CHAPTER 55: CHAPTER 55: HIS HEART, EMPTY AND HOLLOW

Vera Hansen and Julian Lawson were in chaos on that side.

In the end, Serena Sterling only saw Julian Lawson hurriedly carrying Vera Hansen into the villa.

Not only Serena saw this, everyone present witnessed it.

Jasper Ford watched Serena Sterling worriedly.

He wanted to say something, but there were reporters everywhere, so he could only keep quiet and just shouted at the people on that side with his phone.

The three members of the Hawthorne Family saw this scene, and the second brother of the Hawthorne Family smirked.

The glamorous woman rolled her eyes.

Everyone’s reactions were different.

As for Serena Sterling.

She simply looked away indifferently.

It seemed as if the person carrying Vera Hansen inside was not her husband of many years, as if none of this concerned her.

"Woo~ Woo~ Woo~"

The villa once again echoed with sirens.

Then, the sound of helicopter blades followed.

Serena Sterling looked up and saw the helicopter overhead.

Jasper Ford protected Serena as they headed towards the helicopter.

Serena nodded and followed the security, who finally broke through the crowd, walking towards the villa.

Previously, the Ford Group’s staff who were blocked halfway had now arrived and opened up a passage for the guests to leave the banquet.

The guests left in an orderly fashion, and as the security personnel maintained the order, the number of people here gradually decreased.

As she stepped onto the stairway leading to the rooftop, Serena took one last look back.

On the first floor, the crowd parted naturally, and Vera Hansen had just awakened with Julian Lawson sitting beside her, speaking softly to her.

His tightly knit brows and slightly pursed lips showed his concern for Vera Hansen.

"Let’s go," Jasper Ford glanced along Serena’s line of sight and said softly.

Serena slightly lowered her eyes and then turned away without looking back.

"Mm." She responded.

Then, Serena followed Jasper Ford out of the passage.

On the first floor lounge, Julian Lawson seemed to feel something, but when he looked, he saw only an empty rooftop entrance and the dark night.

"Whirr, whirr, whirr"

The sound of the rotor blades came, and his heart felt inexplicably hollow.

"Brother Julian, I’m sorry for making you worry," Vera Hansen said weakly beside him, "I was too impatient with scheduling too many things."

"I’m sorry."

"It’s just... I don’t have much time left."

Julian Lawson’s brow furrowed more deeply with heartache, and he shook his head at Vera Hansen, indicating it was all right.

Elsewhere, inside the helicopter.

Serena looked at the city below.

Flying from The Hillside Villa, the helicopter soared over the crowded mountain road below, heading to the predetermined location of the low-altitude route applied by the Ford Family.

Below, the traffic remained congested, but there was a clear path for vehicles to pass through.

The wind generated by the rotor blades was quite strong, blowing Serena’s long hair upwards.

Serena watched the traffic below; she wasn’t sure what she was thinking, just feeling somewhat tired.

The next moment, a suit was draped over her shoulders.

The suit still carried the faint warmth from someone else and the subtle scent of pinewood.

Serena turned her head and saw Jasper Ford’s hair disheveled from the wind, and his worried eyes.

He opened his mouth, saying something, but all sounds were drowned out by the loud buzzing of the rotor blades; she couldn’t hear.

Below, The Hillside Villa parking lot.

Julian Lawson and Vera Hansen had returned to the car.

After placing Vera Hansen in the front passenger seat, Julian Lawson received the briefcase containing the auction items from the Ford Group’s men.

Upon opening for confirmation, the Tanzanite and Pigeon Blood Ruby sat quietly inside the box.

"Mm." Julian Lawson nodded, indicating everything was confirmed.

Watching the Ford Group personnel leave, he didn’t immediately get into the car.

The Bugatti Centodieci was quietly parked there, and Julian Lawson glanced at the reporters blocked by Ford security in the distance, slightly lowering his gaze.

His lips slightly pursed, Julian Lawson took out his phone.

In the message interface, his slender fingers swiped through, trying to find something.

Finally, he found Serena’s chat box.

Unlike the constant popping of red dots on the interface, it was silent, without any movement.

She still hadn’t reached out to him.

"Brother Julian?" Vera Hansen’s voice came.

At some point, Vera Hansen had opened the car door and stepped out; she stood by the passenger side, looking at him weakly.

"Is there a problem with the auction items?" Vera Hansen asked with a smile.

Julian Lawson put away his phone and shook his head before sitting back into the car with the briefcase.

"I’ll take you home," he said.

"Okay." Vera Hansen replied with a smile.

The Bugatti Centodieci drove down the mountain, with all the cars giving way.

Julian Lawson’s expression remained unchanged, retaining that demeanor that hid his emotions, except it seemed the buzzing of rotor blades echoed in his ear.

...

Everyone left The Hillside Villa in an orderly manner, and the previously crowded and noisy area gradually returned to tranquility.

However, online, the excitement had only begun to explode.

The first wave comprised the elites’ internal betting games.

Previously, there were two betting games regarding bids 888 and 823—one on who would ultimately win the auction item and another on how many rounds 823 would follow up when Julian Lawson joined the bidding.

The first kept little suspense, given Julian Lawson’s wealth, so the odds were very low.

The second came as a surprising blow; no one bet correctly on the number of rounds, and the house made a nice profit.

"823 is impressive; not only did she have Julian Lawson beaten in psychological warfare, but we all lost our bets too."

"But infinite gold is still cool. When can I be like Julian Lawson, not needing to consider any of the flashy stuff, just straight up obliterating with money? What about 823’s psychological tactics? Infinite gold still won."

"The way you said it, it sounds like infinite gold are like fun tokens, where you can have them if you want."

"Haha, for Julian Lawson, isn’t it just like fun tokens?"

"That’s true."

People discussed, while the house smiled broadly.

These bets were mere pocket change for them, but even small change made the house happy.

Most importantly, that night, this masked woman left a deep impression on countless elites.

If not for knowing she was an artist under Ford Entertainment, they would have tried to sign her.

Although Ford Entertainment was only a part of Jasper Ford’s assets, the Ford Group is one of the three giants in Aeston, and they couldn’t guarantee offering better conditions than Ford Entertainment.

These circulated only within a small scope among elites.

Reports related to the villa interior still needed to undergo review before release.

Meanwhile, online, what topped the hot topics was—#Julian Lawson Lighting Sky Lanterns for Vera Hansen#

And soon after, #Vera Hansen Faints from Busyness in Charity Work#

Accompanied by images of the burning drone sky lanterns and tassel fireworks over the villa and the scene of Vera Hansen fainting after speaking, and Julian Lawson carrying her away.