As the memory surfaced, Melody Summers gave a silent, cold laugh. ’Elaine Hughes’s brainwashing tactics are the same as ever, even in this life.’

There was no "one gets the money, the other gets the love."

The truth was, wherever the money went, the love followed.

Elaine Hughes’s favoritism toward Sylvia Lancaster had always been blatant, yet she still forced Melody Summers to admit that she hadn’t been treated unfairly.

Melody Summers closed her eyes, pushing the thoughts down. The auction for the antique sapphire necklace had just begun.

Unexpectedly, Zane Simmons was quite interested in the sapphire necklace. He raised his paddle several times, ultimately winning the piece for 90 million.

Melody watched from the side, thinking silently. ’I never thought this necklace would show up at an auction in this life. Who could have put it up for sale?’

’Did Elaine Hughes sell it to get money to help Robert Lancaster save the Lancaster Group? Or did Sylvia Lancaster need the cash?’

Melody lowered her gaze, saying nothing. Zane Simmons, on the other hand, was in high spirits after winning the necklace he’d wanted.

Several more items followed: a ruby necklace, a pearl necklace, and a few beautiful antique vases.

Melody watched silently, a little disappointed. There were no RVs or yachts, which were what she was looking for. An airplane did come up for auction, which tempted her, but the starting bid was far beyond her budget.

"

Melody Summers froze. Albus, the white cat in her lap, jerked his head up. Both of them instantly remembered the Pink Diamond they had sold from the Arcadian Space. The delivery address had been none other than The Nimbus Hotel!

The auctioneer on stage continued, "This Pink Diamond is 80 carats. After a standard cut, it will retain at least 50 carats. Its color is rich, its clarity is exceptionally high, and it is perfect through and through—virtually flawless."

"The starting bid is 300 million."

Albus shot up from Melody Summers’s lap.

’Such shameless profiteering!’

’We spent ages digging that out, sold it for 100 million, and they just turn around and try to sell it for a starting bid of 300 million!’

Albus fumed. He didn’t quite know why he was so furious, but he was.

Melody had to agree. She had worked for days to dig up that single Pink Diamond and only made 100 million from it. Now, The Nimbus Hotel was about to make a 200 million profit in a single flip. She had mixed feelings, to say the least.

’This middleman is even more ruthless with the markup than I was as the original seller!’

The starting price scared off a good number of people, but a few still raised their paddles.

Melody quietly glanced around, curious to see which big spender was bidding, only to see Ethan Sutton raise his paddle.

Melody: "..."

Melody tried to hold her tongue but failed. She whispered to Zane Simmons, "Didn’t you say the Sutton family was on the verge of bankruptcy? How can he afford to bid on a diamond?"

Zane Simmons replied calmly, "He’s using 300 million as bait to catch 30 billion. If he can win the heart of Miss Walsh, the returns will be far greater than his investment."

Flynn Adler also joined the bidding a few times. The two of them drove the price up to 420 million before Ethan Sutton finally secured the Pink Diamond.

Ethan Sutton felt his heart bleed with every bid, but Zara Walsh seemed to adore the Pink Diamond, so he had no choice but to grit his teeth and win it. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

million was an astronomical sum for him and the Sutton Family at this point. With the persistent high temperatures, construction had halted, several of the Suttons’ projects had fallen through, banks were calling in their loans, and workers were demanding their wages. The family was in a truly dire situation.

Melody watched with cold detachment. If Ethan Sutton felt like his heart was bleeding, so did she. It felt like she had just lost 320 million out of thin air.

Feeling indignant, Melody turned to Zane Simmons, baffled. "It’s just a diamond. Is it really worth 420 million?"

Even the airplane auctioned earlier hadn’t sold for that much.

Zane replied, "This is a Pink Diamond, after all. Not like white diamonds, which are basically an IQ tax. These are genuinely rare. Before the cataclysms, it probably would have sold for even more."

Melody sighed to herself. ’I guess you can only earn what you know. I still have so much to learn about these things.’

After the auction, an attendant led Zane Simmons and Melody Summers to collect the antique sapphire necklace he had won.

While Zane went to finalize the purchase, Melody feigned a casual tone as she asked a nearby auction manager, "Do you ever get items like yachts at these auctions?"

The manager was taken aback for a moment before replying politely, "We’ve had owners express interest in consigning their yachts, but none were selected for this particular event."

After all, with the rivers all dried up these days, who needed a yacht? The selection committee had vetoed all such items.

"Could you help me get in touch with them?" Melody asked. "I need a yacht. I’ll pay the commission according to your auction house’s standard rates."

Seeing her sincere expression, the manager hesitated for a moment before nodding. "If you leave your room number and contact information, we’ll get in touch with you in a couple of days."

They exchanged contact information, and Melody added, "Please contact me if you hear about any RVs, too. I’m looking for a spacious one, big enough for a family to travel in."

