I Served My Country for Three Years—He Spent My Reward on Her

Chapter 2

As a client relations manager escorted me toward Suite 8 on the second floor of Sotheby's auction hall, Tiffany stepped out of the restroom and nearly walked into us.

She paused, then gave me a mocking smile. I didn't slow down. I walked straight into Suite 8.

My phone vibrated as soon as I sat down.

My assistant had sent a message.

Assistant: Ms. Grant, we've pulled Leo's financial records from the past 3 years. Would you like to review them now?

Every one of Leo's so-called investments had actually gone toward Tiffany's Cartier jewelry, Hermès bags, and a vacation home on the Seabrook Coast.

The perfume I had received for our anniversary hadn't even come in a box. I had always assumed Leo was merely careless. It turned out it had never been a gift at all. It was the free sample a sales associate gave him when he bought Tiffany a La Mer set.

He hadn't even bothered to put it in a box.

The latest entry showed where the 4 million dollars in "working capital" had gone 2 months earlier. Leo had used it to buy a diamond Panthère bracelet from Cartier's flagship store on Kingsley Avenue in downtown Aldercrest. Tiffany wore it the next day and flaunted it on i********:.

I had been so busy over the years that I never bothered checking my old classmates' posts.

I locked my phone and looked down at the auction floor. Tiffany was whispering to Leo, and he reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. He had once done the same thing to me.

I placed my phone facedown on the table.

The auctioneer rapped the gavel. "Ladies and gentlemen, our first lot of the evening is Moonlit Stars, a gemstone painting set with 5,000 diamond chips. Bidding opens at 150,000 dollars."

I raised my paddle. "250,000 dollars."

Tiffany's head snapped up. She glared toward my private suite and deliberately raised her voice.

"500,000 dollars."

She smiled sweetly into the livestream camera. "Some people should know their limits before trying to take what belongs to me."

The bidding climbed to 2 million dollars, and Tiffany's smug expression said she was certain I could never beat her.

When I kept bidding, Tiffany curled into Leo's side and began to whine. Leo summoned his assistant and murmured a few instructions.

Moments later, Leo's assistant hurried to my door and spoke with open arrogance.

"Ma'am, Mr. Astor wants this painting. You would be wise to withdraw now. Everyone in Aldercrest knows Astor Group has Grant Technologies behind it. Cross Mr. Astor, and you'll never do business in this city again."

I almost laughed. Grant Technologies? I had built that company from the ground up. Leo had clearly been throwing his weight around in my name for years.

My auction adviser leaned closer. "Ms. Grant, the price is already far above market value. Chasing it any further would be reckless. Should we..."

I raised a hand to stop him and continued bidding.

"4 million dollars."

The room erupted. Leo's face darkened.

Tiffany clutched his arm, her eyes filling with tears. "Leo, she's doing this just to spite me. I only wanted the painting. Is that so wrong?"

She played the wronged heiress to perfection. Leo fell for it exactly as expected, and he was too embarrassed to back down.

"4.5 million dollars."

I watched them through the one-way glass.

I had made that painting myself. All 5,000 stones were leftover diamond chips, and the materials had cost me just 50,000 dollars. Since Leo had swindled 4 million dollars from me 2 months ago, the least I could do was make him cough it back up.

I signaled for my adviser to continue.

"5 million dollars."

The adviser opened his mouth, then thought better of it.

Leo's face turned livid. After Tiffany bombarded him with "You're the best" and "You promised me," he ground out his next bid.

"5.5 million dollars."

I made a show of reluctantly dropping out. The instant the auctioneer brought down the gavel, Tiffany shot a smug smile toward my suite.

"Claire, you really thought you could compete with me?"

Her livestream filled with comments.

A: [Once Leo starts it, nobody can compete with him!]

B: [That's what Claire gets for trying to steal Tiffany's painting!]

C: [Leo has Grant Technologies behind him. What does Claire have?]

I settled back against the sofa, satisfied. After the auction commission, I would still get back more than 4 million dollars.

The real show was just beginning.