Chapter 461 Broke An Auction Item
Listening to her sarcastic comments didn’t bother Christina much. After all, bickering with Anya was better than being surrounded by a group of men.
However, what surprised her was that the men beside her found her identity even more intriguing. “Where is your husband from? Is he also from Hallsbay?” one of them asked.
“If he’s from Hallsbay, there’s no reason for us not to know each other, right?” another chimed in.
Christina’s expression slightly faltered, and she reluctantly explained with a wry smile, “We’re actually getting a divorce, so there’s no need to know his identity.”
She didn’t want to make a big deal out of her current relationship with Nathaniel.
“Getting a divorce? Then it’s even more important for us to exchange contact information, someone said as he took out his phone to ask for Christina’s number. Others followed suit, eager to exchange contact details.
Anya wondered if she had misheard those men.
Are these people really fighting over Christina’s number? Is she really that attractive?
Christina had no choice but to lic, claiming that she didn’t have her phone with her. “I’m sorry, I need to use the restroom.”
With that, she briskly walked away.
Once Christina entered the restroom, she ma*saged her temples to release her stress. These social engagements were truly testing her patience.
A few minutes later, she walked to the hall and found that preparations for the charity auction had begun.
The auction items were displayed on individual platforms covered in transparent gla*s cases, making them both visible to the guests and aesthetically pleasing.
Christina walked over, scanning for a reasonably priced item that she could win in one go. The sooner she completed her task, the sooner she could go home and report to her grandmother.
Soon, she spotted a diamond necklace that caught her eye. Given that there were about twenty carats, Christina believed that a bidding price of five million would be sufficient.
Within the exclusive section, a blue and white porcelain item caught her eye. It was traditionally utilized for burning sandalwood incense, cherished by esteemed aristocratic households in ancient times for its calming properties.
Even today, there remain individuals who adhere to tradition, making it highly probable that this item would be in great demand.
Judging by its craftsmanship, the porcelain value was estimated to be very high. The starting price was likely to be five million, and one could only imagine how high the final price would be.
Suddenly, someone pushed Christina from behind, causing her to lose balance and fell toward the porcelain in front of her.
Before she knew what had happened, her waist was caught by a strong arm.
The surrounding crowd recoiled in shock and instinctively took a step back. They witnessed something fall off beside the woman’s figure followed by the sound of shattering porcelain.
The onlookers stood frozen in disbelief as they witnessed the antique crash and shatter into pieces.
Should they compensate based on the original price or the market price for such an expensive item?
A heightened sense of curiosity swept through the onlookers as they sought to uncover who was responsible for shattering the priceless blue porcelain.
Despite her disorientation, Christina was aware she was enveloped in a firm embrace. When she smelled the familiar scent of sandalwood, she lifted her head and met Nathaniel’s piercing and unyielding gaze.
We saw that Christina was about to fall, but she is fine now. So, who actually fell?
The crowd once again shifted their gaze to the figure lying on the ground; the woman was trembling slightly as she got up.
Christina’s gaze remained fixated on the familiar silhouette, for she was well aware that the woman on the floor was the one to push her moments ago.
Had it not been for Nathaniel’s timely intervention, she would have had to bear the wounds from the fall.
Anya turned around and glared at Christina. If it weren’t for Christina’s quick reflexes to dodge, she would have fallen and shattered the valuable porcelain.
When Anya noticed many people were watching, she immediately put on a submissive and vulnerable look. “Christina, I saw you were about to fall earlier, so I tried to grab hold of you. I didn’t expect to end up falling myself.”
Clearly, she had pushed Christina, but now she was claiming to be the savior. How ridiculous!
However, the incident happened suddenly, and no one had seen it clearly. There were no surveillance cameras either. Hence, it was hard to verify if Anya’s words were true.
Christina’s expression turned cold as she raised her voice. “Someone pushed me just now. If you hadn’t spoken up, I would have thought it was you.”
After all, Anya was the only one who stood behind Christina, making her the prime suspect.
Anya’s complexion turned pale, and she was at a loss for words in her moment of embarra*sment.
Just then, the event organizer approached and saw the irreversible damage to the porcelain. He furrowed his brow and said tersely, “Miss, this is the most valuable item in tonight’s auction. We kindly request that you compensate us double the starting price.”
Anya shivered inwardly. Oh, sh*t! Double the price would mean tens of millions!
It was impossible for her to come up with that much money!
Hence, she tightly grasped Christina’s hand, looking like she was on the verge of tears. “Christina, what should we do?”
Anya swiftly shifted the blame to Christina, hoping to make her pay the compensation.
A chill ran down Christina’s spine. Anya was known for getting kickbacks from most of the projects. Hence, her wallet must be brimming with cash. Why was she pretending to be destitute in front of her?
Since this was a rare opportunity that had fallen into Christina’s lap, there was no reason for her not to
seize it.
Christina withdrew her hand and offered a faint smile. “Anya, everyone should take responsibility for their actions. It’s only right that you pay for the auction itern you broke.”
Anya’s heart skipped a beat as she wondered what Christina was up to.
Next, Christina looked at the event organizer and pointed to the diamond necklace she had set her sights on earlier. “I will bid on that item and also cover the cost of the broken one, as you suggested. Is that acceptable?”
A smile appeared on the organizer’s face upon hearing Christina’s words. “Of course.”
Christina nodded slightly, disregarding Anya’s opinion. “Then it’s settled. Please have someone clean this up. The show is over.”
“Everyone, please disperse now. The auction will commence in three minutes,” the organizer announced. With that, the guests began to leave the scene.
Even though Anya was resentful, she had to remain silent and swallow her frustration. Everyone had seen how she had broken the porcelain, so there was no way to deny it.
Christina felt a deep sense of satisfaction as she watched Anya begrudgingly follow the event organizer to settle the compensation. Just as she was about to leave, Nathaniel suddenly approached her and firmly grabbed her wrist.
Experiencing discomfort from his firm grip, she furrowed her brows and fixed him with a glare. “What is the meaning of this? You’re causing a scene in public!”
A dark look flashed past Nathaniel’s eyes as he demanded, “Hand me your phone!”
Why does he want my phone?
Christina averted her gaze and retorted. “This is my personal item. There’s no reason for me to give it to you.”
“Then I’ll take it myself,” the man said while reaching for her handbag.
The couple’s squabble caught the attention of onlookers, drawing a crowd around them.
Christina’s face turned red with embarra*sment. “Stop it! Here, you can have it!”
Reluctantly, she handed over her phone, reasoning that she h
