Chapter 149

The auction hall erupted in murmurs.

The next piece up for bidding was yet another from Taylor Jewelry. After several rounds, their highest-priced item had already soared to a staggering $263,000,000—far surpassing any other lot.

The screen flickered, revealing a dazzling peacock blue necklace.

Gregory Fannon’s gaze darted nervously toward Evelyn. Adrian Boucher, noticing his reaction, also glanced at Evelyn from the corner of his eye.

Seller: Vivian Vanderbilt

A ripple of confusion spread through the crowd. Most sellers here were either renowned corporations or celebrated designers. Vivian’s name, however, drew blank stares.

Only a handful recognized her from the Twitter drama involving Penelope Santiago.

Yet, the necklace on display was undeniably striking.

The peacock blue piece featured a teardrop-shaped sapphire at its center, surrounded by a cascade of melee blue diamonds forming the peacock’s tail.

This was Peacock’s Pride—Evelyn’s original design.

Too bad Vivian had copied the sketch without realizing the main stone should have been tanzanite. That one change would have elevated it to another level entirely.

In the Blossom Room, Vivian barely contained her glee. Her heart raced as the numbers on the screen climbed higher.

Lillian de Arma turned to her. "This is your design?"

Vivian smiled sweetly. "Yes."

She was lucky she’d rushed to submit it before Evelyn could. So what if Evelyn had sketched it first? It was hers now.

Lillian said nothing, but her brows furrowed as she studied the piece.

It was beautiful—but incomplete.

The bidding finally stalled at $42,000,000—nearly $50,000,000 less than Taylor’s pigeon blood rubies.

Vivian was still thrilled. She hadn’t expected such a high price.

Evelyn crossed her arms, her crimson lips curling. "$42,000,000 is generous for that."

Adrian smirked. "You seem familiar with this piece?"

She met his gaze. "It’s mine."

His eyes flickered with surprise. "Then why is someone else auctioning it?"

Her own design, stolen and sold before her own version could debut—yet she remained composed.

Adrian was impressed.

Then chaos erupted.

The next item flashed on screen, and the crowd erupted in confusion.

"Isn’t this the same necklace?"

"What’s going on? Are they selling duplicates now?"

Lillian turned to Vivian, her expression unreadable. "Explain this."

Vivian feigned innocence. "I have no idea. Someone must have plagiarized me."

This was it—Evelyn’s downfall.

But then the seller’s name appeared.

Zara.

Gasps filled the room.

Zara—the legendary international jewelry designer—had created an identical piece to Vivian Vanderbilt’s?

Staff scrambled to check the system for errors.

None were found.