Chapter 3

When I walked into the centennial auction, Julian was holding Vivienne’s hand, accepting a standing ovation.

And she was wearing my mother’s crown.

The room was packed with the city's most powerful elites. Everyone was praising Julian. They admired him for being such a loyal man, taking care of his late partner’s fragile widow.

Julian stood at the podium, looking handsome and successful.

"Vivienne carries the legacy of Cross & Co.'s past," he announced. "And tonight, she will help me unlock our next century."

Before the bidding began, I saw the registration manager rush up to Julian. He whispered something urgent in his ear.

I knew exactly what he was saying.

The twelve Hartwell lots—the absolute core of tonight’s auction—were still waiting for my final authorization.

Every piece belonged to my family’s private collection. Whatever happened after the bidding began, nothing could become final without my signature.

Julian looked across the crowded ballroom. He spotted me sitting quietly in the general donor section.

He didn’t look worried.

The moment he saw me, the tension left his face.

She came, he must have thought. She always understands.

A moment later, his assistant hurried over to my seat with the sealed final-instruction folder.

"Mr. Cross asked me to bring this to you, Mrs. Hartwell," the assistant whispered. "Once you seal it, protocol requires me to deliver it directly to the head clerk."

I opened the folder and took out my pen.

I wrote my final instructions beneath my name.

Then I placed the paper back inside the envelope, sealed it, and handed it to the assistant.

By agreement, the envelope would remain unopened until I gave the head clerk the signal, provided the gavel had not yet fallen.

The assistant carried it past Julian and placed it directly into the head clerk’s hands.

"Mrs. Hartwell has submitted her final instructions," he told Julian.

Julian glanced toward me and nodded.

He never asked what I had written.

To him, my presence meant the same thing it always had.

I had come to protect him from the consequences of choosing Vivienne.

The auction began.

Lot One was the Hartwell Blue, a rare diamond brooch my mother had worn to every major family auction.

The bidding was fierce. It climbed higher and higher.

"Forty million!" the auctioneer called out. "Forty-five! Fifty million!"

Fifty million dollars. The highest price in the history of Cross & Co.

The ballroom erupted into deafening applause.

The Hartwell Blue sparkled beneath the auctioneer's glass display. Across the stage, my mother's crown looked equally magnificent on another woman's head.

I sat alone in the forgotten corner of the room, watching them.

Overcome by the record-breaking bid, Julian held Vivienne's hand tightly and pulled her close.

From my seat, I could read Vivienne’s lips as she leaned into him.

"Julian, did I do something wrong?" she whispered, looking up at him with innocent eyes. "Maybe I should take this off. Evelyn should be the one in the spotlight tonight."

"Don't be silly," he murmured. "Evelyn is incredibly considerate. She will understand."

"Fifty million, going once!" the auctioneer's voice echoed through the massive speakers.

"Fifty million, going twice!"

Vivienne smiled.

She leaned her head on Julian’s shoulder, looking exactly like a woman who had just been officially crowned as his queen.

Before the auctioneer could bring the gavel down for the third time, I gave the head clerk a small nod. He immediately stepped up to the podium.

The clerk handed the auctioneer the sealed envelope.

The auctioneer quickly sliced it open to confirm my signature.

He looked down at the paper.

On stage, Julian was still smiling down at Vivienne.

The auctioneer's hand froze in mid-air with his gavel.

He stared at the paper. Then, he slowly looked up at Vivienne, who was still wearing my mother's crown and smiling for the cameras.

He swallowed hard.

Then, he picked up the microphone.