Queena didn't bother answering as her eyes were fixed on Melinda. Yulia understood what Queena's
intense gaze meant, so she turned to look at Melinda.
"Melinda, don't you always like helping poor people? The money raised in the charity party will go to
the people in need."
Melinda knew that Yulia was trying to persuade her. Yulia was never friendly with Melinda unless she
needed something from her.
Melinda clenched her jaw and fisted her palm. Yulia could see that Melinda was trying hard to suppress
her anger.
Melinda had a strong feeling that it was going to be an ambush. She knew that Yulia and Queena were
forcing her to attend the party because Emily had asked them to. Melinda sensed that Emily was up to
something. She finally lifted her head and looked at Queena's expectant eyes.
"All right, I'll come with you," she said.
"What are you planning to donate? Don't pick some rubbish and humiliate us. I'll ask Gavin to help you
out."
Queena snorted. She was afraid that Melinda's animosity would force her to ruin the reputation of the
Gu family.
Yulia clamped her mouth to suppress her laughter. She was happy to see Queena insult her sister-in-
law.
"Okay, thank you."
Melinda shrugged casually. Queena was surprised by her nonchalance and continued to eat. She knew
that Melinda was unfazed by her taunts and felt that it would be pointless to mock her.
After dinner, Melinda asked the butler to take her to the room that contained collections that the family
had bought or received over the years.
The room was brimming with paintings, jewelry, and artifacts. Melinda was confused and didn't know
what would be ideal to donate for charity.
Fortunately, Gavin was in charge of treasuring the collections, so Melinda sought help from him. After
clarifying Melinda's doubts, Gavin gave her a pair of bracelets.
Expensive jewelry was a standard donation to charity but the value of the jewelry made it unique
among the others. Therefore, Gavin carefully picked limited edition jewelry that was rare in the market.
Soon, the charity party came. Emily was popular and her circle expanded after she got closer to Jonas.
When Queena walked in, she realized that the party was bigger than she thought. She was wearing a
purple cheongsam and her hair was coiled into a thick braid. She looked regal with Melinda and Yulia
stand on either side.
Yulia was dressed in a round-collared, off-shoulder dress that accentuated her figure. The pink tassels
and the nifty design on the dress made her look elegant. Her hair was curled to perfection and
cascaded down her shoulders.
As soon as she entered the party, her eyes roamed across the hall, searching for young men. She
looked like a tigress hunting for her prey.
Melinda was in a simple white dress with delicate embroidery. Her hair was tied to a high ponytail as
wisps of bangs brushed against her forehead. The design on the neckline was the highlight and the
delicate waistband made her look like a regal beauty.
All eyes were on Melinda.
Emily was busy entertaining the guests. When she saw Queena, she immediately ran towards her and
greeted her. Queena looked like a majestic, powerful woman, and Emily smiled at her.
"Aunt Queena, you are here." She embraced her, ignoring Melinda and Yulia.
Melinda instantly stepped back, giving ample space for them to shower each other with love.
"Yes, looks like everyone is here,"
Queena said, peering across the hall. People were in groups, chatting and sipping on drinks. The men
were discussing business and games, while women gossiped. The waiters shambled through them,
serving snacks and drinks.
"Thank you for asking your friends to join us." Emily smiled gratefully.
Queena was glad to see that all her friends had come to the party,
"I see that your friends are waiting to talk to you and there are many guests for you to attend. I don't
want to hold you back. You go ahead with your work."
Queena smiled. Emily nodded and went to receive the guests who were walking into the hall.
The charity party was an auction. Melinda sat in a corner, while Yulia searched the crowd to find her
match.
It was time for the party to commence and the host walked in. Everyone sat down and Queena saw
that most of them were her friends and acquaintances.
Yulia was busy hunting men and didn't care to talk with her either. Melinda sat down as she watched
the party commence.
"Queena, isn't this your painting?" a woman asked.
The eyes of the crowd unanimously turned to the screen. The painting was the first item in the auction.
Emily smiled and borrowed the microphone from the host.
She described every little detail of the painting as if it was a rare treasure. She finally concluded her
speech by announcing that it was one of Queena's best works.
Since she was Jonas's mother, everyone wanted to please Queena. The first bid was a high price and
people stood up one after the other, making their bid.
Queena beamed with joy when she saw the subsequent rise in the price of the bids.
All the ladies praised Queena and she was the talk of the night.
Finally, a business magnate took a picture of the painting and offered the highest bid. His eyes were
fixed on Emily and he didn't care about the artistic value of the painting.
He wouldn't have spent a lot of money on a mediocre piece for art if he didn't want to impress Emily.
But Queena was gullible enough to believe that her painting was worth the money.
It was time for the next intem and Emily entertained the people lavishly.
Melinda was bored to death. She had come to the party only to contribute to the people in need and
didn't care about what was auctioned. She understood that Emily had hosted an auction just to impress
Queena.
Although the auction wasn't professional, it still worked well.
Yulia walked around the hall and looked at the row of people on her right.
A group of wealthy men was observing the auction. Melinda's eyes narrowed when her eyes settled on
a young man.
Her eyes widened with shock—it was Leo. Melinda was impressed by Leo's attitude and was a little
embarrassed to see him as she had made a fool of herself the last time.
Leo looked around and his eyes met Melinda's. He smiled and Melinda couldn't help but smile in return.
She saw him say something to his friends and walked towards her.
"This looks like the best seat in the hall. Do you mind if I sit here?" Leo joked.
Queena and Yulia had intentionally left a seat between them and Melinda as they didn't want to be with
her.
"Of course not." Melinda smiled. Leo's face broke into a dazzling grin as he sat next to her.
Leo was dressed in a black tuxedo, and his slick hair was parted and tucked behind his ears. His skin
was flawless and his sweet smile made Yulia weak in her knees.
Her heart raced when she saw his handsome face. She blinked and stared at him in a daze.
Yulia felt that he was the one she had been looking for all her life. She thought that Leo would be the
perfect match for her.
"Long time no see," Leo said, smiling at Melinda.
His warm smile made Melinda instantly comfortable. All the awkwardness vanished in an instant.
Melinda was embarrassed before but she instantly felt better. Leo was cordial and always made her
smile.
"Yeah, how are you?"
Melinda was surprised to see him here. She didn't know anything about Leo except that he was her
schoolmate.
Melinda shared a strange relationship with him. She was at ease with Leo than she had ever been with
Yulia and Queena.
"Good." Leo smiled. They exchanged smiles and watched the auction as they caught up with each
other.
The party was raucous and Yulia couldn't hear what Melinda and Leo were talking about. She thought
that it was a polite greeting and that he would talk to her next.
But time went by and Leo didn't bother to look at her. He was watching the event intently.
Yulia's heart skipped a beat. Leo was incredibly handsome.
Since Yulia was busy watching the auction, Yulia decided to take the initiative. "Hello."
Leo turned around and saw Yulia smiling at him.
"Hello." He smiled politely and continued to watch the auction.
His attitude towards Yulia was different. He was distant and respectful.
A pair of diamond-shaped cuff links was the next item on the auction.
Its style was beautiful and vintage.
All the items in the auction held a distinctive value and had a unique history.
"The cuff link is always modest but intricate details make it luxurious,"
Yulia said, trying to impress him. She wanted Leo to think that she was a smart woman.
Yulia possessed immense knowledge of luxurious items, so she decided to use it to her advantage.
"Yeah,"
Leo said nonchalantly as his eyes were fixed on the auction.
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