She Was the Treasure All Along novel Chapter 507

Lucian stared out the car window, his response an indifferent hum. "Yeah."

Joanna pushed on, her tone sickly sweet. "Well, the thing is, your brother got to the venue a bit early. He's waiting for you at the entrance. How long until you get there?"

"I'm in traffic, but I'm close," Lucian replied.

Without a second thought, Joanna chirped, "Oh, right, it's rush hour. The traffic must be awful. Since you're so close, why don't you just hop out and walk the rest of the way? Channing is waiting, and I don't want him getting anxious."

A bizarre, chilling silence fell over the line.

Joanna quickly realized how absurd she sounded and forced an awkward laugh to cover her tracks. "Listen to me, rambling away. I've been cooking so much today, it's scrambled my brain."

"Cooking?" Lucian repeated.

"Yes! Today is Channing's birthday, after all," Joanna said with a bright smile. "I'm making a whole feast. If you guys finish up early, you should come back and eat with us."

Another long stretch of dead silence.

Finally, a low, sharply mocking chuckle came through the receiver. "Heh."

The call abruptly disconnected.

Joanna stared at her screen, bewildered by his reaction, but she brushed it off and immediately dialed Channing. "I talked to your brother. He's almost there, just wait a little longer."

In the driver's seat, Robert glanced in the rearview mirror and suppressed a heavy sigh.

The car was dead quiet. With his sharp hearing, Robert had caught every word Joanna had said over the phone.

Today wasn't just Channing's birthday. It was Lucian's birthday, too.

Damn it.

When Lucian finally arrived at the auction house, he found the entrance on the verge of a brawl.

"What's the problem?" Lucian asked coldly.

Trying to assert himself, Channing leaned over. "I wasn't originally planning on coming tonight, but since it's my birthday—and mine and Luna's anniversary—I wanted to buy her something special to celebrate."

Luna offered Lucian a polished smile, speaking in halting, accented English. "Thank you for letting us share your VIP box, Lucian."

Lucian gave a curt nod, completely disinterested in their small talk. He didn't even touch the cigar resting by his hand.

The auction commenced.

Several rare items came and went, but they were mostly trivial pieces. The occupants of the three SVIP boxes didn't bother lifting their paddles.

Luna watched the stage with a highly critical, unimpressed gaze—until a sapphire bracelet named "Heart of the Ocean" was brought out.

A murmur of excitement rippled through the crowd.

Lucian, who had been resting with his eyes half-closed, slowly opened them. For the first time all night, a flicker of actual interest crossed his bored features.