Chapter 186 Invitation
His voice was low and a bit raspy, snapping Claire out of her wandering thoughts.
Remembering why she was there, Claire shyly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Mr. Percy, I did some checking before coming here. There's a private collector in Celestria holding an auction soon. I want to buy some gifts for my family and friends. So..."
Charles stared at her, frowning, and asked, "Are you asking to borrow money from me?"
Claire was caught off guard and quickly waved her hands, "No, no, not at all."
After denying it, she hesitated. This trip was for work. Would someone as distant as Charles really go with her?
"If there's nothing else, you should go," he said, growing impatient as he watched her stammer. Charles had his hand on the doorknob, ready to close the door.
"Mr. Percy, I want you to come with me to the auction." Claire lightly pressed one hand against the door frame, her tone pleading, "I used to have family with me at auctions. Now that I'm in Celestria, I'm scared."
"I'll have Nolan go with you." Charles relaxed his grip on the door. This request was nothing; they were going to be in Celestria for at least three days.
Claire was just there for show, and as long as it didn't interfere with work, attending an auction was no big deal.
Hearing this, Claire bit her lip slightly and said softly, "I think Mr. Smith is too tired, and Mr. Percy, you know a lot about these things. If I like something inappropriate, you can stop me from spending too much."
With that, she showed Charles the auction's official website.
Usually, private collectors wouldn't auction off a lot of their stuff. But it seemed something had happened in his family, forcing him to sell his collections.
Coincidentally, the auction was held over two days, one of which was today, and the other two days later. It perfectly avoided work hours.
But none of this interested Charles. He was about to refuse when he saw the highlight of the auction pop up on the page.
It was a necklace designed by the famous Horizonia jewelry designer, William.
It was a blue oval gemstone necklace, with a pure silver pendant shaped like a butterfly, making the sapphire look like the butterfly's body.
The butterfly's wings were adorned with tiny diamonds and sapphires, emitting a pure glow. The necklace's name was also interesting—Eternal.
The name of a piece was crucial for every artist, and auctions usually spent a lot of time introducing the origin of the name and the design's concept and inspiration.
Beside the necklace displayed on the webpage was a brief inscription: [May love be eternal.]
It didn't specify what kind of love it was, but it inexplicably moved Charles deeply.
He paused for a moment and then said, "After I meet with the business partner, we can go to the auction."
Hearing him change his mind, Claire's face lit up with a smile, "Thank you, Charles!" Afraid of making him angry, she playfully stuck out her tongue and explained, "It's not work hours now."
Charles didn't mind, just nodded slightly, "If there's nothing else, get some rest. Remember to inform Nolan about going to the auction."
With that, he closed the door before Claire could react.
Claire touched her nose, feeling a bit awkward, but getting Charles to agree was a big step forward.
Her target at the auction wasn't that necklace but another item.
The Percy Mansion.
Charles had been away for two days, and Diana loved the freedom.
She heard yesterday that she could go out, so she had Robert set up a meeting with Nathan today.
Since Nathan was a special case, Diana didn't mind having bodyguards this time; in fact, she felt safer. After all, with a baby on the way, she couldn't afford to take any risks.
Soon, she arrived at the police station.
Since the case was still under investigation, Nathan, as a suspect, was in detention, and meeting him wasn't hard.
Diana stood there but didn't see Robert. Just as she was about to call, she heard a voice beside her.
"Diana."
She turned her head, raising an eyebrow in surprise. Robert was with a familiar face, Clara, who had clashed with them a few days ago.
Clara's expression was stern, her eyes filled with undisguised jealousy.
Since being kicked out of the Spencer Group, Clara had been living off her savings.
She didn't dare tell Mia that she had been kicked out, so she still left home on time every day, pretending to have a job. But most of the time, she was busy with Nathan's case.
Now, without the protection of the Percy Group and the Spencer Group, those who used to flatter her had all distanced themselves, not wanting anything to do with her.
Clara was seething with rage. These opportunistic bastards, one day she would trample them all underfoot.
Yesterday, Robert had brought an opportunity.
Diana had started buying up all the shares. Before this, Charles had already consolidated most of the Spencer Group's shares.
According to Nathan, besides his shares, only one old shareholder had shares left.
Clara gritted her teeth, suppressing her temper, grateful she hadn't signed the share transfer agreement with Diana.
Now, this was their last card. Since Diana wanted the shares, they had nothing to lose.
Clara was young and hot-tempered, and Nathan feared she would suffer in negotiations. Consequently, he suggested meeting Diana in person to discuss the matter.
Robert quickly agreed, and Nathan and Clara were happy, planning to get something from Diana.
Little did they know, a trap was waiting for them.
Diana was surprised to run into Clara at the entrance of the police station.
"Long time no see, Ms. Williams. You look more haggard." Her tone was natural, without a hint of mockery, just stating a fact.
Clara's long hair was messily tied at her side, looking frizzy from lack of care. Her dark circles were more pronounced, and her lips were bloodless.
Had her voice not been so firm, Diana would have suspected she might collapse and extort her any second.
Clara replied, "Shut up! Instead of talking about me, you should focus on today's business."
Diana waved her hand, her tone indifferent, "Sorry, that slipped out. Ms. Williams, do you know why I'm here today?"
Hearing this, Clara felt confident, raising her chin arrogantly, "Of course I know! But Diana, don't think you'll easily get my dad's shares."
Diana squinted, smiling, "In that case, let's go in. Don't keep your dad waiting."
With that, the three of them entered the police station.
The officer handling the case wasn't happy to see someone visiting Nathan, but since Diana had helped them solve a big problem, refusing her would be inappropriate.
"Nathan, come out. Someone's here to see you."
Nathan, who had been facing the wall, trembled at the words. But he quickly realized who it was, and his chest heaved with anticipation.
He had to seize this opportunity to change his situation again.
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