The auction hall buzzed with excitement, but the energy that hit Stephanie and Benjamin was altogether different. The final item, a rare jade-encrusted artifact, had been secured with an audacious bid from Timothy. A hush swept through the crowd when the number was announced, followed by murmurs of disbelief.
Stephanie's grip on Benjamin's arm tightened. Her lips pressed into a thin line as her eyes followed Timothy from the VIP balcony, noting the faint tilt of his head, the slight curl of a smirk as he watched Emily accept the attention below. Every subtle gesture, every delicate smile from Emily seemed magnified under the glow of the crystal chandeliers.
Benjamin noticed Stephanie's tightening posture and the sharp edge in her voice when she muttered, "I can't believe he… spent that much on her."
Benjamin glanced at her, carefully masking the flicker of amusement in his eyes. "It's not about the price," he said softly. "You know that."
Stephanie's nostrils flared slightly. "Then why? Why for her? He shouldn't even he's married to her!
"His treating her differently!"
it's not like anyone expected" Her words stumbled as her own jealousy betrayed her.
Benjamin's gaze shifted to Emily, standing poised amid the admiring crowd. The quiet confidence, the subtle control of every glance and gesture it was intoxicating. Timothy's presence beside her, ever-watchful, added a tension that neither Stephanie nor Benjamin could ignore.
Stephanie grumbled under her breath as they continued to watch. "I swear, Emily knows exactly what she's doing. Look at her… she's… she's using him."
Benjamin exhaled slowly, keeping his voice level despite the flicker of heat rising in his chest. "Emily has always had that… effect. Don't let it get to you."
Stephanie shot him a glare, but there was a corner of her mind that knew he wasn't entirely wrong. The artifact, the applause, the subtle way Emily's eyes had met Timothy's from across the room it was a dance of power and allure, and she had no idea how to step into the rhythm.
When the auction concluded, the drive home was thick with unspoken tension. Stephanie sat stiffly beside Benjamin, fingers clenching and unclenching. Benjamin's eyes were forward, but his mind lingered on Emily's expression earlier calm, yet luminous with something almost imperceptibly mischievous. Timothy had not only won the item; he had, without realizing it, reinforced Emily's control over the room.
Stephanie broke the silence, her tone lower now, sharper. "I still can't believe it. He didn't even hesitate. He… he just did it. For her."
Benjamin tilted his head slightly, lips twitching as he struggled to suppress a smile. "And yet," he said softly, "she didn't seem to need it. Did you notice that? She barely reacted. Almost like she already expected it."
Stephanie's jaw clenched at the words. She didn't speak again, but her gaze kept drifting toward Benjamin.
"Does he like her now that she's different?"
" Emily!" She shouted in her mind
You can't take him back from me!
------------------
Meanwhile, Emily returned home with Timothy and went straight to her room, closing the door softly behind her. The weight of the evening pressed lightly against her chest, not as a burden, but as a reminder of what had happened that evening and Timothy's attention.
She opened her laptop, the private site blinking quietly in the corner a place she and Apolo had used long before her death. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard for a moment before she typed, the message simple, but heavy with meaning:
"I am still alive."
She sent it, the confirmation blinking back at her. Somewhere, across the globe, Apolo would read it and understand. And for Emily, that was all that mattered.
The night settled around her like a soft cloak. Outside her window, the city lights shimmered faintly, but inside, Emily smiled, just slightly, as she leaned back and replayed what happened that evening in her mind as if trying to figure out how to deal with the situation.
She had promised herself not to allow any emotional charges between her and Timothy, at least not for now.
"She has a lot of blood debt to collect form her enemies."
And romance, is a luxury she can't afford now.