The World Is Her Oyster

Yvonne had always made excuses for Marcus, but now, she knew that he simply didn't care for her.

"I would like to thank the Cunningham Group for sponsoring tonight's auction. Now, let us begin," the auctioneer announced.

Rachel was hanging off Marcus' arm as they took their seats.

The first item was a gold bracelet carved with intricate patterns. Yvonne watched as Rachel whispered something to Marcus. He raised his paddle, raising the price from 100,000 dollars to a million dollars.

"Such generosity! As expected from Mr. Cunningham!" someone said. "I heard Rachel Sinclair was his first love, the one that got away. Now that she's back, it looks like he's determined to win her back!"

"But I heard Mr. Cunningham was engaged. Wouldn't that make Ms. Sinclair the mistress?" another whispered.

"Oh, stop it. Didn't you hear? She's his first love. She came first! Besides, I know that he only got engaged to his current fiancée because his family pressured him. I heard that she's deaf. How could she possibly be a good match for him?"

Around Yvonne, the patrons gossiped about Marcus and Rachel's love story, as if talking about it would allow them to join in the drama.

Every word stabbed at her heart. Unable to take it any longer, she left the hall and went to the exhibition area.

It was an auction, but some jewelry pieces were displayed for sale at fixed prices in the exhibition area. If anyone fancied an item, they could purchase it directly.

Even though there were a lot of people around, they weren't quite responsive to her. Yvonne kept getting brushed aside, which made her feel disheartened.

She paused in front of a pink diamond ring.

She looked at the price tag for a moment. Marcus had given her a pink diamond brooch that had a better quality stone than this ring. Maybe it could fetch a higher price.

"Miss, are you interested in this ring?" a voice asked suddenly.

Yvonne looked up and quickly shook her head. "No, I'm not."

Hearing this, the man waved over an attendant and indicated he wanted to buy the ring. "I saw you standing here for quite a long time, so I thought you were interested. I didn't want to buy it if you wanted it."

Yvonne's mind raced. "Oh, not at all. You seem generous, sir—would you be interested in taking a look at a pink diamond brooch I have?"

They exchanged numbers and arranged a time for him to inspect the brooch.

Later, Yvonne learned from Suzy that the man was Xavier Linden. He was a well-known jewelry collector.

Knowing that she was dressed too casually for the auction and shouldn't be lingering by the displays, she headed to the refreshment area to rest and scout for her next potential buyer.

Even the refreshment area was lavish, complete with a huge champagne tower.

"Ms. Chapman, even if Marcus doesn't love you, there's no need to dress so poorly. You look like a country bumpkin."

Yvonne turned to find Rachel scrutinizing her.

"I don't think that's any of your business, Ms. Sinclair," she replied.

"No, it's not," Rachel said. "I just wanted to give you a reminder, Ms. Chapman, that the class divide is still very much pertinent in our society. Even if you got lucky and managed to worm your way into the upper class, it doesn't mean that you actually belong in our circle."

Then, abruptly, her tone changed. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming, Yvonne?"

Yvonne knew immediately that Marcus was nearby. Rachel wouldn't have changed her tone otherwise.

She kept quiet, letting Rachel continue her act.

When Yvonne didn't play along, Rachel stepped closer and pretended to stumble into her. The wide hem of her dress caught on a nearby table, sending the plates and the large champagne tower crashing to the ground.

Both women fell, pinned beneath the shattered glasses.

Rachel's white dress was stained with wine, making the damage visible. Meanwhile, Yvonne's dress, being darker in color, looked fine. Underneath her dress, however, Yvonne had shards of glass piercing into her knee.

Rachel only sustained a superficial wound on her elbow.

Marcus saw the fall from a distance and quickly rushed over. He had lost all his usual composure as he scolded the waitstaff, "How could you place something so dangerous in such dim lighting?"

He quickly ran over to Rachel's side and asked in concern, "Are you hurt?"

Tears filling her eyes, Rachel grabbed his sleeve and said pitifully in defense of the poor waitstaff, "I'm fine."

What a show of kindness.

Yvonne laughed bitterly through her pain.

Finally, Marcus turned and saw her also on the floor. "What are you doing here?" he asked, frowning.

Yeah, what was she doing there? This auction was clearly held to please Rachel. Yvonne had no business being there.

Before Yvonne could answer, Rachel began groaning in pain.

Hearing that, Marcus quickly turned back to her and scooped her into his arms. Then, he turned and glanced at Yvonne, pausing only to instruct the waitstaff whom he had just berated, "Send her to the hospital."

He left without a second glance back. Rachel, leaning against his shoulder, flashed Yvonne a triumphant smile behind his back.

Marcus had made his choice without any hesitation. Yvonne's resolve to leave only hardened further.

He had only instructed the waitstaff to send her to the hospital out of courtesy. His true concern was reserved entirely for Rachel.

His love was weighed, and Yvonne was the one with the lighter share, if at all.

Just then, a jacket was draped over Yvonne's shoulders.