Chapter 7

"You're saying it can't be done?" Gloom clouded Sarah's eyes when she heard what Nancy said.

"Sarah, my friend couldn't help. But don't worry, I've already passed the documents to my brother," Nancy continued. "My brother says with all the paperwork complete, it'll be done in seven days."

Nancy never imagined Duncan would outright refuse without even looking at the documents.

He was a one-in-a-million man, so he was proud, cold, and aloof.

He was willing to show Nancy a little patience because of her sister.

She thought she was a little different than other women to him.

Yet he told her, "Don't waste your time on me."

That shattered her illusion.

Had she overestimated that bit of patience after all?

But he kept no other women around him. She still had a chance.

Hearing Nancy's follow-up, Sarah's taut nerves relaxed. A dull pain surged from the wound on her wrist. "Thank you, Nancy. And thank your brother for me too."

"Sarah, did something happen? You don't sound well."

"It's nothing." Sarah didn't want Nancy to worry about her. As long as she could get divorced and have no more contact with them, her mood would gradually improve. "Can you come to tomorrow's charity auction?"

"There's a jewelry exhibition in Deepville. I probably can't make it," Nancy said regretfully.

Nancy's sister had married far away, and her older brother had become a prominent lawyer. Nancy was the only child left to inherit the family business.

Therefore, she was incredibly busy, yet she still made time to help Sarah. Sarah was deeply grateful. "When you come back from your business trip, I'll treat you and your brother to dinner. Take care."

After she hung up, she realized the bandage on her wrist was soaked with blood. She went back into the dress salon and asked the manager for the first aid kit to re-bandage the wound.

She and Alice quickly picked out a gown, then parted ways.

Meanwhile, in a high-class restaurant, Kyle bent down to report to Jack. "Mr. Ferrell, the reporters' cameras have been dealt with. They didn't capture anything."

"Mmh." Jack's expression was indifferent.

Sitting across from him, Haley's knife and fork paused briefly before quickly resuming on the steak to hide her panic. "Excuse me, I need to go to the restroom."

With his acknowledgment, she stood up and walked away.

In the restroom, she urgently made a call. "I'll send the final payment right now! If any of you dare to leak anything, I'll make sure you never return to Seaview."

The reporter wailed, "Miss Cole, even if you let us come back, we wouldn't dare! Mr. Ferrell's men said they'll beat us every time they see us!

"Never contact us for this kind of work again.

"Mr. Ferrell clearly still cares about his wife. We almost got beaten to death!"

"Shut up!"

Haley hung up and looked at herself in the mirror, her eyes sinister and obsessive.

How could Jack possibly care about her sister?

He drove the reporters out of Seaview to protect her reputation, not her sister's.

Only 28 days left!

No, that's way too long!

She couldn't wait any longer!

She wanted to capture nude pictures of Sarah and publish them in the papers to humiliate her publicly so Jack could justify kicking her out immediately.

However, to her surprise, Sarah had seemingly vanished into thin air in the fitting room!

It seemed she had been too merciful with Sarah.

It was already late at night when Jack returned to the mansion after his candlelit dinner with Haley.

He stood at the door of the master bedroom for a moment, then reached for the door handle.

Suddenly, his phone rang.

It was a call from the overseas branch. He released the handle and went to the second-floor study to take his routine international conference call.

-

Sarah, exhausted, dragged her suitcase to Moonlight Bay.

The property was a 230-square-meter fully renovated apartment, perfect for moving in with just her luggage.

She tidied up the master bedroom briefly and made do for the night.

Initially, she thought she wouldn't be able to fall asleep in an unfamiliar bed, but after taking cold medicine, she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

She woke up the next day.

When she remembered that, in 27 days, she'd be going abroad and returning to the research career she loved, she immediately felt energized.

She went to the hotel to arrange the charity auction, coordinating all the procedures.

That evening, the hotel came alive as socialites and wealthy wives gathered.

As precious items were auctioned off one by one, Alice grew visibly excited. "Ms. Langdon, we're almost at three million!"

Sarah heaved a sigh of relief.

This money was to fund surgeries for children with leukemia.

They needed at least three million.

When the finale item—the wedding ring—was placed on the auction stage, a commotion rose at the entrance.

The reporters' flashbulbs lit up the hall as a handsome man and a beautiful woman walked into the auction venue arm in arm.

Sarah's eyes widened in shock when she saw the ruby necklace Haley was wearing.

That was her grandmother's keepsake, one of the items her mother had given her when she got married.

She had kept it locked in the jewelry cabinet.

Unaware of the situation, the wealthy wives assumed Sarah was upset by their appearance and mocked with laughter.

"Don't be angry, Mrs. Ferrell. Men are all like this."

"At least he's not with an outsider."

The mockery was endless.

He had brought her into their home, and now, he was parading her around in public.

Though furious, Sarah held back her anger after seeing the children who had come to the auction as representatives for leukemia patients. "Arrange seats for them."

Raising funds came first.

Alice stepped forward and led Jack and Haley to front-row seats.

