Chapter 2

Leo clearly hadn’t expected me—who used to get jealous over him all the time—to say something like that. He froze for a moment.

But he soon had no time to worry about me, because the elderly lady had already taken advantage of the brief moment while the waiter was speaking to hand over her invitation.

Leo’s face darkened instantly.

Before the waiter could even verify it, Leo snatched the invitation and tore it to pieces. The woman was shoved to the ground, and the things in her bag spilled everywhere.

“Are you deaf? Didn’t you hear what I just said? My sister’s birthday is coming up—can’t you give up the seat? With the way you’re dressed, how could you possibly have an invitation? It’s obviously fake!”

The woman looked at the cheeseburger patties scattered across the floor, anger rising in her eyes, her voice turning cold:

“Do you know how long it took me to make those patties? I ordered the beef from a specific butcher, carefully balanced the fat-to-lean ratio, hand-shaped each patty, and pan-seared them in a cast-iron skillet with butter until they were crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. I even topped them with melted cheddar cheese—just to give my son a taste he’s loved since he was a child. He’s been so exhausted lately… I just wanted him to eat something I made. Walking this path… a man needs something to hold onto. And you—what is my son supposed to do now?!”

Ignoring the looks of disgust from those around her, she trembled as she tried to close the crushed food container.

As she stood up, she lost her balance and fell again, her clothes stained with dark meat juices and melted cheese.

The people nearby twisted their faces in revulsion. Several well-dressed women instinctively covered their noses and mouths with silk scarves.

Amy glanced at the congealing grease and bits of meat and immediately started retching. Seeing this, Leo covered her eyes.

“You actually brought something this greasy into an auction house? So what if it spilled? It’s not like it’s anything valuable! Name your price—I’ll pay you! And as for this seat, just give me a number. I’ll buy it from you.”

As he spoke, Leo pulled out a black-and-gold card from his inner suit pocket and tossed it onto the mess of ruined patties.

The woman didn’t even glance at it. She simply flicked the card back toward him, her voice weary but firm.

“Young man, I don’t want your card. My son gave me this invitation. This seat is mine, and there’s something in the auction that I want.”

She groped around, trying to find her sunglasses again, her cloudy and unfocused eyes exposed to the air.

“My eyesight is almost gone. The doctor says I only have about a month left. That pearl necklace in the auction used to belong to a dear friend of mine. Before I lose my sight completely, I want to touch it with my own hands and bring it home.”

Amy looked at the black-and-gold card—covered in grease—that had just slapped against her face before landing in her hand, and gagged again.

After wiping it with a tissue, she slipped it back into Leo’s pocket.

“So you want to bid on that necklace too? With the way you look, can you even afford it? Forget it, Leo. I don’t want to waste my breath anymore. Just thinking about competing with someone like her for an auction seat is already ridiculous…”

With that, Amy turned to leave, but Leo grabbed her arm.

“Amy, listen to me. I’m not giving this seat to her—and I’m definitely not giving up the necklace.”

After coaxing Amy back into her seat with a tender look, Leo turned toward the woman, his expression instantly exploding with rage.

He grabbed her wrist and roared, eyes wide:

“You say your eyesight is almost gone? You seemed to be walking just fine! If you don’t want to give up the seat, don’t make up excuses like that. Do you think we’d pity you? Do you even know who I am? In the entire New York underworld, who doesn’t give me some respect?”

The surrounding guests began stepping forward to persuade them.

“Madam, just forget it. He’s the Underboss of the Colombo family. Fighting him won’t end well.”

“That’s right. There will be more auctions in the future, and plenty of good items. Just let them have it this time.”

I suddenly remembered the way the woman had staggered slightly when she left the auction in my previous life. It dawned on me that her claim about losing her eyesight might actually be true.

Thinking back to the car accident I had last year, when I was temporarily blinded and nearly broke down, my heart softened.

In this life, I hadn’t forced Leo to give up the seat.

But surely giving up my own reserved seat would be fine.

With that thought, I set down my champagne, walked toward the woman, and said softly,

“Madam, you can have my seat. Please sit over here. I’m not very interested in tonight’s auction items anyway.”

The woman froze for a moment and waved her hands repeatedly.

I smiled. “It’s fine. I attend auctions quite often. Missing this one won’t matter. You can use my paddle to bid on whatever you like.”

A faint spark of light flickered in her cloudy eyes. She removed the ring from her finger and placed it in my palm.

“Miss, I only wanted to keep a low profile today, so this is the only slightly valuable thing I brought with me… When my son comes to pick me up later, I’ll make sure he thanks you properly.”

After refusing several times, I finally accepted it. I gave her a polite smile in return.

Then I turned and walked toward the restroom.

I wanted to smoke a cigarette to calm myself down.

Partly because I was worried she might feel uneasy if I stayed nearby—and partly because I truly couldn’t stand watching Amy’s pretentious act any longer.