glanced around too. “Who cares about you right now?”
His words hit home. Indeed, everyone was focused on Charlotte.
So Callie let him be.
Jamir placed her foot on his knee and gently massaged it, treating it like a treasure.
Even though she had handed her foot over to someone else, Callie still felt a bit uncomfortable. She instinctively tried to pull back. “That’s enough-”
Jamir held her foot in place. “It’s not like I haven’t seen it before.”
Callie was at a loss for words.
The auction had begun on stage, with the host introducing several paintings that would be sold today. The bidding started quickly.
Charlotte sat below the stage; Nelson was not by her side, seemingly uninterested in such events.
The bidding was intense, with wealthy second-generation heirs participating. Even if it was just to curry favor with the Ellison family or Miss Ellison herself, they wouldn’t miss this opportunity.
Thus, the prices soared high.
Callie noticed that even Jaquan bid twice.
But in the end, the final winner was a woman from the socialite section, who seemed well-prepared and financially capable.
“What about you? Don’t you like paintings?” Callie asked nonchalantly as she withdrew her foot.
She remembered that Jamir used to love collecting such artworks, traveling far and wide to acquire pieces he liked.
Jamir sat beside her, looking at the paintings on the screen with a sneer. “I only collect valuable paintings.”
Callie wanted to laugh.
Soon it was time for the last painting. The host didn’t rush into the bidding but invited Charlotte onto the stage.
“This final painting, ‘The Moon Knows My Heart,’ recently won the 11th Magnolia Award at Ylosea. Today, Miss Ellison is willing to auction it publicly, giving us the chance to hear about her design concept for this piece.”
The audience began to applaud again.
Charlotte shyly took the stage, dazzling under the spotlight.
“Winning this award was pure luck. I still have much to learn.” Charlotte turned slightly. “I painted this during my most difficult times. It’s embarrassing to admit, but I couldn’t even afford food back then. What kept me going was the person I loved. Every night, I looked at the moon and thought about our past stories, wondering what he was doing and if he missed me. That’s how I got through it.”
By the end of her speech, tears welled up in Charlotte’s eyes.
It turned out to be a romantic and tragic love story.
In the tea room of the gallery, a cup of tea was placed in front of a man, steam rising from it.
The woman on stage seemed to be confessing her love to him, but all he could think about was Jamir holding Callie’s feet.