Deceived 26

Chapter 26

***

Sponsored by LC. Thank you ❤️ (5/6)

***

05. Fraud

The auction took place in a mansion of unknown ownership, slightly removed from the city center of Borsa. Outwardly, it appeared to be an ordinary two-story building, but deep underground lay a secret auction house accessible only to those with discerning taste.

The entrance to the basement was guarded by armed security personnel. Guests had to present their invitations and undergo identity verification before being allowed downstairs. Blair followed Isaac, constantly scanning her surroundings. She still hadn't fully grasped why she was accompanying him here.

The underground auction hall was far larger and darker than she had anticipated. Purple velvet curtains hung from the windowless walls, and dozens of seats were arranged around a semicircular podium. The vast space was already half-filled with people dressed in colorful attire.

"Right here. I've already reserved seats for us."

Isaac wore a sly smile, his arm hooked around hers as if something delighted him immensely. Blair reluctantly followed him toward the seats he indicated. Their spot was in the center, facing the podium directly, and for some reason, she felt all eyes were on them.

Furrowing her brow at the unusual murmurs, Blair soon realized why. Someone was already seated next to Isaac.

“…Ah.”

It was a familiar face. A woman with fiery red hair and striking features. Dressed in a black satin gown that revealed her cleavage, she was none other than Nicoletta Underhill.

"What are you doing? Hurry up and take your seat."

Seeing Blair hesitate, Isaac slyly pulled her along.

"Both ladies will be spending special time with me today, so I hope you'll get along nicely."

Nicoletta, who had been staring straight ahead, lifted her head. Her expression showed no surprise whatsoever; she smiled gracefully, her eyes crinkling at the corners, a look that perfectly evoked a stage actress.

"How lovely to see you, Miss Twyford. I never imagined we'd meet again in such a setting."

"......"

"Lord Doman invited me."

Isaac Dormon took a seat beside Nicoletta and attempted to seat Blair next to him as well.

His fiancée on his left, his mistress on his right. The moment Blair realized this arrangement, she understood the true reason she had been summoned to this auction. Isaac, flanked by a woman on each side, intended to revel in the spectacle he had orchestrated.

It was a preview of what life would be like after marriage. He knew there was little Blair could do about it, even if it went this far.

Blair folded her hands, growing cold, and sat down without a word. She steadied her breath, hoping they wouldn't hear her heart pounding wildly. She refused to show any sign of humiliation.

Just then, the auctioneer took the podium and announced the first item in a booming voice.

"The first glorious item we present to you today! A ruby rough discovered in the western mining district, as you can see, large and radiating a deep, rich luster! We'll start the appraisal at 20,000 flans!"

"Isaac, are you going to bid on that?"

"Hmm... I don't know. It's not really my taste. Do you want it?"

"Isaac..."

Nicoletta shrugged her shoulders, unable to contain her excitement. Seeing the unmistakable flush of a woman in love, Blair was seized by a strange sensation.

Wasn't this a place that cut down not only her but Nicoletta too? And Nicoletta was nothing but a disgraceful mistress—was she really okay with being mocked?

"If you like it, just say so, Nic."

"It's fine. But now I feel like looking at other things too…."

Nicoletta's deliberate whisper, laced with damp breath, reached Blair clearly where she sat. Blair almost wanted to cover her ears.

"Something as big and dark as that."

"Then shall we step outside for some fresh air?"

"Mm-hmm."

Isaac rose without hesitation, taking Nicoletta with him. The pair walked away without a glance back, soon disappearing from sight. Blair didn't even manage a self-deprecating remark.

If Isaac's goal had been to make her feel humiliated by bringing her here, he had succeeded. Blair had never experienced such an unpleasant moment in her life.

"Is this seat taken?"

A low, composed voice settled over her then. Raising her head a beat too late, Blair flinched involuntarily. There was no way she couldn't recognize the owner of that voice, which had barged in without warning.

"Ah... yes, it's empty."

"Excuse me for a moment."

Edmund bowed his head lightly and sat down in the seat to Blair's left. Blair kept his eyes fixed on the podium, unnecessarily lowering her voice.

"What brings Lord Liberte here?"

"I had an invitation from Doman myself and thought I'd come see the show. Auctions are quite an interesting spectacle."

The man murmured meaningfully, then added, looking this way.

"It's a bit disappointing if you don't remember that night."

He was referring to the moment they had discovered the golden key together in the clubhouse library. More precisely, the moment they stood facing each other, almost touching, the moment Blair held her breath, waiting for his kiss.

“…So, do you plan to bid on anything?”

“I’m considering it. What about you, Miss Twyford?”

“…….”

“Is your purpose for coming to the auction to bid? Or to be bid on?”

Even without turning her head, she could sense the playful glint in his gaze touching her cheek.

"Since it was an unwanted position, neither. And the auction item is an object, right? Not a person."

"Depending on the circumstances, people can have price tags too. Especially in places like this, desire often becomes the most accurate standard for pricing."

There was no room for rebuttal. It was a description that fit her situation all too well. Blaire, sitting right here now, was the clearest proof of that fact.

"The very fact that no one finds that strange..."

At that moment, applause erupted from all sides. The first auction item, the ruby rough, had been sold to someone.

"Quite an elegant tragedy, isn't it?"

Blair, who had kept her gaze fixed straight ahead the entire time, finally turned her head to look up at the man. She stared directly into his shadowed eyes before moving her lips.

"A lot has happened to me these past few days. And I've confirmed that your words were correct."

"So you felt betrayed, then?"

"I realized how naive I was. I didn't believe it, but I suppose I still hoped. At least I thought they'd act human. But they... well..."

How could she describe this emotion, burning amidst such tangled thoughts? As Blair faltered, unable to continue, Edmund quietly responded without missing a beat.

"You want revenge, don't you?"

“…I suppose.”

“Perhaps you’d like to have a fling. A suitable candidate happens to be right before Lady Twyford’s eyes.”

Blair let out a hollow laugh. Somehow, Edmund always made her laugh.

“I don’t wish to stoop to that level.”

"Then have you given any thought to the proposal I made earlier?"

Upon reflection, it wasn't much different from an affair. Taking this man's hand would inevitably embroil her in scandal anyway. A woman who had broken off her engagement to Isaac not long ago and then married his longtime acquaintance in a whirlwind ceremony. Ultimately, the world would whisper that she had chosen an affair.

Therefore, the logic was simple. Would she be destroyed by their hands, or would she at least choose where to fall?

"If I say I've considered it, is Lord Liberte’s proposal still valid?"