The manager nodded. "Of course. I’ll see what I can find."

*

Zane Simmons had just collected his sapphire necklace when he ran into Flynn Adler, who was there to pick up a calligraphy painting.

Flynn Adler asked thoughtfully, "Mr. Shepherd, are you pursuing that Melody Summers?"

Zane was taken aback for a second, then shook his head with a small laugh. "Mr. Adler, you’re reading too much into it. As I’ve said before, we’re just friends."

Flynn Adler was surprised. "Then why did you buy that necklace?" he asked, puzzled. "Don’t tell me you didn’t know. It was Mrs. Lancaster’s dowry—a family heirloom. Didn’t you buy it for Melody Summers?"

Flynn Adler knew this because it was Sylvia Lancaster herself who had entrusted him with putting the necklace up for auction.

Sylvia had been afraid of being spotted by acquaintances or her own mother, so she had asked Flynn Adler to consign it to this private auction.

Seeing the surprise on Zane Simmons’s face, Flynn Adler thought, ’Could it really just be a coincidence?’

Flynn Adler thought for a moment before adding tentatively, "Actually, a while ago, the Lancaster Family approached my uncle to propose a marriage alliance. They wanted to marry Melody Summers off to my uncle’s youngest son."

Zane froze, then said in disbelief, "Your uncle’s youngest son? The third son of the Lawson family? Isn’t he that disabled fool?"

Seeing Zane’s shocked expression, Flynn Adler couldn’t help but laugh. He shook his head. "Mr. Shepherd, don’t you see what the Lancasters are doing? My uncle promised to inject 6 billion into their group. Do you think they care whether the groom is a fool or not? In fact, they were even planning to force the issue and make the marriage a done deal."

Flynn Adler studied Zane Simmons’s expression carefully before probing again. "If this Miss Summers is someone you have your eye on, Mr. Shepherd, I could go back and persuade my aunt to drop the idea."

Flynn Adler hadn’t wanted to get involved in this mess to begin with; it was a thankless task. Given the Lancaster Group’s current state, that 6 billion investment would be a complete waste.

That was 6 billion. Six billion! If you threw all that money into a lake, you’d at least hear a splash. Giving it to the Lancasters, you wouldn’t hear a thing. He couldn’t understand why his aunt was so bewitched, insisting on trading 6 billion for a woman. Was there a worse deal in the entire world?

A wave of anger surged through Zane. He frowned. "The Lancasters are out of their minds! Melody has never even lived with them. What right do they have to decide her marriage? And forcing the issue... aren’t they afraid of ending up in jail? No wonder the Lancaster Group is going bankrupt. That family is certifiably insane."

Then, Zane said to Flynn, "Mr. Adler, if you’d do me a favor, stay out of this."

Flynn Adler broke into a knowing smile. "Since you’ve put it that way, Mr. Shepherd, of course I wouldn’t dare make a move on Miss Summers. Rest assured, I’ll go home and tell my aunt to drop any ideas she has about her."

Flynn Adler was quite pleased with himself, thinking he had just earned a favor from Zane Simmons. What he didn’t realize was that while he might not be going after Melody Summers, she had no intention of letting him off the hook.

Zane Simmons held the antique sapphire necklace, which suddenly felt like a hot potato in his hands. He had originally intended to buy it for his mother, Paige Walsh, but now he felt he ought to give it to Melody Summers. After all, it was a family heirloom with special significance.

But Melody clearly despised the Lancaster family. He also knew her personality; she would never accept such an expensive gift. So he was in a bind—he couldn’t give it to her, but he couldn’t not give it to her either.

Zane now deeply regretted buying this hot potato.

Oblivious to Zane’s turmoil, Melody was overjoyed. The auction manager had promised to find her a yacht and an RV within a few days, and she was already busy discussing her new mining plans with Albus.

After this experience, she decided that if she ever dug up another Pink Diamond, she would list it for 300 million herself. No more middlemen taking a cut.

When Melody saw Zane walk out, she didn’t notice his expression and got ready to head upstairs with him.

Suddenly, a thought struck her, and she asked Zane curiously, "Do you know who put that sapphire necklace up for auction?"

She was suddenly curious whether it had been Elaine Hughes or Sylvia Lancaster.

Zane was already weighed down by his thoughts, and Melody’s question made the necklace feel even hotter in his hands. After a moment’s thought, he answered, "It was the Lancasters’ adopted daughter, Sylvia Lancaster. Apparently, she’s the one who put it up for sale."

Melody understood immediately. So, even in this life, Elaine Hughes had given the necklace to Sylvia. For Sylvia to sell it at auction... she must have been desperate for money.

Lost in their own thoughts, neither of them spoke much on the way up. At the 35th floor, Melody said goodbye to Zane and continued up to her room, 36-02.