Chapter 2

Sergio followed Larry's gaze. The red color stood out from the crowd. Maeve wore a wine-red gown. Every expression she made seemed to stir everyone's hearts, whether it was a slight furrow of her brows or a smile. The media's cameras were all focused on her, making her seem like a superstar walking on the red carpet. Maeve? It took Sergio a moment to recognize her. Maeve had always preferred light makeup and simple dresses before. This was the first time Sergio had seen her dressed like this. Clara's complexion didn't look good. It was her first time seeing Maeve. In contrast to Maeve's allure, she seemed too plain. She was like an underage student who wasn't mature enough. "Maeve… looks so beautiful." There was a subtle undertone of jealousy in Clara's voice. On the other side, Maeve had already noticed Sergio and Clara. She walked straight toward them. Clara had thought that Maeve was unaware of the situation and would feel embarrassed or surprised upon seeing her and Sergio together. However, Maeve acted as if she already knew everything. Her face was composed with a calm smile. "Mrs. Brooks is here. Then, who's the lady beside Mr. Brooks?" a media personnel whispered. Maeve reached out and held Sergio's hand. She then extended her hand toward Clara and said with a smile, "You must be Clara, the student that Sergio had mentioned, right? Hello, I'm Maeve. You can call me Mrs. Brooks." Clara awkwardly withdrew her hand that had been holding Sergio's arm before shaking Maeve's hand. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Brooks." The title "Mrs. Brooks" felt like a thorn in her throat. Maeve said, "I heard Sergio mention that you plan to go abroad for your studies in the next two years?" Clara glanced at Sergio discreetly. Sergio said, "Clara excels in her studies. She plans to study abroad this year, but she's a little timid. So, I've brought her here today to broaden her horizons." Yes, this time, it was just to let Clara see the world. At this moment, Sergio hadn't completely fallen for Clara yet. It was only after Clara had returned from studying abroad that Sergio had truly fallen in love with her. But even now, Sergio had already brought Clara with him to various events, to the extent that everyone in Seathburn City knew that Sergio had feelings for a female university student. But none of this mattered to her now. She had come to the auction not to compete with Clara for Sergio's affection, but for a more important purpose. "Then, Sergio, please take good care of Ms. Stewart. I'll head inside first." Maeve let go of Sergio's arm. Sergio was taken aback. He hadn't expected these words to come from Maeve. By the time he came back to his senses, Maeve had already entered the venue. Sergio frowned. Since when had the once rebellious Maeve become so accommodating? Maeve sat in a relatively inconspicuous corner. The entire auction was attended by the highly-renowned and influential people of Seathburn City. If she remembered correctly, there was a piece of wasteland that no one had wanted at this auction. It was eventually bought by a small business owner, and it later became extremely valuable due to the upscale developments nearby. This piece of land could also be described as "prime real estate". This also led to the transformation of an unknown small businessman into a commercial magnate. Since she had already decided to leave Sergio, she should also look for a better life for herself. On the other hand, Sergio looked for Maeve in the venue after he sat down. Clara, who was sitting next to him, said, "Mr. Brooks… Do you really want me to bid later?" Sergio's thought was pulled back by Clara's voice. He replied, "Yes, I trust your judgment." Clara blushed. She had studied finance in school for so long, just for this day. Sitting on the second floor, Maeve watched as Sergio and Clara talked and laughed together. She just silently looked away. Clara did have some capabilities. This was one of the reasons why Sergio had eventually been attracted to her. In her previous life, Clara had caught Sergio's eye by choosing a piece of prime land for him. But in reality, that piece of land was already valuable, especially with the Brooks' real estate nearby. Clara had raised the price without any hesitation, using Sergio's money. Consequently, the value of the land around the Brooks' real estate had also increased. In any case, Sergio didn't lose out in the end. Even without Clara, Sergio would have acquired that piece of land. Indeed, as the auction began, Clara started bidding. The first three prime pieces of land were all won by Clara in one go. Sergio sat beside Clara like a guardian angel. "The New Moon Project in Seathburn City has a starting bid of one billion dollars!" "Two billion dollars." As the auction progressed, Maeve spoke up for the first time, and the audience gasped. Sergio frowned. What was this woman up to? Clara said quietly, "This piece of land isn't worth much. Maeve is probably going to lose money with this two-billion-dollar bid." Sergio took out his phone and sent a text message to Maeve. "Maeve, what are you doing?" Maeve lowered her head to glance at the message on her phone. She ignored the messages. "Two billion dollars, going once…" "Two billion dollars, going twice…" … "Oh my, Maeve is insane! Two billion dollars for such a worthless piece of land?" Sergio was very shocked as he looked at Maeve, who was sitting on the second floor. "Three billion dollars." Beside him, Zion uttered a number. Charlie nearly flipped the table. Charlie gritted his teeth as he exclaimed, "Zion! Are you crazy too?" Maeve frowned. She wondered who the fuck would try to snatch such a worthless piece of land from her. But when she looked up, she saw Zion opposite her. Maeve vaguely remembered that Zion was involved in an illegal industry. When did he start dabbling in real estate development? "Four billion dollars!" Maeve calmly raised the bid. Downstairs, Sergio furrowed his brows even deeper. He typed out a few words on his phone. "Maeve, shut up!" This time, Maeve simply switched off her phone. "Five billion dollars." Facing Zion's deliberate provocation, Maeve was furious as she gritted her teeth. Alright, he wanted to compete with her, huh? Maeve directly said, "Ten billion dollars!" "She's crazy. This woman is definitely insane!" Charles exclaimed. Downstairs, Sergio stood up. Even he, who was usually composed, couldn't figure out Maeve's intentions. In his point of view, this piece of land wasn't even worth one billion dollars. And yet, Maeve was willing to pay ten billion dollars for it? Zion looked at Maeve's indifferent expression. He smiled and made a gesture that he would give up. "Ten billion dollars, going once…" "Ten billion dollars, going twice…" "Sold!" As the gavel fell, Maeve felt relieved. The land was finally secure, but she had unnecessarily spent an extra eight billion dollars. It was all Zion's fault! Maeve glared at Zion from across the room. Charlie nudged Zion and said, "Hey, Maeve is glaring at you. If I were her, I'd be itching to kill you too!" Zion raised his eyebrow. He seemed unconcerned. Downstairs, Clara tugged at Sergio. She said, "Mr. Brooks, Maeve is going to make you lose all the money." Sergio coldly responded, "She raised the bid herself. No one is going to take responsibility for her."