Chapter 45: Butterfly

Then the lights dimmed slightly, and the case opened.

The huge screen behind displaced the intricacy of the item.

It was a necklace resting inside the velvet-lined case, its diamonds arranged around several deep emeralds carved into delicate floral motifs.

It was elegant without being ostentatious, and the craftsmanship immediately caught Sienna’s attention.

In no time, the bids reached twenty million. Just as they showed signs of stopping, Sienna raised the bid, "Twenty five million."

Inside the private room, Kira did not say a word. She just quietly glanced at the necklace with doe eyes.

Seth leaned towards her, "You like it?" he whispered.

She clutched his arm and leaned in, "But I have already spent so much..."

He kissed her lips, "Then, this is a gift from me. We are here for you in the first place so the night is yours."

"But sis wants it too. She would never let me have it..."

"It’s not up to her to decide," Seth raised the bid the moment he spoke, "Thirty million."

"Are you backing off?" Jace looked at Sienna.

Sienna shook her head, "Rather than haggling at every step, I might as well wait till the highest bid."

Those lotus patterned emeralds were brought as the centerpiece so naturally it had its value and admirers.

"Thirty one," someone said.

"Thirty two."

"Thirty three."

A hint of impatience appeared on Seth’s face as he stood up and stepped forward, "Forty million."

The man was visible to the public eye from where he stood in the private room.

Once he spoke, many people backed out, recognizing him as a ’Hawke’.

Kira noticed immediately and her face lit up.

"Forty million. Going once. Twice..."

Just as Sienna opened her mouth to speak, another voice came from the other side of the ballroom.

"One hundred million."

The entire room went quiet.

Sienna knew that voice immediately.

In the private room, Kira glanced at Seth, "Why did you stop... ah, actually, it’s fine. They must be crazy to buy that necklace for a hundred million..."

"That was my brother’s voice," Seth calmly said.

Kira followed his gaze, and her expression changed, "Oh."

She quickly smiled and slipped her arm through Seth’s, "Then of course we should let him have it. If we’re going to be family, there’s no reason for us to compete with your brother over something like this."

She glanced toward the direction where Callahan’s voice came from, "But why would he want that necklace? Is he seeing someone? I wonder if it’s that lady who was with him..." Kira mumbled.

Seth looked at her but didn’t answer. But the image of that familiar back he had spotted in Qing’s Annual event flashed in his mind.

After the auction was over, Jace led Sienna to the rooftop terrace of the venue.

"Trust me. Once you get some fresh air, you will feel better."

"I am already feeling good enough," Sienna said.

But the man looked unconvinced, "Why are you sulking?"

"I am not sulking..." Sienna stopped speaking when Callahan came to stand in front of her.

She turned around but Jace was already retreating from the place. He even stopped to wink at her before leaving.

A hint of annoyance crossed Sienna’s face, "You managed to win my friends over."

"I believe that was the purpose of meeting them. They are important to you so I have to win them over," Callahan tilted his head down to look into her eyes but she averted her gaze.

"Meeting them was just a formality. Don’t look too much into it," Sienna’s lips thinned, "Moreover..."

"Our deal was of six months but I have already claimed my shares. I can’t act too soon but in some time, things around the inheritance will be more stable," she added.

"What do you mean?" Callahan’s gaze deepened.

"I will surely fulfill my part of the deal starting tomorrow or today, if you say, since Miss Ivers is already here as your date already..."

"What. do. you. mean?" His voice was colder this time.

A sudden, stinging heat flared beneath her eyelids as anger suffocated her chest. She hadn’t even thrown her temper around, what was he raging for?

"I mean that we can divorce sooner than planned...."

She hadn’t even finished speaking when her mouth was captured. A strong arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her flush against his rigid chest.

The man did not kiss her, unlike the last time, but he kept her mouth sealed shut. The moment she tried to open her mouth, her lips grazed his and it felt like she was the one kissing him.

"Mmp..." Sienna opened her mouth again, only to feel his tongue sliding in. Her eyes widened as her skin grew warm.

Sienna was nearly suffocated by the time he finally released her lips, "Dream on," the man whispered against her lips.

Sienna stepped back from him, covering her lips with her hand.

Callahan raised both his hands in a surrendering position before he tucked them in his pockets as he stepped towards her.

With every steady step he took in her direction, she took a step.

’Thud’

Sienna stopped when her back suddenly hit a wall, "Don’t play games with me. We are not kids anymore, I am not falling for it."

"You fell for it the day you asked me to marry you, butterfly. You started the game, I get to decide when it stops."

Something about the way he called her ’butterfly’ in that lowered, soft and husky voice gave her a bunch of butterflies in stomach.

Sienna was almost bewildered, ’No, he can’t possibly give me butterflies. It must be a can of worms wriggling about... What is he even talking about?’ It wasn’t her fault that she couldn’t think straight.

The man caught her off guard and now, she could barely focus on what he was saying.

"Since my wife decided to ignore and abandon me for the entire day, I am here without a date."

Sienna heard him speak.

She was still pinned to the wall and he didn’t even have to use his hands to keep her in place.