CHAPTER 453: DO NOT RUSH AND END THE ENGAGEMENT

"Juliet?"

Harrison felt the sudden tightening grip on his hand and turned to Juliet with a puzzled look.

"What’s wrong?"

The implication was clear—she had taken the remark personally.

Queen’s smirk was barely concealed as her gaze also shifted toward Juliet.

If she wanted to play mind games, then two could play at that.

Juliet, of course, would never reveal her true emotions in front of Harrison.

Her eyes lingered on the emerald jade bracelet displayed on the auction screen, and she smiled gently.

"Nothing, really. I just thought this bracelet was quite special—it has such a serene and soothing aura."

The bracelet?

Harrison followed her gaze toward the auction floor.

In the grand hall, bidding for the top-tier emerald jade bracelet had just reached its second call at twenty million.

"You like it?

Let me get it for you."

Harrison arched an eyebrow and, without waiting for Juliet to respond, pressed the button beside him.

*Ding—*

The moment the VIP booth’s auction button was pressed, a distinctive chime echoed through the grand auction hall.

The auctioneer paused mid-swing, his gavel hovering in the air as he awaited the new bid.

"Twenty-five million."

Harrison’s indifferent voice carried through the speakers at the center of the hall, reaching every guest in attendance.

Those present at an auction of this caliber were no strangers to wealth, but casually raising the bid by five million was undeniably a display of deep pockets.

Yet, thanks to VIP privacy protocols, no one knew the bidder’s true identity—only hushed speculation flickered in their minds.

"Very well," the auctioneer responded smoothly, scanning the crowd.

"Bidder from Booth Six offers twenty-five million—going once."

"Going twice." The Indian merchant, who had nearly secured the piece at twenty million, clenched his jaw, his brow furrowing in frustration.

Harrison wanted to bid for this jade bracelet to give to his mother as a birthday gift.

After a moment of hesitation, he raised his auction paddle again.

"Twenty-six million."

Though it was just a one-million increment, at such a high price point, it was still a substantial raise.

Harrison curled his lips, his eyes flashing with disdain. Still trying to compete with her?

Overestimating yourself.

"The gentleman bids twenty-six million. Twenty-six million going once."

"Twenty-six million going twice."

The Indian businessman tightened his grip on his paddle, his face lighting up with anticipation.

Right at this critical moment, Harrison’s voice rang out again.

"Thirty million."

A local businessman from Country E recognized Harrison’s voice and suddenly nodded in understanding.

So it’s that his family.

No wonder the bids are so extravagant. The Indian businessman: "..." The auctioneer resumed calling out bids.

The price of the emerald jade bracelet had been driven up by a staggering ten million in a short time, and now, no one raised their paddle again.

"Thirty million for the third time—sold!"

The auctioneer decisively brought down the gavel. "Congratulations to the guest in VIP Box No. 6 for winning the Emerald Jade Huating Bracelet!"

What a sucker.

A faint smile played on Queen’s stunning face. Meanwhile, the sucker in question, Harrison, wore a satisfied grin as he turned to the woman beside him.

"Juliet, the bracelet is yours."

Juliet’s face lit up with a blissful smile, her voice dripping with honeyed sweetness.

"Thank you, Harrison."

But a closer look would reveal the lack of genuine warmth in her eyes.

Anyone familiar with auction rules knew—the more valuable the item, the later it appeared.

If Queen hadn’t disrupted his plans, she wouldn’t have had to ask for this opening piece in the first place.

At that thought, her gaze drifted almost imperceptibly toward Queen, a cold, veiled glint lurking in the depths of her eyes.

Queen seemed to sense something and suddenly turned her head to glance at Juliet.

Juliet didn’t avert her gaze. Instead, she curled her lips into a faint smile—one that bore no resemblance to the gentle, fragile demeanor she reserved for Harrison.

This smile was laced with an inscrutable chill, dark and unsettling.

Anyone else who witnessed it would have been taken aback.

But Queen remained unfazed, her expression calm.

She had long grown accustomed to Juliet’s two-faced hypocrisy.

From childhood, Juliet had exploited their parents’ guilt and pity, meticulously crafting an image of herself as a delicate, helpless flower—someone fragile enough for anyone to trample upon.

Queen responded with an unruffled smirk of her own before turning away.

But the truth?

Beneath that innocent facade lurked a cunning, manipulative black flower.

In the private booth number eight on the second floor of the auction house, the atmosphere was subdued yet charged with quiet intensity.

Sinclair lifted his coffee cup to his lips, taking a measured sip before setting it down.

