Chapter 86: The Auction

The elevator doors slid shut, and the members of the Summers family all watched Miss Lowell with concern, worried about how she was feeling.

"Was that man your ungrateful son?" Grandma frowned. "What rotten luck, running into him here of all places."

"Yes." Miss Lowell sighed and nodded. "That was him."

Even though Miss Lowell had been gone for many years, seeing Regan Sterling just now made her involuntarily recall the time he’d brought the media to her school.

She had been in the middle of a lecture that day when Regan Sterling burst in with a media crew in tow. In front of her entire class, Regan loudly condemned her for supposedly turning his paralyzed, bedridden father away.

According to Regan Sterling, her husband—who had actually abandoned the family—was a poor, pitiful man she had driven away. She, on the other hand, was painted as a bad-tempered, unrepentant lunatic who had forced him out.

At the time, Miss Lowell had stood on the lecture platform, staring blankly as the son she had raised single-handedly berated her at the top of his lungs. She saw the students’ questioning gazes and the cameras held high by the media crew. The flashes went off relentlessly, capturing her stunned expression. In that moment, she felt as if the entire world had abandoned her.

Even after so many years, the memory of that scene still caused Miss Lowell immense pain. It was as if she were trapped in that nightmare all over again, unable to escape.

Seeing the sad expression on Miss Lowell’s face, Melody Summers quickly patted the back of her hand. "Don’t worry, Miss Lowell," she said reassuringly. "He can’t do anything to you now. If he ever comes to bother you again, we’ll just have hotel security throw him out."

"That’s right, Miss Lowell," Grace Sutton added. "After that manager came out, he didn’t dare say another word. I doubt he has the guts to cause a scene again."

Miss Lowell managed a faint smile. "Don’t you worry," she told them. "I’m fine. I let all that go a long time ago."

The group returned to Suite 36-02 and were about to head to their rooms to rest when the door to the adjacent suite, 36-01, suddenly opened.

A well-to-do, middle-aged woman in a red dress opened the door. Her slightly curled, long hair was casually pinned up, and she wore a pair of glittering slippers.

The woman looked at the Summers family and said cheerfully, "I saw you all earlier at the buffet, but you were eating, so I didn’t want to interrupt. You live at The Metropolis Residences too, don’t you? I’ve seen you around the complex. We’re from there as well."

The members of the Summers family nodded and exchanged greetings with her.

The woman in the red dress smiled again. "It’s just my mother and me over here, and it gets pretty boring. Why don’t you all come over and play cards with us? Later, we can all go to the hotel’s art exhibition together. It would be nice for our two families to have some company."

Upon hearing this, Melody Summers smiled at her family. "Mom, you all should go. We’re going to be here for a while, and you’ll get bored just sitting in your rooms. It’s nice to have neighbors to spend time with."

Winnie Summers asked Melody hesitantly, "What about you? Aren’t you coming with us?"

Melody Summers shook her head. "I still have some things to unpack. You all go on ahead. I’ll call you if I need anything."

Winnie Summers nodded, and the rest of the family went over to Suite 36-01.

Melody Summers returned to her room with Albus in her arms and flopped onto the bed, exhausted.

She casually picked up her phone and scrolled through the group chat for The Metropolis Residences. Everyone was talking about the mountain fire.

"4-1209 Slacking Off: This is terrifying. It’s been burning since this morning. Isn’t it out yet?"

"2-1908 Coco: This is a wildfire, not a kitchen fire. They aren’t that easy to put out. Did you see the news about Ostrania? Their wildfires burned for a solid six months."

"6-702 The Lover: Six months?? That’s horrifying! You don’t think it’ll reach our complex, do you?"

"2-1408 Bella Grant: It can’t, right? I’m still paying off the mortgage on my apartment! The fire had better not reach us, or I’m defaulting."

"12-1803 Lawson Building Supplies (Closed): It won’t reach us for now. There’s a firebreak between us and the luxury villa district, nothing combustible. Besides, even if it does jump the gap, the rich folks in the villas will get hit first, heh heh."

"4-2009 Nina: Give me a break. You think the rich people in the villas are like us? They own multiple properties; they’ve been long gone. Where are us poor folks supposed to run? All we can do is wait to die."

