Chapter 449
Irene panicked and quickly turned away, fearful that she would be recognized.
Mick noticed that, and shifted his body to keep her hidden, while asking quietly, "What's wrong?'
"A familiar face," Irene replied softly, even as she slid another peek at the man.
There was no mistaking it-that was Harvey Gooding.
She never expected him to show up there!
Nonetheless, Mick told her, "Don’t worry. He's not going to notice-the hall is quite dimly lit and you're wearing a
mask."
Irene was actually just too surprised to see Harvey there and became nervous. Still, she quickly calmed down, and
thought to herself that he would not notice her since she was sitting behind him.
Moreover, he probably would not recognize her after what had happened to her face anyway.
Soon, the auction began, with the host giving a simple speech before proceeding to the auction proper.
Most items auctioned for the day could be categorized into an assortment of antiques and jewelry, with the first one
being a tapestry.
It was a regular auction, but there was no assurance offered that the auctioned items were genuine-the attendants
had to rely on their abilities for appraisals and prior experience.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtMick appeared calm, seemingly uninterested in the tapestry.
Irene did not know how this stuff worked, but she was here anyway, and simply watched how things went.
Mick then told her, "Most of the items they lead with tend to be trinkets not even worth collecting, since they would
save the best for last. Moreover, I've attended enough auctions to know that there will always be a couple of
irreplaceable treasures, and I heard through the grapevine that there's a castle to be sold too."
Irene raised a brow and whispered, "They auction buildings too?"
"Of course!" Mick chuckled. "It's supposedly the estate of a Fraconican noble's heir, and he's selling it to cover his
losses."
Their voices somehow drew Harvey's attention just then.
He turned around, and frowned when he saw the woman wearing a face mask.
What was all the mystery about?
He actually became curious.
On the other hand, Irene quickly looked downward when she spotted Harvey looking at her, and then turned away,
using the excuse of looking at the auctioneer as he accepted a bid.
The second item was soon brought forward: an emerald brooch of significant clarity.
Mick was clearly interested, but did not make a bid.
That was when the attendants sitting near the entrance became restless, seemingly because someone important
just arrived.
Irene turned to find a towering figure striding through the path between the seats.
It was him.
He was here.
Irene actually forgot to breathe.
The host had saved the best seat for him, and was fawningly leading him to it.
Mick saw him too, and turned to find Irene getting so nervous her entire body had turned stiff.
Nudging her on the arm, he told her, "If you're worried about being noticed, we can leave right now."
Irene's gaze, however, was already locked in his direction.
His face was rather blurred under the dim lights overhead, and she could not actually see him since he was very
far.
She could not help wanting to see him, and so quietly replied, "We're already here. Let’s leave when the auction is
over."
It had been six months-over 200 days-since she last saw him, the man who appeared in her dreams so many times.
There might be no other chance.
Meanwhile, Mick did not make a bid for the emerald brooch either, and they proceeded to the third item: an
antique vase.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmThe crowd was whispering to each other as most of them appeared interested.
At the same time, Harvey was glancing at Isaac from time to time.
It actually looked as if he was not attending the auction to get anything, but just to keep an eye on Isaac.
As for Irene, all her heart and eyes were fixed upon that face she had not seen for so long.
She worked hard to restrain herself, but there was no hiding the look of love.
Halfway through the auction, she got up and said, "I need the ladies' room."
She quietly left, heading into the washroom and splashing her face repeatedly with cold water to calm herself and
clear her head.
It was after a long while that she calmed down a little.
However, the instant she stepped out, she found Isaac standing near the glass wall of the lobby, conversing with a
foreigner.
She was too far away to hear what they were talking about, and she could only see that his expression was
impassive, even cold-which stopped her from discerning his mood.
Still, he seemingly sensed someone watching him and he turned toward her direction.
Irene saw that and quickly turned around, but knocked into someone as she panickedly tried to leave!
"Sorry!" she said in apology as she looked up.