Nancy reckoned Ariel probably did not know much about the market price for these types of antiques.

Jayson slowly put down his cup. “What matters is that you like it and it’ll make you happy. Raise your paddle.”

Nancy froze for a second. Then, her face broke into a smile. She had a gentle, loving look in her eyes.

She lifted her numbered paddle and jutted her chin up slightly. “50 million!”

Ariel stared in Jayson’s direction after she made the bid. She saw that Nancy had decided not to continue bidding. Yet Jayson convinced her to continue by offering to pay for the ring no matter how much it would cost.

Ariel’s face was drained of color. At that moment, an indescribable, suffocating sensation overcame her.

She felt this pain and numbness in her chest. It was as though her heart was being squeezed tightly.

Matt and the others who sat in the first row looked amused as they watched what had happened so far. They cast mocking glances in Ariel’s direction, as if they were silently laughing at Ariel’s failure and naivety.

Ariel could almost hear these people asking her if she thought she had what it took to go up against Nancy.

Frankly, Frederick had mixed feelings about this. He glanced at Nancy. Then, he whispered to Matt, “Mr. Larkin, he… he treats Ms. Stanton really well. Have they really decided to get married?”

Matt paused momentarily. He subconsciously glanced at Ariel, who had a dazed look on her face. “I think so.”

It would only be a matter of time before that happened once they had gotten Ariel out of the way.

Frederick fell silent. He was feeling a bit bitter. However, he had a clear understanding of his situation. Jayson was way better than him in pretty much every aspect.

Meanwhile, Janice could roughly picture Ariel’s mood at the moment. She hurriedly asked, “Do you like the ring that much?”

Ariel shook her head. “That’s not it. That ring was our family heirloom. It was also my mom’s wedding ring…”

Janice’s expression hardened. She quickly grabbed onto Ariel’s hand and tried to raise the paddle. “Raise it! We’ll continue bidding until we get the ring! I have at least 100 million dollars in my bank account. We can definitely secure the ring!”

Ariel shook her head in resignation. “You don’t understand Jayson.”

Jayson would not mind spending 100 million dollars or more on the ring.

No matter how many times she raised her bid, Jayson would surely and eventually call out a number that Ariel would find impossible to surpass.

It was pointless no matter what they did.

Janice was so exasperated that her eyes turned red. “Fuck! What the hell is he doing, then? Does he know that the ring was once your mom’s wedding ring?”

Ariel was lost in thought.

“He knows…” she muttered inwardly.

Back when they had just gotten married, Ariel felt that Jayson might be able to help her find the ring since he had a lot of connections and resources. So, Ariel had asked for his help regarding finding the ring. She had also shown him a photo of the ring.

Jayson had agreed to help her at the time. He even kept the photo of the ring with him. Jayson said that he couldn’t promise anything, but he would try his best to find the ring.

Now…

Ariel found it ironic because Jayson knew about the ring. He knew everything. Still, he chose to drive a knife to Ariel’s heart because he wanted to help Nancy.

He knew how much it would hurt for Ariel. He also knew she would not be able to accept this.

Jayson had been absolutely cold and merciless to Ariel.

As the gavel struck the table, a thunderous applause erupted in the hall.

People were congratulating Jayson and Nancy for winning the bid for the ring. Those who were feeling envious started murmuring among themselves.

“Mr. Larkin is being so nice to Ms. Stanton! He’s a businessman. Yet, he didn’t mind spending more than double the price just to get the ring and make Ms. Stanton happy!”

“What kind of ritual should I perform to ask the heavens for a man like Mr. Larkin?”

“Say, don’t you think that… the ring may carry a very special meaning?”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s already pretty unusual for Mr. Larkin to help Ms. Stanton buy a ring in such a flashy manner. Don’t you think there’s a chance he may…”

Janice had already made a bold prediction. She had an incredulous look on her face. “Jayson isn’t planning to use your mom’s wedding ring as an engagement ring and propose to Nancy with it, right?”