Chapter 3
785 Words
His friends started laughing too.
"She actually bid that much."
"Natalie, you'll bankrupt yourself just to get Derek's attention, won't you?"
Vanessa gave a scornful snort.
"Do you even understand what kind of event this is? Every major figure in Ashford is here. Mr. Cross personally organized this gala. If you keep making fake bids, you'll be sorry."
Derek's expression grew darker by the second.
He came to my side and lowered his voice.
"First, you take the main table and pretend to be Mrs. Cross. Now you're throwing around fake bids.
"You just want me to see how well you're doing. You want to make me jealous, don't you?
"This isn't the place for your stupid stunts."
Vanessa jumped in with another taunt.
"Natalie, do you have any idea how much 5 million dollars is?
"Your nobody husband could work himself to death and wouldn't even make close to that amount."
Derek's friends piled on.
"Derek, she really has a death wish when it comes to you. She even dares to make trouble on Mr. Cross's turf."
A staff member approached with a card reader.
"Ma'am, would you like to pay now?"
I took a black card from my clutch.
Julian had given it to me and told me to go wild.
I rarely used it except to buy things for our son.
But when the staff member ran the card, the terminal flashed: LIMIT EXCEEDED.
I had forgotten that the card was new, and the limit had not been adjusted. I had also spent quite a bit at another auction a few days ago.
Derek's friends laughed even louder.
"You looked pretty confident when you raised that paddle."
"You bid 5 million dollars, and now your card won't go through?"
"This is Mr. Cross's charity gala. The last person who made a fake bid here disappeared from the industry completely."
Derek stood to the side, smug as ever.
"Beg me, Natalie, and I'll cover the 5 million dollars for you."
I looked at his arrogant face and answered evenly, "No need. I can handle it."
As if the Cross family would ever be short of 5 million dollars.
Derek laughed in disbelief.
"Fine. Let's see how your grunt husband pays up."
I called Julian.
He answered almost immediately, his voice steady and reassuring.
"I'm almost there."
The call hadn't even ended when Derek laughed.
"Natalie, aren't you tired of this act yet?"
I looked at him.
Anger, resentment, and wounded pride twisted across his face. He looked like a man furious that someone had dared challenge his authority.
"You even arranged a fake phone call just to get my attention? You think I'll be jealous because some random guy agreed to play along?"
I frowned.
"Derek, you're imagining things."
He didn't listen.
"All right, enough. I admit it—you have my attention again."
Vanessa's face instantly went pale.
"Derek..."
He ignored her.
He stared at me as though he had finally decided to reward me with his affection.
"Natalie, I know you still love me. Otherwise, why would you show up here the moment you came back?
"You wouldn't dress like this. You wouldn't sit at the main table. You wouldn't cause a scene at the auction.
"You did all this because you want me to admit that I still care about you."
He was beyond reason.
Everything he had done to hurt me had become a minor misunderstanding in his mind.
I was sitting at the main table of a gala my husband had thrown for me, yet Derek saw it as nothing more than another attempt to win him back.
He took a deep breath and softened his tone.
"Stop making this harder than it needs to be.
"Come back to me. You can still star in my next movie.
"I'll make the announcement even grander this time.
"And I won't hold the past 3 years against you.
"Natalie, I've already compromised as much as I possibly can."
I watched him finish with the detached fascination one might give a clown.
In his mind, the moment he lowered his head, I should have thrown myself into his arms in tears.
"Derek, do you honestly think any of that moves me?"
He frowned.
"What else would it do?"
At that moment, Julian walked through the ballroom doors holding a little boy's hand.
The second our son saw me, he let go and ran straight over.
"Mommy!"
Julian swept his gaze across the room. His voice was quiet, but every person heard him.
"Tonight's auction was organized for my wife's film. Whatever my wife wants, the Cross family will pay for it."
The auctioneer's voice trembled.
"The Cross family... is buying everything."
- Writer
