Jasper looked over when the reporter asked me the question.
I smiled faintly. “That’s a question that Mr. Smith is more suited to answer.” Then, I walked into the venue.
During the auction, Nicole and Jasper acted like conjoined twins and kept being lovey-dovey with each other with no regard for the others around them. It did not stop Jasper from stealing frequent looks at me.
Nicole had noticed, so she kept trying to go against me. She kept bidding against me for the emerald pendant that I wanted, and it got more and more expensive.
“50 million!” Nicole shot a triumphant look at me, and she looked even more smug when I did not bid a higher price. She turned and whined playfully at Jasper, “Jaspie, I like that emerald piece. Will you bid for it and give it to me?”
Jasper saw how pale I was and tweaked Nicole’s nose in satisfaction. He said fondly, “When have I ever refused you anything that you liked?”
I watched as the gift my mother had left me was handed over to Nicole, and my chest heaved. My eyes turned red with anger.
That was a family heirloom that my mother had given me before she died. Once, when Jasper’s company had run into financial troubles, I had had no choice but to sell the emerald pendant to help him get through it.
He had once sworn to me that once the company got back on track, he would get the emerald pendant back for me.
However, although the company continued to grow in size, the original buyer of the emerald pendant could not be found.
I had finally managed to find out that the emerald pendant would be auctioned off, so I had been fully prepared, only to be foiled by Nicole.
After the auction, Jasper held a charity banquet specially for Nicole. Nicole insisted that I join, but I refused.
Because of that, Jasper threatened me. “If you want to get the emerald pendant back, then behave and do as Nicole wants.”
At the banquet, Nicole smiled at me. “Aria, I heard that you used to be a dancer. Why don’t you do the opening dance for tonight’s banquet?”
“I’m not feeling well. I can’t dance.” I refused her impassively.
Nicole’s eyes filled with tears at once, and she looked up piteously at Jasper. “Jaspie, is Aria refusing because she still blames me? I didn’t know that she was feeling unwell. All I know is that Aria dances very well, and I want everyone to be able to admire her dancing…”
Jasper’s expression darkened. “Aria, Nicole just wants to give you a chance to show off your skills. She’s doing it for your sake. What kind of attitude is this?”
When he saw that I was resolute, he leaned over to me and said coldly, “Dance, and I’ll give you the emerald pendant.”
I looked at him long and hard and suddenly laughed. “Alright. I’ll dance. I hope that you’ll do as you say.”
Under the contemptuous gazes of everyone there, I went up to dance like a clown. Nicole wouldn’t let them turn off the music and raised the stage up very high.
I couldn’t get down, so I had no choice but to keep dancing. I danced clumsily, without any sense of beauty.
My calf, which had once been broken, started hurting. The wound on my stomach which hadn’t fully healed was also hurting. I was feeling pain all over my body, but I couldn’t stop.
Gradually, I seemed to forget the pain and became immersed in the dance. The music stopped, but I was lost in the dancing.
When I had been stabbed while shielding Jasper a few years ago, my dance career had ended abruptly. I had felt no regrets at the time.
I had been such an idiot.
When the music stopped, it was so quiet that I could hear the sound of people gasping. Everyone was whispering to each other.
“Aria, that’s enough! Stop! Lower the stage!” Jasper yelled furiously at the staff.
“M-Mr. Smith, there’s a problem with the stage and it can’t be lowered right now…”
At that moment, I fell off the stage like a crushed butterfly.
“Aria!” Jasper lunged toward me.
“Oh my! She’s bleeding so much!”
“Hurry! Call an ambulance!”
