Torn Between Love and Hate

Chapter 174

Chapter 174 She Is Not a Match

Ashton, who had been silent all along, joined the auction, and the atmosphere inside the auction house

changed

rapidly.

It was clear to everyone that Ashton shouldn’t be interested in these two paintings.

In Ann’s possession, it’s not the paintings that hold more value, but rather the designed clothing.

As for Ashton, what usually piques his interest at the auction house are either invaluable gemstones or

the rare antiques that Hector fancies.

Whispers quickly spread throughout the room. Someone chimed in, “What does Mr. Mullen mean by

this? Is he trying to compete with Ms. Shepherd for the painting?”

Another said, “I think Mr. Mullen’s intention to buy this painting is not really about the painting itself.

Could it be that he’s feeling resentful about his divorce from Ms. Shepherd and is deliberately trying to

make her unhappy?”

A stranger said, “My view is actually quite the opposite. Perhaps Mr. Mullen intends to buy the painting

and then give it to Ms. Shepherd when she’s disappointed. Wouldn’t you call that a surprise?”

Another said, “Hey, who knows? Let’s just watch and see, and not get involved. It’s better not to

compete for the items Mr. Mullen has set a price on.”

The auctioneer on stage could hardly conceal his excitement.

I have a feeling that these two paintings, once auctioned by Ashton, are very likely to be sold at a sky-

high price.

It doesn’t matter how Deborah and Ashton compete, both of them have plenty of money.

The important thing is, after their bidding war, no matter who ends up buying the painting, the

organizers will make

a fortune.

The auctioneer’s voice trembled slightly, “Alright, Mr. Mullen has offered 300 thousand dollars. Any

higher bids?”

He glanced at the audience below, and those who had just been bidding in the auction had all fallen

silent.

The auctioneer looked at Deborah, and her face didn’t look good.

She didn’t understand what Ashton meant, but she wouldn’t let it affect her own finances.

If Ashton really wants it, just let him have it. After all, her budget is still within 375 thousand dollars.

Alyssa was quite upset. “Mommy, let’s not bother with this. I’ll go to Grandma Ann later and ask her for

two paintings

for you.”

Deborah knew that this wasn’t appropriate.

Ann’s main occupation isn’t painting; she just creates a few pieces as a hobby.

Sometimes, even after a whole year, only a few drawings can be produced.

In most cases, items are donated to these charitable organizations, which then sell them to raise funds

for charity.

Deborah really didn’t want to directly ask her for the paintings, as it would be difficult to calculate and

might come across as impolite.

Deborah reassures Alyssa by her side, “Don’t worry, if he raises the price too high, Mommy won’t take

it.”

She raised the auction bid paddle. “315 thousand dollars.”

Everyone’s gaze immediately turned towards Ashton.

Ashton, however, fell silent.

Deborah glanced over and saw him holding his phone, taking a call.

The auctioneer on stage was momentarily caught in a dilemma, and slowed down his speech as he

followed the procedure. “All right, 315 thousand dollars, any more bids?”

After waiting for quite a while, Ashton was still on the phone.

The auctioneer was somewhat unwilling to accept it. With the atmosphere having reached this point, it

couldn’t possibly end at just 315 thousand dollars, could it?

In that case, Ashton might as well not get involved, so that the others would probably be able to offer a

higher price.

The auctioneer asked again, “Any more bids? Anyone else?”

A staff member nearby reminded him, “There isn’t much time left, and there are still many items to be

auctioned off.”

Ashton kept making phone calls, and when he glanced at the stage, he didn’t signal the auctioneer to

wait.

After the auctioneer confirmed a few more times, the deal was closed at a price of 315 thousand

dollars.

Alyssa, who was standing nearby, couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “Is he alright?”

The item was sold, and the murmurs within the venue grew even louder.

Deborah didn’t bother anymore and just lowered her head to browse her own phone.

She wanted to pay for the painting and leave halfway through the event, but the person in charge kindly

told her that she had to wait until the auction was over to go through the proper procedures to get the

painting.

Deborah is no fool. She has walked through the process several times before, so she knows what it’s

all about.

There’s nothing wrong with paying the right amount and taking away the things you’ve bought.

As for the rules of the program, who says they have to be so rigid?

The person in charge is now setting the rules like this, asking her to stay. Isn’t that just making her and

Ashton stay here, to be treated like monkeys for people to watch?

Deborah was feeling, annoyed, yet the person in charge happened to be quite familiar with her and had

an exceptionally good attitude.

