Chapter 1
My fiancé Edward Sinclair and I both grew up in families where books and learning were part of everyday life.
Three years ago, Edward's star student, Vanessa Reed, maliciously attacked me online.
She mocked that I didn't have a clue about romance or chemistry between a man and a woman, and said I wasn't worthy of Edward.
She even hinted that, compared with her, I was completely hopeless in bed.
I couldn't take it anymore, so I slapped her across the face.
When Edward found out, instead of caring about how hurt I was, he showed sympathy for Vanessa.
He went so far as to tear down my old family estate and build a private library for Vanessa right there, so she'd have a cozy little spot to read and unwind.
Totally disillusioned, I called off the engagement and stayed in another country for three years.
Now I was back to buy back the Bennett Family Chronicle, the family heirloom that had accidentally been sent to auction years ago.
To my surprise, I ran into Edward and Vanessa at the auction.
Vanessa and I kept outbidding each other.
Edward, who always treated Vanessa like his academic muse, jumped to conclusions and assumed I was deliberately targeting his star student without considering the facts.
He kept indulging her, letting her provoke me however she pleased.
When I refused to back down, he allowed Vanessa to place an unlimited bid and snatch the Bennett Family Chronicle.
Before the auction was over, Vanessa set fire to the Bennett Family Chronicle right in front of me.
She sneered, "Oh, future Mrs. Sinclair, since you care so much about the relics of the dead, why don't I burn it? That way, it won't become your burden."
I laughed. They hadn't stepped out of the auction hall, and they were already maliciously destroying the auction item right in front of the organizers.
Did they realize what kind of price they'd pay for placing an unlimited bid?
*****
The auction gavel slammed down, and my heart skipped a beat.
The next moment, I locked eyes with Vanessa's smug, triumphant face.
She stood on the stage, clutching the yellowed Bennett Family Chronicle and flashing me a winner's grin as bold as three years ago.
"Ms. Bennett, you wanted this book so badly, huh? Too bad. It's mine now," she snorted.
I couldn't take my eyes off that book. It was the Bennett Family Chronicle, handed down through fourteen generations of our family.
From our beginnings in the 19th century, through the height in the early 20th century, and to the hardships my grandpa's generation endured, every line in that book was the foundation of the Bennett family.
On his deathbed, my grandpa's frail fingers pressed into my palm as he kept urging me, "Claire, this is our family's root. Back then, I lost it by mistake. You must bring it home."
I spent three years searching for it.
Today, at this auction house, I finally found it again.
The starting bid was only 30 thousand dollars. I believed this was supposed to be mine for the taking.
But Vanessa showed up. She was nestled up to Edward, like a proud peacock.
Every time I raised my paddle, she'd bump the price up without missing a beat: 30 thousand dollars, 60 thousand dollars, 150 thousand dollars, and more.
Edward sat beside her, his eyes so tender. This was an indulgence I'd never gotten from him in all our ten years together.
When the price shot up to 300 thousand dollars, Vanessa suddenly raised her hand, her coy voice ringing out across the room. "I'm placing an unlimited bid."
The whole place erupted in chaos.
At the auction house, placing an unlimited bid meant that no matter how high the final bid went, the person who placed it would be on the hook for the whole amount.
And a financial guarantee must be provided.
But Edward didn't stop her. Instead, he gently patted her hand, like he was telling her to go for it.
I closed my eyes as the auctioneer announced the deal.