His dark, penetrating gaze shifted to Taylor as he spoke in his characteristically unhurried tone.

"The Bernardo family situation—" he began, his voice low and composed. "What’s your plan?"

Taylor knew exactly what Sinclair was referring to.

A faint smirk tugged at his lips, though his refined, scholarly face remained otherwise devoid of warmth.

"When someone hands you leverage on a silver platter," he replied smoothly, "you’d be a fool not to use it."

With the Bernardo family having broken their engagement first, his withdrawal from the marriage arrangement would be seen as justified.

The Taylor family held the moral high ground—no one could dispute that.

Meanwhile, Camilla lounged on the nearby sofa, flipping idly through a magazine while half-listening to their conversation.

Her attention, however, kept drifting to her phone resting beside her, as if she were anticipating something.

Sinclair set his coffee cup down with deliberate precision.

His next words were measured, carrying the weight of cold calculation.

"Personally, I’d advise against rushing this," he said.

"The Bernardo family holds considerable influence in Country E.

With their backing, the Taylor family could double its market share there in no time."

Doubling the market share brings benefits that far exceed any quantifiable measure.

Camilla couldn’t help but glance up at the two men upon hearing this.

Was Sinclair really suggesting Taylor sacrifice his marriage for profit?

Taylor’s expression remained largely unchanged, though the curve of his lips deepened slightly.

"Trading marriage for a doubled market—sounds like a fair deal," he mused.

Sinclair caught the unspoken implication in Taylor’s words and replied coolly, "But you can’t forget Voilet, so you’re reluctant to commit?"

Voilet.

The name registered instantly in Camilla’s sharp ears, and a flicker of understanding passed through her eyes.

She knew exactly who that was—the elegant woman in the qipao she had seen last time at the Taylor family estate.

Setting aside the magazine, she focused intently on their conversation.

"Did you and Calvin plan this together?"

Taylor arched a brow, his tone teasing.

"Why does everything always circle back to her?"

Sinclair said nothing, merely spinning the obsidian ring on his finger as his dark, inscrutable gaze fixed on Taylor.

The implication was crystal clear.

"You’re all overthinking it.

My decision has nothing to do with her," Taylor said in an even tone, the faintest trace of bitterness hidden beneath his smile—imperceptible unless one looked closely.

"It’s just that—" His eyes narrowed slightly.

"I’ve never had much interest in marriage or romantic relationships."

Sinclair’s dark eyes gradually relaxed.

Sinclair remained silent, offering no further persuasion.

The private room lapsed into stillness once more. Camilla, however, couldn’t bear to hear Taylor’s defeatist attitude.

"President Taylor," she teased with playful reproach, "I didn’t go through all that trouble to save your life just to watch you grow old alone. If you’re not interested, you can always cultivate an interest.

Look at Sinclair and me—marrying first and falling in love afterward worked out perfectly, didn’t it?"

"That’s precisely why I said you and Sinclair are exceptionally fortunate," Taylor replied with a quiet chuckle.

"But how many couples in this world are truly like you two?"

To say nothing of others, just among their circle, how many marriages could be considered happy?

There’s a saying that fits perfectly: "Wealth breeds resentment."

Well, this conversation was getting gloomier by the minute.

"Marriage is like buying a lottery ticket," Camilla said, her calm voice carrying an undeniable conviction.

"You never know the outcome until you scratch it open."

Her clear, beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, her red lips curving into a faint smile as she continued, "How will you know if you’re lucky if you don’t even try?"

"That Miss Bernardo might just surprise you. From what I can see, Sinclair is right—there’s no need to rush.

Let’s wait and see."

Surprise.

Sinclair’s dark, fathomless eyes glinted with faint amusement as he recalled the woman who had barged in earlier—along with the rumors surrounding her.

For Taylor, that would indeed count as a surprise.

These two were quite the persuasive pair, playing off each other effortlessly.

Faced with their joint efforts, Taylor could only sigh in resignation, though he didn’t argue further.

Instead, he turned the matter over in his mind.

For a businessman, after all, profit would always come first.

Camilla knew her words with Sinclair had taken effect and didn’t press further.

When it came to persuasion, less was often more.

Just then, the phone on the table in front of Camilla suddenly rang.

*Ring—* *Ring—* Sinclair and Camilla exchanged a glance, both understanding what this meant.

The final act of the Mega family’s drama was about to begin.

Sinclair picked up the phone and held it to his ear.

"President Luther," Ramsey’s voice came through from the other end.

"There’s movement at the hospital."