After the auction is over, he will give her the vase she had her eye on last time, free of charge.

It’s hard to turn away someone with a smiling face, so she had no choice but to let them stay for now.

The crowd was eagerly waiting for another exciting drama, but Deborah didn’t participate in any of the

following auctions.

At last, Ashton finished that phone call. He didn’t inquire about those two paintings anymore, nor did he

take pictures of anything else.

Up until the final auction item, the Rockefeller Emerald.

He was determined to win, and successfully secured it for a price of 12 million dollars.

After waiting patiently for the auction to end, Deborah immediately stood up and went to collect the

painting from the person in charge.

Ashton was surrounded by several merchants, who were all congratulating him with smiles for

successfully bidding on the item he had his heart set on

Someone couldn’t help but laugh and say, “But I never would have thought, Mr. Mullen, that you would

also be interested in Master Ann’s paintings.”

Ashton’s face suddenly changed, as if he had just remembered something

“Oh, I misunderstood. I thought it was something else.”

The person who asked the question was also taken aback, and then laughed, saying, “So that’s how it

is.”

Upon seeing Ashton’s expression at that time, it did indeed seem like he had misheard.

Originally, they didn’t even raise their heads, just directly held up the sign with their auction bid paddle.

After glancing at the items on the stage, they didn’t raise their auction bid paddle again.

A few people chatted and laughed as they dispersed. Deborah took the painting and lett the hotel.

As for the vase that the auctioneer politely offered to give her, she declined.

That one is too valuable; it’s an antique blue and white porcelain vase, half a person’s height, with a

price reaching up

to…

Over 3 million dollars.

The auctioneer said it was given to her because they knew Joseph had a discerning eye and would

definitely come to pay for it afterwards.

Deborah left the hotel, and surprisingly, Ashton didn’t follow her. She got into the car with Alyssa, while

he got into a separate car and left.

Even though Deborah tried to reassure herself, she couldn’t shake the feeling that what he did at the

auction today

wasn’t entirely unintentional.

She harbored a deep hatred for Ashton. If it weren’t for Alyssa, every time she thought about the past,

she would have wished to perish together with Ashton.

On second thought, she realized that she still had her daughter to accompany her, and she couldn’t just

ignore that

responsibility.

Not many people can truly stand up against Ashton. Even if they can, it would likely result in mutual

destruction.

She knew she couldn’t compete with him or challenge him, but she could always avoid him.

So all she could do was to stay far away from Ashton, it would be best not to have any further

involvement with him.

In the days to come, I’ll spend quality time with Alyssa and live a peaceful life.

Deborah sat in the back seat of the car and said to Alyssa, “You must be missing Adrian too, right?

With so many people traveling near the end of the year, why don’t we head back to Richmond

tomorrow morning?”

H

Alyssa leaned into her embrace and said, “I always listen to my mom.”

Early the next morning, Deborah packed her luggage and took Alyssa to the airport.

Before boarding, she thought for a moment and sent a message to Joseph..

It wrote: [I went back to Richmond with Alyssa, and we had dinner at Moxley Manor on Christmas.]

The response came quickly from the other side: [All right, take care. Richmond is much colder than

Oceanview City, so remember to dress warmly and avoid catching a cold. If there’s anything you need,

just let me know.]

Deborah’s eyes reddened for a moment. She replied with an “okay” and put her phone back in her

pocket.

In the afternoon, the plane lands in Richmond..

Deborah had just collected Alyssa’s luggage and was about to leave the airport when she spotted a NôvelDrama.Org holds this content.

tall, sneaky looking man approaching from a distance.

The man wore a black face mask and dark sunglasses, with a duckbill cap on his head, the brim pulled

down low.

You couldn’t see a single strand of hair on the person, let alone their face.

If it weren’t for the extraordinary aura emanating from him, he would have looked like someone about

to rob a bank.

Deborah watched him walk straight towards her, her mind filling with thoughts of human traffickers and

the like.

She immediately pulled Alyssa closer to her side, while glancing at the airport security not far away,

ready to call out

for help if needed.

The man approached, stopping just two or three steps away from them. Deborah couldn’t take it

anymore.

“Don’t come any closer, who are you?”

The man finally stopped in his tracks, looking at the frightened faces of Alyssa and Deborah.

He slid his sunglasses down to the bridge of his nose, and after glancing around, he discreetly pulled

down his face

mask.

“Hey hey hey, Alyssa, it’s me.”

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