“Stop babbling and go pack some food quickly. The kid barely ate anything just now, and now her mood’s all ruined. She didn’t even eat breakfast!”
Esther was a bit overwhelmed by how close he was standing. The unique scent of firwood mingled with his masculine cologne lingered at her nose, invading her senses and stirring her heart. Instinctively, she nudged his arm with the elbow that was holding the child. “Hurry up, act like a real dad!” Evander: “…” “Alright, I’m going right now. I’ll learn from the kid’s mom how to raise a child properly!” After saying that, his palm gently rubbed the little girl’s head in Esther’s arms, then he pulled away. Just as Esther thought he was done and was about to take his hand back, that same hand unexpectedly landed lightly on her head and gently rubbed it again. “Good girl.” Esther: “…” That head-patting caught her totally off guard, freezing her in place for a moment—until the little one in her arms called outMany wealthy young masters who failed to get VIP seats started clamoring. When they heard the deposit for VIP was one hundred million, they instantly felt it was a prestigious symbol of status.One hundred million was a small sum for top noble families in the capital. Many could afford it easily, and paying the deposit didn’t mean you had to win the auction. You could bid on something you liked or just sit it out, and your treatment would be the same as those in the back.Naturally, they wanted to understand the rules clearly. Next time, if given the chance, they’d make sure to secure a seat. Being known in the circle as a VIP at a top charity auction was a big deal. Even Roger, son of Victor Davenier—the world-famous figure—could only sit in the regular seats.“Yes, yes, host, please tell us! How do we qualify for VIP seats?”“Don’t rush, I’m getting to it!”When the crowd’s excitement peaked, the host’s deep, resonant voice resumed, effortlessly
Esther’s voice was halfway out when Roger calmly took over. Instinctively, Esther looked up and met his slight nod. She politely nodded back, inexplicably feeling a bit warm toward this man."Fourty million, first bid!""Fourty million, second bid!""Fourty million, third bid!""Sold!"Roger went backstage with the staff to pay and collect the item. The auction continued, and the murmurs resumed among the crowd."Esther really dares to show off, boldly saying fourty million. That’s gotta be paid on the spot!""If it has to be paid on the spot, so be it. Isn’t Diego here? He has deep pockets!""Fourty million? What a joke. Diego is just an adopted son. You think he’s Evander, casually throwing around billions?""Evander? He doesn’t just have billions—if he wanted, tens of billions would be pocket change. Too bad he’s not here today!"“Exactly, Diego isn’t Evander. An adopted son living under someone else’s roof—how
Judy couldn’t hold back anymore. She stood up in a flash from her seat, looking down arrogantly at the group of heavily made-up women sitting in the back row, and said with disdain, “They haven’t even glanced your way. Forget about Diego, even Gideon wouldn’t look twice at any of you!”“Esther is impressive—at least someone’s willing to show her favor. But you? You just squander your parents’ money on appearances, waiting for them to find someone to marry you off to. You don’t even have the right to choose your own husband, yet you have the nerve to mock others here!”“You—”“What ‘you’? Come back when you make your own money before criticizing others!”With that, Judy rolled her eyes at them and sat back down. Esther caught every word and tapped Judy’s shoulder. “Don’t get mad. Later, whatever they want, I’ll make sure none of them win a single bid!”Judy was speechless. “Are you crazy? Our money didn’t fall from the sky. Even if it’s charity, you
In front of everyone, being threatened by a woman like this made Gideon feel completely humiliated. His expression twisted with disgust as he snapped, “As if anyone would want you! Just because you got a bit of plastic surgery, you think you’re some kind of beauty? Please. Forget the whole ‘fake rich girl’ thing—even if you were the real daughter of the Davenier family, I still wouldn’t stoop so low as to date you!”The Langford family was a prominent noble house in the capital. While not as influential as the Westvale family, they were catching up to powerful families like the Fallons and Whitmores.Gideon had once liked Esther, but he could never fully admit it—not with her being an adopted daughter, especially one with a scar on her face. In their elite circle, dating someone like her would be considered a joke.Eventually, his feelings faded, replaced by shallow desire—especially after Chloe told him that Esther had been disowned by the Davenie
Esther’s words were strong, powerful, and to the point, silencing Maris, who suddenly realized her righteous anger was somewhat invalid. Her fierce momentum to insult instantly deflated. “Esther, you vile woman! Bastard! Lunatic!” Probably truly angered yet helpless, Maris had no other tactic but to curse, “Just wait! I’ll find your birth parents who abandoned you and make them deal with you!” Whoever could abandon their newborn on the street couldn’t be a good person—definitely a ruthless monster, maybe even a scoundrel. Esther’s arrogance should be dealt with by someone even more shameless and ruthless! Maris swore she’d dig deep to find Esther’s real parents. Having shameless parents is an eternal burden no orphan could ever escape. Moreover, those who abandoned their child back then would surely try to benefit when their daughter was about to marry into a wealthy family. The Westvale family might marry an abandoned baby, but never would they a
“Her?”Evander was caught off guard. Of all the experts present, Adrian hadn’t chosen a single one—instead, he chose the woman he liked.“It’s not that I don’t want to lend her to you. But… she hasn’t studied medicine. I’m afraid… she won’t be of much help. How about picking someone from the expert team instead?”“What, Mr. Westvale—do you also look down on Esther?”Adrian gave a faint smile as he looked at Esther. “Do you think, like Amelia, that she’s just a pretty face?”At this point, Evander couldn’t say anything else. He had no choice but to nod in agreement. Soon after, the experts in the ward were dismissed, and Esther and Adrian went in.Twenty minutes later, Mrs. Westvale had made a full recovery.The surgery had been a success. As for the treatment plan—closed drainage combined with a nerve block a