Thorns Grow After Betrayal (Celeste and Chester) novel Chapter 277

As the auction piece was brought out, the lights in the room slowly dimmed.

Celestine’s violet gown shimmered with a subtle silver glow in the shadows.

She looked radiant.

“What was that?” Celestine thought she’d misheard.

She glanced sideways at the man seated next to her.

Gideon silently cursed himself for speaking out loud, then quickly raised his glass and composed himself. “Nothing,” he replied, all seriousness.

Celestine studied him for a moment longer, making sure he was alright, then turned her attention back to the rest of the auction items.

These pieces were even more valuable than the rare pen from earlier, but none of the final bids caused quite the same stir.

She spotted several paintings she’d only seen before in passing online and in art books—masterpieces she’d never expected to see with her own eyes.

Unfortunately, her bank account couldn’t compete.

Still, just being able to feast her eyes on them was enough.

Meanwhile, the mysterious Bidder Number 1 was still relentlessly raising the paddle, snapping up one item after another.

A few of these auction pieces even hinted at something bigger beneath the surface.

During the final exhibition round, the organizers rolled out a collection of jewelry pieces that had been donated for charity.

Among them was a deep red jade bracelet, its color lustrous and timeless, the quality unmistakably superb.

Celestine’s eyes widened in shock.

That was… her mother’s bracelet.

Years ago, after her parents were killed in a car crash, the police returned only a handful of their possessions—most of their personal effects had vanished under strange circumstances.

This bracelet had been a family heirloom, passed from her grandmother to her mother, worn every single day.

Celestine had always assumed it was destroyed in the accident.

But there it was, perfectly intact on the display table.

She could even spot the tiny scratch on the inside—almost invisible unless you knew exactly where to look.

She was certain. This was her mother’s bracelet.

A thousand thoughts raced through Celestine’s mind.

But why was her mother’s bracelet here, of all places?

There had always been unanswered questions about that car crash.

Even something Murdock Selwyn had said that day hinted at a deeper mystery.

A dull ache throbbed in Celestine’s head.

She’d been so wrapped up in her drawn-out divorce from Chester lately that she’d almost managed to push all this to the back of her mind.

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