Chapter 60
Athena was barely hanging in there earlier on stage, directing the jade polisher as he worked on the imperial jade. Now, she just wanted to get the heck out of Dodge.
Her face was pale as a ghost, a cold sweat breaking out on her back. She had no clue what was wrong with her, her limbs were icy, her heart racing, and this random panic had taken a front–row seat in her mind.
Flashes of her terrible past with the Bradshaw family from five years ago haunted her thoughts. She had built up an armor over those years, trying hard to shove those painful memories deep down. But those buried memories were resurfacing, wreaking havoc on her
nerves and will.
Meanwhile, upstairs in the auction house’s lounge, Anna glanced at the time on her phone.
She slipped some drugs into the air vent of Room one, designed to target someone with a constitution like Athena’s. After lingering in the air for over half an hour, the drug should’ve kicked in by now.
She’d spiked the air with a sedative, sure to leave Athena dazed, achy, and weak as a kitten.
“Zoey, I wanna check on Athena. She went into Mr. Temple’s room, and I’m worried sick
about her.”
Little did Anna know, Athena was long gone from the room. She thought that Gary had the hots for Athena, so she spiked the air to make sure Athena would be putty in his hands if he tried any funny business.
A smug smile played on Anna’s lips; she couldn’t wait to see the scene when she opened the
door to Room one.
The VIP rooms, used by the high rollers, were located around the public auction hall. If the front door of a room swung open, the guests milling about would get an eyeful of whatever was going down inside.
Zoey was sprawled on the couch, both eyes bandaged, having been beaten to a bloody pulp by the chair Newman had thrown over. Lying there weakened, he kept letting out pained
groans.
Zoey was all whimpers and didn’t catch a word Anna said.
After a word, Anna left the lounge.
By the time Athena had left the auction hall, she bumped into the dolled–up Belinda. The old lady stopped her in her tracks, “Athena, I heard you struck it rich with a chunk of imperial jade from my collection.“,
The room was cozy and warm, but Athena felt an icy chill, shivering uncontrollably. She looked down, her lashes hiding her abnormality from Belinda.
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Chapter 60
“Yep, thanks for parting with it, Mrs. Belinda Bishop.”
The old lady’s face was all smiles, but her eyes were ice cold, “Athena, no need to wire that five million to the Bishop family’s charity account. A young’un like you doesn’t need any imperial jade. I’ve got a few sets of collector’s diamond necklaces. Pop by the Bishop family and pick one out for yourself.”
Belinda’s offer sounded generous. Without looking at her, Athena sighed, “Mrs. Belinda Bishop, how much is a diamond worth, anyway?”
Belinda’s face turned stormy. Athena didn’t want to exchange another word with the old lady and tried to move on, but Belinda grabbed her arm, “Athena, I know you and Leonard are sweet on each other. I can give you a chance.”
Before Belinda could finish, a groggy Athena yanked her hand away. She didn’t remember if she controlled her strength, but the old lady stumbled from the sudden jerk and tumbled to the left.
Before Athena could react, she was pulled down by the toppling old lady. Both of them plunged into the nearby pond.
After heading downstairs, Anna pulled out the key card for VIP Room one, which she had snagged from Nancy.
With a beep, the door unlocked. Anna took a deep breath, ready to scream to attract attention. Just then, shouts erupted behind her, “Oh no! Belinda and Ms. Dempsey have fallen into the water!”
“Eh?!” Before Anna could make heads or tails of it, Gary booted her out of the way.
“Ah!” Anna let out a yelp for herself!
Gary didn’t look back at the person he’d kicked away; hearing that Athena was in trouble, he bolted from the VIP room!
The auction house’s outdoor pond was split on either side of a walkway, filled with koi and water lilies and about one and a half meters deep.
Athena could’ve found her footing, but Belinda, who couldn’t swim, clung to her like a lifeline, dragging her under!
Athena’s gown, now drenched, weighed a ton, and as it billowed in the water, she struggled under Belinda’s frantic flailing, unable to breathe.
The murky water, usually clear for the flowers and fish, closed in on her. Athena felt like the old lady was about to drown her!
She found Belinda’s head and thumped it hard from behind! To save a drowning person, sometimes one gotta knock ‘em out cold!
Belinda stopped moving, but Athena, pinned down by her, couldn’t muster the strength to
surface.
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Then, more people jumped into the water! Someone lifted her up, shoving the weight of
Belinda off her.
A strong arm wrapped around her waist, hoisting her upper body out of the water. Gulping down fresh air, Athena wiped her eyes clear and saw her rescuer was her brother Gary.
On the other side, the Bishop family’s bodyguards hauled Belinda out. As She was surrounded by seven or eight bodyguards, Leonard headed toward where Athena was.
“Athena, let me pull you up,” Leonard crouched and reached out his hand.
At the same time, another arm reached out alongside Leonard’s towards, Athena. Newman, down on one knee at the edge, could’ve let his underlings do the job, but considering the slave contract he had with her, he decided to do it in person.
“Mr. Bishop, don’t get your hands dirty; I got this.”
Newman’s tone was haughty, his head tilted, a poker face. But before his voice trailed off, Athena had already reached out to Leonard.
“Leonard, give me a hand here.”
A flicker of disbelief darted through Newman’s eyes. Was this woman playing hard to get?
Leonard grabbed Athena’s arm and hoisted her ashore. He then shrugged off his own coat and draped it over Athena.
Droplets cascaded down her pale skin, Athena shivering something fierce.
Gary braced his hands on the edge, springing out of the water in one go. After getting drenched, he picked up the black mink coat he’d tossed aside before diving and covered
Athena with it.
Wrapped in the mink coat, only her tiny head poking out, Athena resembled a shivering little white kitty in the cold wind.
Newman stood beside Athena, who had collapsed on the ground, and reached out to her
again.
“Let me take you back,” he was Athena’s driver; it was his job.
The man’s voice was so chilly it seemed to sweep over Athena’s entire body, her head throbbing and foggy as if it had been whacked by a blunt object.
Athena raised her hand and swatted Newman’s away, “Don’t touch me!”
Leonard squatted next to Athena and asked, “Can I carry you?”
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