Chapter 365

Olivia Sinclair was now certain the occupants of the No. 1 private room would never let her have the painting. The way they kept outbidding her felt deliberately cruel. As she calculated her dwindling funds, the urge to withdraw from the auction grew stronger.

Just as Olivia was about to concede defeat, the door to the No. 2 private room burst open. Evelyn Hartley rushed out and seized Olivia's wrist with surprising force.

"Don't surrender yet!" Evelyn hissed. "That whore in there only got access by sleeping with my fiancé. She's bluffing - I know for a fact she can't afford these bids."

Olivia studied Evelyn's manic expression with suspicion. "Evelyn? What are you doing here?"

Evelyn tossed her hair defiantly. "As I said, the auction director is my fiancé, and that slut in the No. 1 room has bewitched him. She manipulated her way into that VIP section - it's reserved for actual elites, not gold-digging tramps."

The crowd erupted in murmurs. Evelyn's explanation made disturbing sense. The No. 1 room had sat empty for months, only accessible to true power players. Its sudden occupancy tonight had raised eyebrows.

Olivia's expression remained skeptical. "Evelyn, these are dangerous accusations."

Evelyn's smile turned razor-sharp. "I'm simply warning you as a professional courtesy. I came tonight to expose this homewrecker. Since she dared steal my man, I'll ruin her reputation completely." She pulled out her phone, fingers flying across the screen. "We've collaborated before, Olivia. Take my advice or don't - your choice."

Within moments, Evelyn had launched a live stream that instantly attracted thousands of viewers. Her caption screamed: "LIVE CONFRONTATION: Watch me expose the slut trying to steal my fiancé!"

Even non-followers flooded in at the scandalous promise.

Once her audience reached critical mass, Evelyn's eyes welled with perfect, practiced tears. Her acting skills had always been her strongest asset - she could summon genuine-looking emotion on command.

Between dramatic sobs, Evelyn spun a tale of meeting Sebastian Whitmore, their whirlwind romance, and the "scheming seductress" who'd set her sights on him. Her butler Nathaniel chimed in at key moments, adding fabricated details that made the mystery woman sound increasingly monstrous.

Together, they whipped the online mob into a frenzy of righteous indignation.

When Evelyn sensed the outrage had peaked, she dabbed her eyes delicately. "Honestly, I don't want to hurt her. I just want to confront her directly. All I ask is that she leaves Sebastian alone and stops this disgusting behavior. If she apologizes sincerely, I'll even forgive her."

Her viewers flooded the chat with praise for Evelyn's "generosity," demanding harsher consequences for the "shameless homewrecker."

Meanwhile, inside the No. 1 private room, Olivia had just finished reviewing the documents Mr. Liam sent. Her investment expertise made the financial discrepancies obvious, but the solutions remained frustratingly elusive.

Gritting her teeth, Olivia mentally cursed Liam Blackwood for dumping this mess on her. Only when she removed her earpiece did the commotion outside register.

"What's happening?" Olivia frowned, turning to Amelia. "Has the auction concluded?"