Going Our Separate Ways

Luthen’s eyes lit up with curiosity. He leaned in and asked eagerly, “You don’t mean Grace Lowe, do you? I’ve heard she’s insanely accomplished. She speaks sixteen languages, offloaded all her real estate assets right before the housing market crashed, and reinvested it all into the hottest AI projects. People call her a genius in the investment world.”

Cara replied, “That’s right. If I can leverage my connection with the Lowes, the major film I’ve been planning will have no trouble securing funding.”

Just the mention of Grace Lowe sent a buzz through the room.

“She’s always so low-key. If it weren’t for this charity auction, I doubt we’d even get the chance to see her in person.”

“Exactly! I heard she’s putting ten billion’s worth of collectibles up for auction herself. She’s so humble and still devoted to charity. She’s the model for our generation.”

“I heard she’s already married, and her daughter’s a genius too. The kid is only seven, but she’s already accepted into a junior academic program and racking up science awards left and right.”

The crowd was growing more animated when suddenly, the doors swung open and a little girl walked in wearing a school uniform clearly marked with the elite academy’s logo.

A moment later, a team of bodyguards filed in behind her, followed by the auction house manager, who was hurrying after her and calling out, “Missy, slow down! Wait for me!”

The girl grinned mischievously and made a silly face, skipping ahead without slowing.

Instantly, the entire room caught on. That had to be Grace Lowe’s daughter.

People rushed over, surrounding her like bees to honey. Everyone bent down with fake smiles plastered across their faces, trying to charm her.

“Sweetheart, what’s your name? You look just like your mom. You’re so pretty and adorable!”

Luthen, thinking he could score points, squeezed his way in and pulled a bar of chocolate from his pocket. “I’ve got chocolate for you. It’s delicious!”

I saw my daughter reach for the candy, and my heart jumped. She was right in the middle of losing her baby teeth, and both her mom and I had been strict about keeping her off sweets.

I pushed past the crowd, reaching out to pull her back, until Luthen suddenly stopped me, standing protectively in front of her and snapping at me.

“George, are you out of your damn mind? Do you really think grabbing the little princess will get you in with the Lowes? One word from them and they could crush you like a bug.”

I didn’t say a word. However, he must’ve thought his jab hit home because he shoved me hard, then turned toward the auction house manager and called out smugly.

“Hey! Call the cops on this guy. He snuck into the event somehow and even stole one of the auction watches!”

The auction house manager’s expression shifted at once. As his eyes scanned over my messy appearance and the expensive watch on my wrist, he barked orders at the hotel’s lobby manager.

“What’s going on here? This hotel is under Lowe Corporation! If anything goes wrong, neither of us can afford to clean it up. Call the police. Get that watch back!”

Cara hadn’t said a word through it all. Her gaze toward me turned colder, filled with growing disgust. She was probably embarrassed to be associated with me, afraid I’d ruin her reputation in front of these people.

Glowing with satisfaction, Luthen turned back to my daughter and reached out his hand, voice soft as he said, “Were you scared, sweetheart? Come to me. I’ve got more chocolate for you.”

However, she ignored him completely. She pushed past the people crowding around, reached out for my hand, and said in her clear, childish voice, “Dad, why are your clothes all wet?”