The Love I Begged For Was Never Real novel Chapter 45

Amidst the applause, Gideon stood up. Turning around, he walked toward the VIP exit with cold, measured strides.

Liam stayed behind to handle the tedious paperwork, while Gideon's silhouette quickly vanished through the main doors.

Standing behind the heavy curtain, Nora took it all in.

Fifty million dollars.

Nora had thoroughly reviewed the auction catalog beforehand. The finale pink diamond possessed a breathtakingly vibrant hue.

Giselle's favorite color was pink.

Two young female staff members jogged past carrying a stack of files, their excited whispers drifting clearly into Nora's ears.

"Did you see that out there? Mr. Hayes just dropped fifty million without even blinking!"

"He definitely bought it to spoil his wife. Being Mrs. Hayes must be a dream!"

He hadn't shown up at an event he normally despised for business, and he certainly wasn't there to watch her presentation.

He had endured two hours of boring presentations and dropped fifty million dollars on a whim just to buy a shiny rock for Giselle—all because the girl had casually mentioned she liked it.

Of course. It was for Giselle.

Only Giselle could make him break all his rules, lower himself to attend such a loud, crowded event, just to hand-deliver a piece of jewelry to her.

As for Nora's moment on stage? The blood, sweat, and sleepless nights she and her team had poured into that design? In his eyes, it was probably nothing more than a passable halftime show.

To win tonight's bid and prove her worth as a designer, she had pushed her team through half a month of all-nighters, revising the drafts endlessly, enduring the scrutiny of hundreds of critics on that stage.

The entire budget she fought so desperately for wasn't even a fraction of what Gideon casually threw down in a single bid.

"I am." Nora reached up and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

She turned her back to the blinding stage lights and the now-empty VIP seats.

That world had nothing to do with her anymore.

"Let's go."

Nora pushed open the heavy doors leading to the employee exit corridor.

The air instantly became quiet and cool. The thick soundproof doors shut completely, silencing the auctioneer's booming voice.

"I wonder who the buyer was? The organizers are super tight-lipped, they won't even give us a last name."

Clutching her stack of documents, Janie kept obsessing over the mystery all the way down the hall.