Chapter 166 Refuting Isabella
"Isabella's comments really got under Joyce's skin. She knew exactly what would rile Joyce up and wanted to see her lose her cool.
But Joyce didn't even blink. She kept her eyes on Lydia.
She gently pinched Lydia's cheek and smiled, ""How did a fly get in here in winter? Don't worry, Lydia, I'll get the fly swatter.""
Lydia seemed to get it and hummed softly.
Maya chimed in, ""This fly must be really annoying if even Lydia wants it gone.""
Isabella was fuming. She clenched her fists and sat in front of Joyce.
The auction started with small items. Joyce bought a few things for her colleagues.
Then, a pair of dreamy earrings appeared on the screen, and Joyce's eyes lit up.
The earrings, inspired by stars, were made of obsidian and white pearls, glowing like a night sky.
Joyce wanted them as a New Year's gift for Sophia and bid $10,000.
Isabella smirked and bid $20,000.
The more Joyce wanted something, the more Isabella wanted to take it. They kept bidding, driving the price from tens of thousands to $200,000.
The auctioneer was ecstatic.
Joyce leaned forward and smiled, ""Ms. Vale, I really like these earrings. Could you let me have them?""
Isabella didn't even look back. ""Sorry, I like them too. I must have them.""
Joyce smirked. ""In that case, don't blame me for being rude.""
She bid $300,000.
The room erupted.
Isabella was about to raise her sign when her assistant stopped her. ""Ms. Vale, you don't have much left on your card. Let's not fight for this.""
Isabella glared. ""I can't lose to Joyce.""
She bid $400,000. Just when she thought Joyce would continue, Joyce laughed.
Joyce looked at Lydia and said, ""Lydia, someone spent $400,000 on earrings. Isn't that silly? We shouldn't be like her.""
Isabella realized she had fallen into Joyce's trap.
She wanted to withdraw her bid, but the auctioneer was already shouting, ""Any advance on $400,000? Going once, going twice, sold! Congratulations to Ms. Vale for winning these earrings, and thank you for supporting charity. Let's give her a round of applause.""
Everyone looked at her strangely. Spending $400,000 on earrings worth tens of thousands—if that wasn't foolish, what was?
Isabella was furious. Joyce had set her up from the start. Now, she had spent all her money and couldn't buy anything else.
Joyce, on the other hand, kept buying. She got a high-end necklace for Lydia, a ruby necklace for Sophia, and many things for other family members.
Finally, Joyce spent $500,000 on a pair of cufflinks for Sebastian.
The cufflinks were platinum with rare purple gemstones, giving off a mysterious and noble vibe. They were the last work of a famous Italian designer, with only one pair in the world. The violet symbolized eternal love. When the auctioneer handed them to Joyce, he showered her with blessings for a long-lasting love.
Isabella was so mad she could grind her teeth to dust.
Joyce spent over $2 million at the auction, and the gift boxes piled up high.
Tyler snapped a photo and sent it to Sebastian. [Joyce's spending like crazy. U gonna do smth? Look at all this stuff.]
Sebastian replied quickly. [She spending ur $? Mind ur biz.]
Tyler laughed in exasperation. Ever since Sebastian fell in love, he had become a doting husband, even more so than Tyler himself.
After the auction, there was a charity dinner. Joyce had the items sent directly to her home.
Seeing the staff nodding and bowing to Joyce, Isabella snorted and raised her voice, ""Ms. Blackwood, you're really generous, spending over $2 million of Sebastian's money. If you keep this up, even the Winters Family won't be able to afford it.""
Everyone around looked over.
Joyce came from an ordinary family, and marrying into the wealthy Winters Family had already made many socialites jealous.
Some people started whispering along with Isabella.
Joyce chuckled. ""Ms. Vale, what's your relationship with the Winters Family? How is it any of your business if I spend Sebastian's money?""
Isabella was fuming. ""I can't stand women like you, who preach independence but live off a man. Without a man, how could you afford such expensive things?""
Isabella pointed at the gift boxes, her mouth curling in disdain. In her mind, Joyce was just a lowly commoner, unworthy of comparison to wealthy socialites.
Joyce didn't get angry. She flipped her hair and said calmly, ""Do you think I'm like you? A spoiled rich girl who'd be lost without family support.""
Isabella smiled smugly. ""Well, I was born with a good father, while you rely on a man for everything. You're just selling yourself!""
She said this through gritted teeth, feeling proud. She thought, 'In today's society, many people rely on their parents. Who will laugh at me for that? But Joyce is different; she gets everything by selling her looks.'
Facing the accusations, Joyce remained calm. She took out the card she had just used and handed it to Isabella.
Joyce smiled, ""Open your eyes and see who I rely on!""
Isabella snatched the card and saw Joyce's name on it. 'How could this be? How could Joyce have so much money?' she wondered. While she was in a daze, Maya chuckled. ""Joyce won a case last week, and the client's commission alone was $5 million, not including the bonus from the law firm.
Now she's the undefeated queen of the legal world, with many people seeking her services, and her commissions are almost always in the millions.
Does Ms. Vale think she needs to rely on a man?""
Isabella felt utterly humiliated, her eyes filled with jealousy and malice.
She clenched her fists tightly. When she saw the man in front of her, a sinister plan formed in her mind."
