Chapter 7

Jasmine sat down with an expressionless face. She kept her back straight and looked straight at the auction stage. By the midpoint of the auction, Jasmine remained indifferent and disinterested. That was until the auctioneer lifted the red silk off the velvet tray, and the pearl necklace shimmered gently under the spotlight. Jasmine's pupils suddenly contracted. She remembered that when she was a child, her mother always wore this necklace to evening banquets. The pearls rested against her slender neck, swaying softly with every graceful step, looking like gentle moonlight. "You like it that much?" Caesar's deep voice sounded beside her ear. Jasmine didn't bother answering him. She simply raised her paddle and said, "50 million dollars." "60 million dollars," came a sweet-sounding voice from the side. Sabrina smiled at her. "Jasmine, I really like this necklace too. Highest bidder wins—you don't mind, right?" Jasmine's nails dug into her palm as she ignored Sabrina and said, "80 million." "100 million." "200 million," Jasmine countered. "300 million dollars." The bidding price soared all the way to a billion dollars. Jasmine had nearly exhausted all the money from selling her wedding gifts, yet Sabrina continued to raise her paddle calmly with a smug, confident smile on her face. "One billion dollars, going once." The auctioneer looked at Jasmine. "Ms. Booth, do you wish to continue bidding?" Jasmine's throat tightened up. She had never imagined that one day she'd have to lower herself for a necklace. "Yes," she forced out with difficulty before turning to grab Caesar's sleeve. "Caesar, lend me money…" Her voice trembled as she spoke. "This was my mother's keepsake. I have to have it." Caesar was clearly stunned by this display. He had never seen the proud and radiant Jasmine speak so humbly. "Think of it as me begging you." Jasmine's eyes were red-rimmed, and her voice was barely audible. Caesar reached into his suit jacket and was about to pull out his black card when Sabrina suddenly tugged his arm. Her eyes brimmed with tears as she whined, "Caesar, I really like this necklace…" She bit her lip. "This is the first time I've liked something this much. Please don't help Jasmine, okay?" The surrounding air seemed to freeze over. Jasmine looked at Caesar, the man who once shielded her from the wind and rain. His brows were furrowed slightly as his gaze shifted between her and Sabrina. After a long silence, Caesar finally looked at Jasmine and said slowly, "Let her have it." That sentence, though seemingly spoken lightly, stabbed into Jasmine's heart like a knife. The gavel dropped then, and the auctioneer announced, "Sold! Congratulations to Ms. Harding!" Jasmine stood frozen, feeling her entire body go cold. She watched as Sabrina took the pearl necklace with a smug smile on her face. Jasmine's nails dug deep into her palm, and blood seeped between her fingers onto the carpet—but she felt no pain. It was the first time Caesar had seen Jasmine like this. Her eyes were bloodshot, yet she refused to cry. Her lips were pale from her biting down hard on them, but she still held herself upright. For some reason, a strange pang of bitterness surged in his chest. "Caesar…" Sabrina leaned over weakly. "I don't feel well since it's that time of the month. Could you get me a blanket?" Caesar paused for a moment before finally getting up and walking away. Jasmine completely lost all interest in the auction after that. While sitting in her seat, her ears buzzed as visions of her mother smiling with the necklace around her neck flashed before her eyes. As soon as the auction ended, she stopped Sabrina. "Sell me the necklace," Jasmine said hoarsely. "Name any condition." Sabrina chuckled lightly. "Anything? What if I asked you to kneel?" Jasmine's entire body trembled. She remembered her mother holding her hand on her deathbed, saying, "Jas, no matter what happens, you must live with dignity." And now, for the sake of a necklace, she was about to give up her last shred of dignity. Through her clenched teeth, she gritted out, "Fine." With reddened eyes, Jasmine slowly bent her knees. Sabrina suddenly interrupted with a laugh, "Don't bother kneeling. Even if you do, it's useless. I already had that worthless necklace thrown to a stray dog on the street." She pulled out her phone and swiped a few times, revealing a photo of a filthy stray dog with the mud-stained pearl necklace hanging around its neck. "Your mother's things belong on a dog," she leaned in and said, word by word. "After all, a bitch and a mutt belong together, forever and ever." All of a sudden, Jasmine's pupils contracted. Her whole body shook, and her ears buzzed violently. It was as if someone had smashed her head with a hammer. Her mother's pale, dying face flashed before her. The once-elegant pearl necklace that had graced her neck was now… "Say that again," Jasmine said in an eerily soft voice. Sabrina grinned smugly. "A bitch and a mutt belong together, forever and ever. What, didn't catch it the first time?" Jasmine slowly looked up. Her eyes were as she asked, "Which hand did you use to do it?" "This one." Sabrina lifted her right hand proudly. "Why, what are you going—" Before she could finish, Jasmine grabbed the fruit knife from the tray and stabbed it viciously into Sabrina's palm. "Ah!" Sabrina's scream echoed through the surroundings.