Chapter 159
Ariel fell into deep thought after hearing Janice’s words.
“Is that it?” she pondered.
She stared at Jayson with a somber look in her eyes. Ariel could not tell what he was thinking at the moment.
If it were just as Janice had predicted, Jayson would be outright trying to humiliate her and the Walker family. Ariel could not stand the thought of Nancy, Sarah’s daughter, wearing Elena’s wedding ring!
“Ari, we’ll figure out a way.” Janice looked at her worriedly. She noticed Ariel was growing pale. It was obvious Ariel had received quite a blow because of this incident.
Ariel calmly nodded. She had no choice but to take one step at a time and see how things would progress.
Ariel would have to think of some other way to get the ring back. There were rules they had to abide by for the charity auction. Ariel could not just violate them.
She lifted her head and stared ahead. Nancy was clearly in a great mood. She turned her head slightly as she was speaking to Jayson, who listened to her quietly.
Anyone would think those two were a loving couple and a match made in heaven. Yet, it was because of Ariel’s despair and misery that had made the couple shine more.
Ariel closed her eyes. She tried to use as little time as possible to calm herself down.
Ariel was not a pessimistic person. Even if there was no path for her to walk on, Ariel would figure out a way to make one. She would not just give up on Elena’s ring.
The auction went on.
Once all the items were auctioned off, someone from the Johnstone family, the charity event’s organizer, went up to the stage and announced the total amount of money they had gathered through tonight’s auction.
They had raised as much as 700 million dollars.
The money would be donated to help people living in poor, remote areas in their country and to pay for the treatment of orphans with chronic illnesses.
Also, the highlight of today’s auction was…
The host smiled brightly. “Congratulations to Mr. Larkin and Ms. Stanton for being the guests who have contributed the highest amount of money during tonight’s auction!”
Applause echoed around the hall.
Ariel watched expressionlessly as everyone praised and applauded Jayson, who had done so much just to make Nancy happy. She smirked.
Tonight’s charity auction was a bit different from a regular auction in terms of the scale and program. Tonight’s auction was a lot more entertaining.
The stars and celebrities who had been invited to the charity auction would perform on stage to liven things up.
The host said, “Since everyone seems to be having a great time tonight, we’ve changed things up a little and added
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a fun program. Guests are welcome to perform or showcase their special talents.
“For the person who wins first place, we’ll build five schools in their name.”
Janice commented, “That’s a really nice segment. It’ll offer more kids a chance to learn.”
She looked at Ariel. “Ari, aren’t you really good at playing the piano? We didn’t get anything from tonight’s auction. You should give a piano performance. Perhaps you’ll be the one who’ll help with building the five schools for the kids.” 1
It would also be a way for them to contribute to tonight’s cause.
Ariel had already regained her composure after what happened earlier. They had not been able to find Fergus even after searching the entire venue. If Ariel could catch everyone’s attention later, it might help in her search for Fergus.
After a moment’s consideration, she nodded.
Janice was waiting for that answer. She raised their numbered paddle the instant she saw Ariel nodding. “Over here! My friend would like to play a song on the piano for everyone. Is that alright?”
Janice was extremely confident of Ariel’s piano skills.
Ariel had received elite education while growing up. She was born into a wealthy family. Yet, the Sandersons had treated her poorly.
On the contrary, the Walker family had consistently produced a lot of scholars among their family members over the years. Katie had studied abroad when she was young. The members of the Walker family possessed a greater amount of knowledge than the regular people.
Elena had done everything she could to provide Ariel with the greatest amount of support and the best resources to nurture her talents.
Around 12 or 13, Ariel had mastered Grade 10 piano skills. She was a naturally gifted girl. Ariel could pick up on almost anything very quickly.
Yet, Ariel had kept that side of her hidden after she got married. After all, nobody cared about or appreciated those qualities she had. Slowly, Ariel also lost the desire to express herself.
Ariel showed no signs of being intimidated as she looked toward the stage.
Yet, the host suddenly glanced at Wendy, who was in the first row, while looking slightly troubled.
Wendy glanced over her shoulder at Ariel. She seemed a bit surprised and apologetic. “Well, this is a bit awkward. Nancy informed us before you did that she would perform a song on the piano. You two happened to have chosen the same type of performance.”
Ariel’s eyes narrowed. She glanced at Nancy, who sat there and slowly sipped on her tea.
“It feels too much to be a coincidence,” Ariel thought.
Wendy sighed and smiled slightly. “This isn’t a concert event. We don’t have to listen to two piano performances. Why don’t one of you choose another type of performance?”
