Sienna met her icy gaze without flinching.
"Maeve, if this wasn't a Fletcher Group event, I wouldn't have bothered saying a word. I'm only stepping in out of respect for Finn."
She paused, letting the silence stretch. "You mentioned I'm unfamiliar with the protocol. But before arriving, I actually reviewed the historical proceedings for the charity auction. It's true that the opening gavel is historically struck by a female member of the Fletcher family. However, there is a fundamental prerequisite..."
Her gaze swept across the transfixed audience.
"The individual must possess a significant degree of social standing and positive public influence. So tell me, Sasha Beaumont—which of those do you actually possess?"
Sasha's face flushed a violent, humiliating crimson.
She opened her mouth, but couldn't force a single word past her teeth.
She had spent the better part of the year failing the Health Commission exams.
She had quit her previous job to study.
In the eyes of society, she was currently completely unemployed—a wealthy freeloader with no title, no career, and absolutely zero independent social standing.
Sienna's surgical strike completely eviscerated her carefully constructed facade.
Another socialite suddenly chimed in, her voice carrying clearly across the room.
"Ms. Sterling makes a phenomenal point. If you ask me, she is the only appropriate candidate. Setting her relationship with Mr. Fletcher aside, she's the Lead Inspector for the Health Commission, the youngest female official in her department, and the sole owner of Serenity Books. Any one of those titles makes her overqualified."
She offered a saccharine smile.
"Wouldn't you agree, Ms. Beaumont?"
Sasha's face shifted from crimson to a sickly, furious purple. She felt like she was going to hyperventilate.
The Health Commission position should have been hers!
If Sienna hadn't stolen it, she wouldn't be enduring this waking nightmare!
Her lips trembled as she practically spat out her response.
"Yes, Sienna is just so impressive. Let's not forget she used to be Silas Hayes's girlfriend."
She tilted her chin up, deliberately raising her voice for maximum exposure.

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The readers' comments on the novel: I Stopped Loving Him When He Let Me Bleed Out
There are so many more chapters, why did you discontinue updating it n marked as complete Requesting you to kindly undate...