The auctioneer loudly announced, his hands gripping the wooden gravel as it hit the block, sealing the deal.
After the auction ended, someone approached Granny with a contract in hand.
Granny signed the contract and paid for it. After successfully purchasing it, she stared at it with a look of longing. A rare smile slowly stretched across her face.
Ava watched her smile. It was the first time she had seen Granny smile like that, it looked genuine. "What is so precious about this necklace?" Ava had to ask, curiosity got the best of her.
Granny hesitated for a moment, her eyes still on it. "It is one of a kind," she replied, her palms gently stroking it.
Ava sighed, she doesn't know much about this woman, but she hopes the necklace is worth the price.
"You sure know how to get what you want!" A voice said, behind, gradually walking towards them.
Granny gaze met the person who just spoke, then her eyes darkened. "What are you doing here?!"
A woman with blond hair partially hidden beneath a wide brimmed hat, her eyes fixed on the glittering necklace lady.
She was the lady from earlier who bid the necklace two hundred million.
Isabel, Granny's close friend from college, until Isabel snatched her boyfriend, just because he won a lottery.
"What a wonderful way to greet your old time friend!" Isabel exclaimed, her hands entangled together as she opened her mouth.
"Nina let's go," Granny said, gently putting the necklace inside her handbag, then her grip tightening against Ava's wrist, dragging her towards the door.
"If you think you can use that necklace to ease your pain and past, you lie!" Isabel laughed loudly, her palms on her forehead.
Ava's brow furrowed as she observed the tense exchange between the two women, then she frowned.
"What is so special about this necklace? Well it is a gold necklace but can it ease someone's pain?" Her inner self, asked.
Granny ignored Isabel, dragging Ava towards the exit without glancing at Isabel.
The drive back to the mansion passed in silence. Granny gazed out the window, her eyebrows raised slightly as she was lost in thought.
"Granny, are you okay?" Ava asked, her voice laced with worry.
"I'm fine, just a little headache," She replied, a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
Back at the mansion, Granny opened the car door quickly.
"The driver will take you home." Without waiting for Ava to respond, she headed towards the front door.
Ava frowned as the driver sped off towards her destination.
"Is he back?" Ava asked the butler, watching his hands grip the water can tightly as he carefully watered each flower. He seemed to admire the beauty of the garden, unaware of her presence.
The butler paused, the watering can suspended in the air for a moment, then shifted his gaze to Ava.
"Not yet," He said with a smile.
…..
Meanwhile, Ava's family was on the verge of bankruptcy. Staff members hurried through the office, clutching documents, their faces etched with worry.
"What do you mean, no one wants to invest in the company?" Mr Adams shouted, his voice echoing through the hall.
He quickly took his phone from the desk and dialed a number. "You still can't find her?" His voice trembled while his palms were sweaty.
"No sir!" Ethan said curtly.
Adam slammed the phone down, angrily against the desk.
Turning his back against his staff as he faced the window and quickly dialed another number.
"Help me," he muttered, his voice slightly low. "Please." The word barely escaped his lips. His workers were unable to hear his conservation.
The person asked through the line, his voice void of emotions. "Do you have what I want with you?"
"I don't…"
"But if you help me, you will get thirty percent of the company share, till I find her, then you give me back the shares."
Thompson laughed loudly through the phone, his voice filled with mockery. "I have helped you enough. If you find her, you think you can take the shares?" His words dripped with sarcasm.
"If not for our old friendship, all your bad transactions that I covered for you. You would have been in jail five years ago."
"I get the girl and keep the shares, Deal?"
Adam's knuckles turned white as he gripped the phone. He lifted it slightly, the urge to smash the phone against the wall almost overwhelming. Instead he closed his eyes drawing a slow but shaky breath, trying to calm himself down.
"D.. D.. D…" The word caught in his throat.
"Trust him, with the company shares?" He couldn't even voice the question.
"Deal!"
Thompson is known to be a business minded person, he values money. So, if he says he's going to do it, then he means it.
…..
Nathan returned home late that night, jacket placed on his left arm as he walked towards the room.
His gaze shifted to the lady whose body was curled up with her hair lightly covering her shoulders .
He sighed, then dropped his bag on the desk, moving towards the bathroom to freshen up.
After some hours, he came out, towel beneath his waist, hair dripping water as he headed to the closet. Pulled out a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt, dressing quickly before turning back towards the bed.
He hesitated for a moment if he should sleep in the bed, then quietly walked to her side. Kneeling, he gently brushed a strand of hair from her face. Her skin was soft beneath his fingertips while watching her breathe.
'If only you can remember me," he whispered, his voice barely audible, his eyes mixed with emotions.
He stood up, switched off the lamp, and walked out of the room, to his study room, leaving to sleep.
Gradually Ava's eyes slowly opened, lazily glancing at the door before she went back to sleep.