The wealthy wives who mocked Sarah earlier put on completely different faces when they talked to Jack and Haley. Some praised Haley's beauty, while others complimented her dress and necklace. They treated her as if she were Mrs. Ferrell.

Sarah decided to ignore them and signaled for the auctioneer to continue.

When the spotlight fell on the pink diamond ring on display, an extremely cold gaze fell on Sarah.

The crowd began whispering among themselves.

"Isn't that Mrs. Ferrell's wedding ring? I remember seeing it in the newspapers. What's going on?"

"What else could it be? She doesn't even want her wedding ring anymore. It seems..."

Sarah ignored the whispers and signaled for the auctioneer to begin.

The auctioneer announced, "Starting bid, $180,000. Each raise is $10,000. Let's begin."

But the entire venue fell silent. No one raised a paddle.

Sarah realized everyone was afraid of Jack and didn't dare bid on the pink diamond ring.

As the chair of the charity foundation, she wasn't allowed to participate in the bidding. Looking at the innocent, adorable children sitting on the couches, she grew increasingly anxious.

She suddenly thought of Neil and immediately called him. "Neil, could you bid on the pink diamond ring on my behalf? I'll transfer the money back to you later."

"Of course," Neil said.

A clear, deep voice rang out, echoing through the grand auction hall. "$190,000."

She followed the sound and saw a tall man standing against the light.

He wore a dark gray trench coat, with a white shirt and black trousers hugging his athletic frame underneath. He strode forward with confidence.

The air he exuded was extraordinary, like a bright moon hanging high in the sky. His dark eyes were deep and cold.

She always felt a sense of déjà vu when she saw him.

But this was only their third meeting.

"Duncan Cunningham? That's the third son of the Cunningham family who just returned from overseas! He's only been back for two weeks."

"My husband sent this low-profile tech magnate invitations for half a month but couldn't get him to visit, but he actually showed up at a Ferrell Corporation Charity Foundation event. Are Ferrell Corporation and Cunningham Corporation planning a major collaboration?"

"I haven't heard anything about it! But if the strong join forces, Seaview's GDP will take off! If only our family could get in on it too."

"Wow, he's so handsome!"

"He used to be an air force pilot. He's even more handsome in uniform!"

"Too bad he's cold and unapproachable."

Sarah listened to the wealthy wives' admiration as news reporters frantically took photos of Duncan. She came back to her senses. "Neil, Mr. Cunningham came to the charity foundation! Did you invite him?"

"The Cunningham family has always been passionate about charity. When Mr. Cunningham asked about it, I recommended the Ferrell Corporation Charity Foundation." Neil gave an affirmative answer.

"Thank you, Neil."

She hung up and went up to greet Duncan excitedly, extending a hand to him. "Mr. Cunningham, welcome!"

She had received a donation from Cunningham Corporation that morning, and now the CEO of Cunningham Corporation had shown up in person!

What an honor!

Her hand was clasped by his warm palm. His gaze landed on her wrist.

She realized her wrist was wrapped in white bandages and, feeling it was inappropriate, quickly withdrew her hand. She followed the cold man as he took his seat.

Across the aisle, she heard Haley and Jack talking.

"I heard Mr. Cunningham is very low-profile and rarely attends events like these. How did Sarah manage to invite him?"

Hearing that, Jack glanced at Duncan and raised his paddle with an indifferent expression. "$300,000."

Duncan sat at ease, his expression cold and composed, and raised his paddle.

The auctioneer said, "$310,000, going once."

Jack's expression grew colder. He said, "$750,000."

How could he let his wedding ring fall into someone else's hands?

The crowd buzzed with surprise. Their gazes turned to Duncan, anticipating his countermove.

Sarah stared at Duncan in a daze. He set his paddle aside, not intending to continue.

Indeed, it wasn't worth continuing.

The auctioneer brought down the gavel with finality.

Immediately after, she heard Haley's excited exclamation.

"Wow, you're amazing, Jack!"

Sarah looked at Jack in disbelief.

Businessmen always pursue profit, and Jack was known for his shrewdness more than most, yet he had paid far above market value for the pink diamond ring.

This should be the second miscalculated investment in his life.

Only this time, it was for Haley.

The evening had raised a total of $3.3 million in charity funds, far exceeding expectations.

Sarah was happy about that but couldn't smile.

She saw the children off and, on her way back in, saw Jack and Haley standing arm in arm.

The man's expression was gloomy. Toying with the dazzling pink diamond ring in his hand, he asked her, his voice cold, "Why did you sell the wedding ring?"

Not far away, the lively banquet continued. People whispered and pointed, mocking Sarah, saying she was out of favor and cast away by her own husband...

What should have been an event for children with leukemia was now all about their scandal. He had ruined it by parading Haley around.

The charity project she had painstakingly organized for Ferrell Corporation, for his reputation and for his benefits, had been casually destroyed by his indifference.

In that instant, she felt powerless and stopped pretending. "I don't want it anymore. I don't want you nor our marriage anymore..."