Trouble in Paradise

On our way back, Leo was still standing beside Yasmine. When he saw us approaching, he surprisingly nodded at both me and Nicholas a rare acknowledgment. I frowned and glared at him. He had upset Yasmine again!

I had expected Nicholas to ignore him entirely, but to my surprise, he nodded back slightly.

"Please don't interact with Leo anymore, okay? Just seeing him makes me mad!" I whispered to Nicholas.

He let out a low chuckle, indulgent and warm, but didn't directly respond. Instead, he said seriously, "Stay by my side no matter what happens. Don't panic."

Leo eventually walked away, leaving behind a broken sunflower pin and a woman lost in despair.

Ignoring Nicholas' warning for now, I quickly ran to Yasmine's side. "Yasmine, are you okay?"

I gently patted her back to comfort her. Only then did she seem to notice me. She gave me a forced, mechanical smile.

"I'm fine. Nelson didn't do anything to you, did he?"

"Yasmine, you don't have to pretend in front of me. If you don't want to smile, don't."

Her silly smile persisted, though the curve of her lips gradually faded. When she noticed Nicholas beside me, she turned to me and said, "He's here. Maybe I should head back now."

Then, she added with a bittersweet smile, "Nicholas, take good care of Ari, okay? Otherwise, I'll take her and leave, and neither of you will find us."

Her words carried a quiet resignation. At this point, fame and fortune seemed to mean less to her. If given another chance, she might have chosen to leave the country with me for three years. Without those years, certain feelings might not have been ingrained so deeply. Nicholas tensed up. He grabbed my hand and glared fiercely at Yasmine. "You wouldn't!"

"Alright. Stop this," I muttered, feeling a headache brewing.

I realized that Nicholas had become particularly sensitive to words like "leave" or "go". Whenever someone mentioned them, he'd immediately react as if on high alert.

"Yasmine, why don't you stay until this is over? I don't feel comfortable letting you go back alone," I said.

Yasmine was clearly not in a goodnoveldrama

state. After all, Leo had just

discovered the recording device.

I

in her pin. There was no way

I could let her leave by herself.

en

IMS

Just then, the host on stage announced the start of the second half of the auction, urging the guests to return to their seats.

Left with no choice, Yasmine nodded and adjusted herself. She stretched her neck, peeking past me and Nicholas to look at Beth, who was in the next seat. Then, she grinned smugly. "Ms. Gardner, keep trying. Let's see who's better."

Beth gave a wry smile and glanced at Nicholas, only to find that he didn't even spare her a glance, as though she didn't exist.

Admitting defeat, Beth sighed and looked at Yasmine. "I wouldn't dare."

On stage, the host announced that the auction for the land would restart, causing an uproar in the audience.

The crowd consisted of seasoned businesspeople who had attended countless auctions. Yet, none had ever witnessed an auction restart halfway through. Fortunately, the host, being experienced, named me and Beth directly. He explained that we, as the key contenders, had no objections.

Naturally, everyone turned their eyes

to me, Beth, and the man sitting between us-Nicholas. Realization dawned on their faces as they exchanged knowing looks.

The auctioneer seized the moment, speaking loudly and clearly, "Starting price, zero dollars!"