Chapter 149

The brochure landed back in Susan Hawthorne’s hands, and she blinked, casting a confused glance at Alice sitting beside her. Alice, pretending not to notice, calmly pulled out her phone and opened a mobile game she’d recently gotten addicted to. Overhead, the auctioneer’s voice continued booming through the room. After three rounds, a crystal necklace finally went to some poor sucker for nine million. “Next up, we’re excited to present tonight’s second item—a pigeon blood ruby necklace from the Eastern European royal family, dating back to the last century!” The auctioneer’s tone spiked with enthusiasm, and a wave of murmurs swept across the crowd. Apparently, this necklace had caught everyone’s attention. Sure enough, once the bidding began, the prices kept climbing. By the third round, it had already jumped from the opening price of six million to thirteen million. Alice swallowed hard and kept up her “invisible mode.” Then suddenly, a soft sigh reached her ear. “What a pity… I can’t