Chapter 2 The Auction

I stared at the comments and considered the advice. It had been six months since we moved into this residence. Although Yves had told everyone my mother was his wife, Liliana, the matriarch, refused to accept her.

The reason was simple.

My mother came from an ordinary background and was a single mother to boot. Liliana was wary that my mother was a sneaky snake. To be fair to the woman, she wasn't technically wrong.

Liliana only showed up during the monthly family dinner, and she barely spared me and my mother a glance. If we could get our hands on that ring, then maybe we could use it to change her perception of my mother.

…

The next day, my mother and I arrived at the auction venue on time. Alas, we saw Queenie holding Yves' arm. I was shocked. Apparently, he had managed to forget all about yesterday's event.

She made her way to us almost the very next moment. "I'm sorry for saying that yesterday, Yvonne. It's just… I've been overseas all these years, and memories can be so hard to forget. I lost it a little when I saw a blast from the past. Let's all get along, alright?"

The comments started rolling again. "That woman and her antics. A bit of crying about her life overseas softened Yves up."

"Yves cares about her too much. Tina's mother could've shown Queenie her place if she hadn't lost her memories."

I looked at my mother.

She grabbed Queenie's hand and put on a smile. "I don't really mind what happened."

She obviously didn't get the mockery and subtle gloating Queenie was dishing out. Queenie pulled her hand back and tugged on Yves' shirt. "Let's go in, Yves. It's starting."

Yves nodded and took Queenie to the VIP room. My mother tried to follow them, but Yves' assistant stopped her. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Chandler, but Mr. Chandler's room only allows two. You and Ms. Tina will have to take a seat in the lobby."

I watched them leave and started panicking, but I couldn't do anything. In the end, I could only follow my mother and take a seat in the lobby.

Right after we sat down, my mother said, "Ms. Samson isn't as bad as you said she would be. She even said sorry for yesterday and tried to be friends with me. She's a nice person."

I nearly fainted at her naivety.

This was my mother's first time showing her face to the public after the accident. The people noticed her sitting in the lobby while Queenie was in the VIP room with Yves, and their eyes fell on us.

"She's a single mother, and Yves' true love is back. I bet they'll be kicked out of the house soon enough."

The auction began soon enough. People in the VIP room raised the prices right from the first item. Yves would bid on anything Queenie looked at for a second longer.

Then, the last item came. It was Ocean's Heart. Thanks to my reminder, my mother started bidding right away, but the VIP room raised the price. It went up to five million, seven million, and then ten.

My mother's phone buzzed. She checked it and immediately looked crushed. Then, she showed me the message. It was from Yves.

"Queenie just flew back, and we're having a family dinner tomorrow. It's been a while since she saw Grandma, so she wants to give the ring to her. You can understand that, right?"

"Let her have it. I'll give you anything else you want."

I clenched my phone tightly and wondered if I should keep raising the bid, but the comments showed up again. I checked them and replied in my mother's stead, "Alright, we'll stop."