The CEO's Empathy Pregnancy Pains
Chapter 164 Paying for Love

"Alright, Mrs. Smith is in with $140,000!"

"Ms. Saunders isn't backing down, $280,000!"

"Our bidder number eight just threw in $700,000!"

"We've hit $1,000,000!"

At first, it was just Emily and Alice going head-to-head.

But soon enough, some sharp-eyed folks noticed how unique the ruby was and started jacking up the price.

The place was buzzing, with reporters scrambling to get the scoop.

In no time, the ruby's price shot up to $1,680,000.

Alice wasn't fazed. Her family was in the clothing business and had been living abroad for ages, so they had deep pockets. Dropping $2,000,000, or even $20,000,000, was no biggie for them.

But the catch was, all that money belonged to her parents. Spending a little was fine, but for a big amount, she needed their okay.

Honestly, a plain ruby wasn't anything special. Alice's parents definitely wouldn't want to shell out a fortune for it.

Just as Alice was wavering, Emily upped the bid again. "$2,100,000!"

Even though she raised the bid, Emily was super anxious. She loved the ruby, but she didn't have that kind of cash lying around.

Plus, her mom needed money for medical bills, and she would need money after her divorce.

She had a lot of expenses, and this $2,100,000 was part of the assets she'd get after divorcing Michael. It was clearly her limit. When Emily bid $2,100,000, Michael realized she really wanted the ruby.

The auctioneer chimed in, "Alright, Mrs. Smith has bid $2,100,000. Anyone else want to go higher?"

"$2,100,000 going once!"

"$2,100,000 going twice!"

"$2,100,000..."

"$2,800,000!"

Just as the auctioneer was about to close the bid, Bryan strolled in from outside the hall. He put down his phone and raised his hand to signal the stage.

The crowd turned to look, and Penelope was stunned. She'd never heard of Bryan being into gemstones or diamonds. Why was he willing to drop so much on a ruby today? Or did he have another reason? Thinking about it, Penelope couldn't help but frown. She realized she didn't know her son as well as she thought.

$2,800,000? She didn't know who Bryan was buying it for, but it was out of Emily's league. She couldn't go any higher.

"$3,000,000!" Suddenly, someone else jumped in, raising the price by another $200,000. To them, $200,000 was like pocket change.

But the higher the price went, the more Emily felt the ruby slipping away from her.

Jessica, watching the drama unfold, shook her head and sighed. "It's just a ruby. There are more items coming up. Is it really worth it for these people? This isn't fun at all. I'd rather get back to filming!" Jessica expected her agent, Layla Webb, sitting next to her, to chime in.

But Layla was silent for a long time. Curious, Jessica looked over and saw Layla staring blankly at the crowd.

Following her gaze, Jessica frowned. "Layla, why are you staring at Emily?"

Layla turned her head, her eyes sparkling. "Do you know that girl?"

Jessica replied, "Yeah, she's the wife of my friend, Michael, the president of Smith Corporation. Her name's Emily Brown." Layla's face showed a hint of regret. "Married... But with such a good look, it's not impossible to negotiate..." Negotiate what? Jessica's curiosity was piqued, but before she could ask, Layla stopped looking in that direction.

Layla just reminded her to keep it cool and not talk too much in front of the media.

Feeling a bit helpless, Jessica shut her mouth and put on a serious face to look more mature.

"$4,200,000!" The auction kept going. Bryan single-handedly drove the price up to $4,200,000.

The room went silent for a moment.

The auctioneer looked at Penelope's expression while addressing Bryan. "Alright, Mr. Watson has bid $4,200,000. Anyone want to go higher? Ladies and gentlemen, we're about to finalize the bid!" "You're not bidding anymore?" The voice on stage almost matched the one beside her. Emily turned and saw Michael staring at her.

Emily replied, "The price has jumped from $140,000 to $4,200,000. Bryan seems set on getting it. I think... he probably wants to buy it for Alice. I'll let him have it. Besides, there are more items coming up." Before Emily could finish, Michael stood up and made a gesture to the crowd.

Emily froze.

She'd been married to Michael for years and had attended countless auctions with him. She knew this gesture well.

It meant "keep bidding," signaling that they were determined to get the ruby, no matter how high the price went. Michael wouldn't back down.

So, Emily rarely saw this gesture at auctions. There were always more items to bid on, and the next one might be even better. It was rare to see someone so set on one item.

When Michael did this, everyone was surprised.

The media jumped on the chance to snap photos and write articles.

#Mrs. Smith's Love for the Ruby Faces Fierce Bidding

#Mr. Smith Buys Ruby for Wife at a High Price

Seeing this, Penelope quickly looked at Bryan.

Bryan noticed Penelope's gaze, which seemed to remind him, "Don't go head-to-head with Michael."

After all these years, Bryan knew he still couldn't compete with Michael.

The ruby was already at $4,200,000. Even if it went higher, Smith Corporation could handle it.

But what about him? His gaming business was just starting, and he'd argued with his father ten minutes ago.

Now his mother was giving him a look from the stage. Bryan knew that as a scion of a wealthy family, his life was never really his own.

In the end, as Michael wished, the ruby ended up in his hands.

The $4,200,000 was just pocket money to make his beloved smile.

Seeing this, Daniel was stunned, and it was Veda's words that brought him back to reality. "Michael is really good to Emily. I guess they probably won't get divorced after all."