Who's Crying Now, Ex-Husband? novel Chapter 273

Two hundred and fifty million.

Even accounting for the rarity of pigeon’s blood rubies, their fine craftsmanship, and exquisite design, the price had soared far beyond its true value. The markup was outrageous.

But Mila wanted that ruby. That was the whole reason she’d come tonight.

She hesitated for a moment, then raised her paddle again.

Another fifty million.

She could tell—Lysander’s last bid hadn’t been casual. Giselle was clearly using him to drive up the price and target her specifically. But Mila’s latest offer brought the bid to three hundred million.

She didn’t believe for a second that Lysander would burn through so much money for Giselle’s sake, just to win a wildly overpriced piece of jewelry.

It would be reckless. Utterly pointless.

Sure enough, Lysander didn’t bid again.

Mila was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when she saw Giselle reach for Lysander’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. From across the room, Mila could see the shimmer in Giselle’s eyes as she gazed at him, all sweetness and calculated charm.

The two exchanged a brief look. Then, Lysander raised his paddle once more.

A hundred million added in a single stroke.

The price for the ruby and diamond earrings shot up: four hundred million.

Mila’s grip tightened around her paddle, her heart sinking. She’d come prepared, with a billion in her account, so she could easily keep bidding. But there was just no point. The price had become absurd—no gem was worth that much.

She wasn’t desperate—or foolish.

Besides, Giselle seemed dead set on fighting her for this, and with Lysander hanging on her every word, it was clear they’d go as high as necessary. With his fortune, throwing away a few billion was nothing.

Howard, standing quietly by her side, tucked away his phone and leaned in to whisper, “Ms. Sutherland, sir wants you to know you can bid without worry. He’ll handle the payment.”

Mila shook her head and lowered her paddle.

Her bodyguards stepped forward, intent on blocking Lysander’s path, but his security team instantly moved to intercept. The two groups faced off, neither side making the first move, only keeping their respective bosses apart.

Tension hung in the air. The corridor was effectively blocked.

Lysander stopped, eyes never leaving Mila from across the standoff. Still smiling, he called, “Mila, can we talk?”

She shot him a cold look. “If it’s about a divorce, sure.”

Anything else, forget it.

“Fine. Have them stand down,” Lysander replied, surprisingly agreeable, gesturing for her bodyguards to step aside.

Mila wasn’t about to trust him. She didn’t believe a word that came out of his mouth. Unless he could produce a signed divorce agreement, there was nothing to discuss.

Of course, she hadn’t brought one with her tonight. She hadn’t expected to run into Lysander here.

Just as she was thinking this, Howard reached into his briefcase and pulled out a document, handing it to her. “Ms. Sutherland, I have a divorce agreement right here.”