"4-1209 Slacking Off: Is it just me, or has it gotten even hotter since the fire started? I used to run my AC for fifteen minutes every two hours, but now I feel like I’m about to dehydrate. I can’t afford to run it constantly, though. I’m dying here."

"4-2009 Nina: I’m so thirsty, too. The water pressure from the tap is getting weaker and weaker. Does anyone have any spare water? I’m willing to pay."

"..."

Melody Summers sighed as she scrolled through the messages. She had no idea how long this fire would burn.

Suddenly, her phone rang. Melody Summers glanced at the caller ID. It was Zane Simmons.

Melody Summers answered the call. Zane Simmons’s voice came through.

"Melody, what are you up to? Getting bored sitting around the hotel? There’s an auction in the hall on the 30th floor this afternoon. Want to go check it out with me?"

"An auction?" Melody Summers asked, surprised. "They have auctions here at the hotel?"

Zane Simmons chuckled. "They do. So, what do you say? Want me to take you to see the sights?"

Melody Summers thought for a moment and agreed. "Okay, what time does it start? Where’s your room? I can come find you."

"Admission starts in half an hour," Zane Simmons replied. "I’m right below you in suite 35-02. Come down whenever you’re ready."

Melody Summers stroked Albus’s head. "Let’s go check it out, shall we?"

Albus tilted his head.

’Are you planning to buy something?’

"When I was buying outdoor equipment," Melody explained, "a shop owner told me that if the disaster spreads, things like RVs and yachts might become necessary."

Melody stroked his head again and sighed. "But I didn’t have the money for things like that back then. You know how it was—after buying all the supplies, I was broke. Things are different now, though. Now we have money! If I see something suitable at the auction, I can just buy it outright."

After speaking, Melody washed her face. Seeing it was about time, she picked up Albus, went downstairs while scrolling on her phone, and knocked on the door of Suite 35-02.

The door opened quickly. Zane Simmons greeted Melody Summers with a smile. "Punctual as always. Come on, if we leave now, we’ll get there right on time."

Just then, Joanne White came to the door. She bit her lower lip gently and spoke softly to Zane Simmons, "Honey, are you going alone? Maybe I should go with you."

Zane Simmons turned to Joanne White, his voice edged with impatience. "You’re heavily pregnant, you shouldn’t be running around. Just stay in the room today. Don’t go out."

Joanne White shot Melody a look full of meaning, but Melody didn’t notice. Her attention was completely focused on her phone.

News of the wildfire on the mountain behind The Metropolis Residences had hit the major outlets. A local TV station was now live-streaming the firefighting efforts. The blaze was still not under control; it had been burning since morning and had spread significantly.

The smoke was drifting over The Metropolis Residences. Drone footage showed the entire luxury villa district blanketed in a thick, black haze, and Melody’s heart clenched with anxiety.

Joanne White bit her lip, watching resentfully as Melody Summers and Zane Simmons walked away. ’That Austin Hale is completely useless,’ she thought. ’He couldn’t even win Melody back.’

’I’ve seen plenty of women like Melody—so earnest and naive when it comes to love. They still believe in some grand romance and can usually be won over with just a few sweet nothings from a man.’

’But I never expected Austin Hale to be so pathetic!’

Seeing Melody and Zane getting so close made Joanne burn with resentment, and Zane’s attitude toward Melody only fueled her anxiety. He claimed they were just old classmates, just friends, but Joanne didn’t buy it for a second.

She wanted nothing more than to march right up to Melody, pregnant belly and all, and stake her claim on Zane. But Melody had too much dirt on her; she didn’t dare start a fight.

Joanne White felt a toxic mix of anxiety, anger, and helplessness. She slammed the door in frustration, covered her face, and began to sob quietly.

*

Melody Summers and Zane Simmons arrived at the auction hall on the 30th floor. After Zane presented an invitation, a staff member politely ushered them inside.

Zane and Melody took seats in a back row on the left side of the hall. Melody, holding Albus in her lap, nonchalantly watched the people trickling in.

’Quite a few people are here,’ she thought. ’I’m surprised the rich can still be in the mood for this, even with a disaster looming.’

Suddenly, Melody spotted a familiar figure among the crowd entering at the front—

’Ethan Sutton?!’