Chapter 11

"This is Anson Foster, heir to the wealthy Foster family of Thenswy. He has just returned from studying abroad." Bernard introduced the man with a booming voice. The other guests looked at them in surprise and began whispering among themselves. The Foster family had been thriving for the past two years, with their company dominating the real estate industry in the Xenlington district. In terms of assets alone, they rivaled the Thompsons. Summer seemed uninterested in such matters. Once the misunderstanding was cleared, she returned to her work. Meanwhile, Bernice introduced herself. "Mr. Clarke, you're one lucky man for having such a fine young lady like Ms. Collins as your confidante," Anson remarked with envy. He had noticed Bernice's beauty from the start. Such flattery from a wealthy scion inflated Bernard's ego. "You can stop teasing me now, Mr. Foster. For someone like you, there would be no problem getting any beautiful woman to be yours. Also, we'll be counting on you later, Mr. Foster. "Bernice has prepared a proposal in hopes of collaborating with the Thompsons." After some flattery, Bernard finally revealed his ultimate purpose for being there. "That's not a problem. Where is the proposal?" Anson replied casually. He did not feel like he was doing them a favor. After taking the document from Bernice, Anson passed it to the bodyguard standing behind him. "Have this delivered to Ms. Thompson and let them know that I'm the one who commended this." His name alone would influence the Thompsons to take it into consideration. As for whether the deal would succeed or not, it would be another matter. Nonetheless, Bernice was already pleasantly surprised that her proposal could be delivered to the Thompsons. As Bernard went to Anson to express his gratitude, he brought Andrew with him. "Bernice, now you can see firsthand the importance of belonging to a different social class. A person as worthless as this one would never have the opportunity to mingle with these influential figures in a lifetime." Despite the harshness of the words, Bernice silently agreed with the sentiment. While she appreciated Andrew's dedication to managing the household for the past three years, she couldn't ignore his lack of ambition or meaningful connections in the business world. Being with Andrew wouldn't offer her any advantages; he would only hold her back. "Is he a friend of yours?" Anson asked out of curiosity after noticing Andrew before him. "Is he even worthy of being one?" Bernard scoffed. "He's just a loser who somehow managed to sneak his way in here." "The charity auction is about to begin. Why don't we take a seat first? There's no need to waste our time on this loser." The three of them circumvented Andrew to grab the seats in front, and then they began to chat happily. Andrew remained seated, unperturbed. Bernice no longer held any power over his emotions. And Bernard was nothing but an insignificant clown to him. He did not feel the need to argue with someone like him. The charity auction followed a simple process. It was an event where attendees could contribute without directly donating money; instead, they could offer artworks they no longer desired from their collections to be auctioned, with proceeds going to charity. In fact, some pieces were even created by the attendees, and somehow, it would still spark a bidding war. However, the real prize wasn't the art itself. It was the first chance to expand one's network and rub shoulders with dignitaries attending the charity banquet. The event was lively, but Andrew sat in the corner with his eyes shut. … In the office upstairs, several project proposals lay on the table before Doria for her perusal. She rubbed her temples wearily. With three brisk knocks, Gigi Moore entered and said, "Ms. Thompson, here's a proposal that was commended by the Fosters. Would you like to take a look?" "Bring it to me." Initially slouched in her chair, Doria sat up straight as she flipped open the document, her attention caught by Bernice's name. "How interesting." After going through its contents, she discovered that the risks, details, and projected revenue met their requirements. When she was done, she closed the folder and beckoned to Gigi, saying, "Send this to Andrew and let him decide." Gigi was not aware of the relationship between Andrew and Bernice yet. Thus, she followed Doria's instructions. Andrew was surprised as well when he received the document. Nevertheless, he understood what Doria meant right away. Andrew now held the power to decide the fate of Bernice and VitaCare Pharmaceutical Group. Without much contemplation, Andrew said, "Let Ms. Thompson decide. There's no need to worry about my opinion." Andrew had been ruminating over the matter in the last two days. Even though he and Bernice had gotten divorced, he had no plans of getting back at her. Rudd had already gotten back what he lost. From now on, no matter what the universe had in store for Bernice, Andrew would no longer be involved in her affairs. The trio in the front row had been oblivious to what was going on behind them. All their attention was on the auction. "Mr. Foster, I heard that you have a few valuable items in your possession. I wonder what you would be donating this time." Back when they were in college, Bernard and Anson spent considerable time together. This was how they got to know each other's interests and personalities pretty well. Anson was about to talk about it when he saw a staff member walking by with a tray in hand. "How coincidental. That's the one. It is a collectible. I believe Ms. Collins would like it a lot. It's inexpensive. Bernard, why don't you get it as a token of love?" Anson teased. However, Bernice and Bernard remained fixated on the stage. "The next item to be auctioned is one in a million, a world-class collector's piece!" announced the host, his voice resonating with excitement. The crowd's interest was piqued, their gazes unwavering on the prized item. The host picked the bracelet up with great care. His face was a little flushed from the excitement. "I'm sure that some of you here have heard of the 'Heart of the Ocean' before. After some appraisal, it has been determined that the three gemstones on this bracelet are sapphires. This one right here is considered a rare treasure. "Before we commence the auction, I'd like to extend gratitude to the anonymous donor for their charitable contribution. Due to the nature of this auction, specific details cannot be disclosed. However, based on our research, the last auction price for a sapphire known as 'The Future' reached 30 million. "With that said, the starting price of this bracelet would be 50 million dollars." … After the host finished speaking, the hall became silent. Only the sound of deep breathing showed that they were still paying attention. After a while, there was a racket among the attendees. "Is this a joke? Has the organizer made a mistake? How could a bracelet be 50 million dollars?" Someone in the crowd began to question whether this was a gimmick by the organizer. A lot of them had no problem forking out 50 million dollars from their pockets, but only a few would be foolish enough to donate that amount. "I've just checked on the internet. There is a record of this bracelet. However, it is said that it has been a private collector's item." "If that's true, the price tag of 50 million dollars is actually cheap. After all, the collection value of a collectible like this would be much higher than its original value." Most of them were not convinced. They figured that it was either a ploy orchestrated by the organizers to pressure the others into donating or that there had been a mistake in the appraisal. In fact, even Andrew was taken by surprise. Rudd had given him this bracelet. Rudd was truly generous in giving him such a valuable item. In the front row, Bernard and Bernice were dumbfounded.