Chapter 164
Seeing Hayden finally laughing wholeheartedly, Teresa breathed a sigh of relief, "Honestly, my principal of life is simple: if someone is good to me, I'm good to them. If they aren't, then I couldn't care less."
Taking a deep breath and looking at Teresa, Hayden admitted, "I'm so envious of you."
Hayden was envious of all the love and care Teresa always received from her family and now, from Gabriel, who was so tender, and not to mention their beautiful and adorable child.
"The auction is about to start; let's head inside. Tell me what you like, and I'll bid on it as a gift for you. Tonight, I'm spoiling you," Teresa declared confidently, linking arms with Hayden.
"Besties are the most reliable. Though, I wonder if someone might not be too happy about it," Hayden quipped, glancing over at Gabriel standing a couple of steps away.
Gabriel chuckled, "No, I'm not."
Teresa shot him a playful glare and raised an eyebrow, "So, what if you're not? I'm spending my money to spoil my girl, it's none of your business."
Hayden laughed, the last of her melancholy evaporating, "That's my girl, always so bold. I love it."
"Let's go."
"Alright."
As the two women walked past him, Gabriel was left speechless. With a wry smile, Gabriel followed along quietly.
Throughout their walk, Teresa and Hayden chatted and laughed. By the time they returned to the banquet hall, a deep-sea pearl necklace was being auctioned.
“$800,000.” The bidder was none other than William.
“$2 million.” Hayden declared without a second's hesitation, recognizing William's unmistakable voice.
The crowd gasped, turning heads in Hayden's direction.
A pearl jewelry, worth at most a million. If not for Hayden's sudden bid, William would have surely won it for 800,000.
However, once everyone realized it was Hayden who placed the bid, they calmed down.
Who didn't know the Bush family from the capital was rich and unbothered by expense, and wasn’t Miss Bush renowned for her extravagance?
"$2.1 million." With equal certainty, William bid again, knowing exactly who he was up against.
Hayden smirked and coolly bid, “$3 million.”
Surprised once more, the audience looked at Hayden.
But Hayden remained unfazed by the astonished and gossiping glances, as though they meant nothing to her, whereas Teresa seemed a bit overwhelmed, subtly leaning closer to Hayden for support.
Standing aside, Gabriel's brows furrowed as he quickly pulled out his phone and sent a message to William before another bid could be made.
William was about to raise the bid again when he felt his phone vibrate. He checked the message... [Stop bidding, Teresa’s paying.]
Staring at his phone, William's eyebrows knitted together.
“William, there's nothing special about that pearl necklace, and I don't like it. Can we not bid anymore?” Just then, Michelle, gently looping her arm through William's, spoke up softly.
“Alright, if you don't like it, let's wait for something you do,” William agreed cheerfully.
William understood Hayden's nature; if there was something she fancied, she would achieve it, even if it was winning a small auction item.
Of course, he was an exception for her.
In front of so many people, continuing to compete with her would make it obvious what was going on. Withdrawing at the right time was the wisest move.
Besides, it wasn't about the money.
"Three million going once, going twice, sold! If there are no further bids, then this exquisite deep-sea pearl necklace goes to..."
The auctioneer's impassioned voice echoed throughout the grand hall, but without any other challengers, Hayden’s interest suddenly waned. After securing the necklace, she didn’t raise her paddle again. On the other hand, Gabriel, who usually cringed at spending money on other women, spared no expense when it came to his wife. He casually won item after item for Teresa, racking up over ten million in total.
Of course, even though Hayden didn't bid on anything else, she wasn't idle. With her social status, she naturally attracted a lot of attention, and guests were eager to exchange a few words with her whenever they could.
Hayden had the kind of character that grew more confident, elegant, and beautiful when under pressure, so during the evening banquet, she and Teresa were unquestionably the center of attention.
However, with Gabriel by Teresa's side, no man dared to harbor any ill intentions towards her. Hayden, though, enjoyed a lively conversation with several accomplished young men, and ultimately left the venue early in the company of an up-and-coming star from the tech world. As for what they went off to do, no one knows.
It was when Hayden left that Teresa glanced over at William.
To an outsider, it might appear innocuous, but Teresa could clearly see a shift in his emotions. Not long after, William left his date Michelle and went out to the balcony to brood over his drink by himself.
Teresa cracked a sly smile and, after excusing herself to Gabriel, made a beeline towards William.
"William, Hayden was just outside smoking by herself, did you know?" Teresa leaned against the marble balustrade next to William, facing the banquet hall, and got straight to the point.
William remained speechless, he downed the remnants of his red wine in a single gulp and gave Teresa a fleeting stare.
"I can tell, you do care about Hayden," she continued, notwithstanding his silence.
William shot her another look, correcting her, "My girlfriend is Michelle now."
