Chapter 55.1

Third-Person POV After a bath, Quintin wore the pair of royal blue suits neatly pressed and delicately sewn exclusively for him by a well-known fashion designer in Spain. It was getting too cold in Spain during that time, and his dry skin and cracked lips were both evidence of that. When he was done getting ready, he grabbed his winter coat and went straight to the door to leave the VIP room he occupied. Unlike the other guests who checked in at that same luxurious hotel, who were accompanied by their right-hand, secretary, or spouses, he came all alone at the event. He was expecting to see Lucas at the auction he was about to attend. Knowing that man had so much passion when it came to competing with people and auctions had always been a part of those things he loved participating in. Quintin wore a smile when he boarded the fancy car that was waiting for him at the entrance of the hotel. It took him to where the auction would take place, and the driver dropped him off in front of a huge museum. When he came out of the car, the snow started pouring. The red carpet was laid out on the ground, from the drop-off of guests to the entrance of the museum. He followed the path the other guests were taking when he got past the red carpet. A young man wearing a black pair of suits joyfully greeted him when he set foot in the hallway of the huge museum, handing Quintin a flier. The program was listed in sequence on it, and it also had a map of the museum for the quests, but Quintin knew he wouldn't need it because there were so many people he could follow to find the room where the auction would be held. There are so many familiar faces. The richest among the richest were there with their spouses, and some had their girlfriends with them. There were countless pretty faces, but he was not there to catch a fish in the sea of beauties. While walking and looking around with a big smile on his lips, a man holding a tray up high passed by. He chased him and took one of the glasses on his tray of champagne. He continued walking until he reached a spacious hall where people were gathering. He assumed it was his destination. There were countless tables and chairs. They divided that spacious room in two. The other half was for the buffet, chairs, and tables where guests could eat, and the other half had a few paintings and jewelry displayed inside a box made of glasses. There were so many people already, but his eyes only searched for one particular person in the crowd. He tried to find Lucas around, but he was nowhere to be seen at that hour. 'Still early, I'm sure he would come,' Quintin thought, and he tried to enjoy himself by looking for familiar faces and mingling with them so he would not get bored while waiting. After a few minutes, he decided to go to the buffet table to find something to eat. He looked for some snacks, but he immediately lost an appetite when a woman he was secretly annoyed with suddenly appeared in front of him. "Fancy meeting you here, Quintin," the woman greeted him, and Quintin's eyebrows instantly met. He examined her from head to toe with an unexplainable expression on his face. Her breasts were almost popping out of her clothes. He knew its size was not normal, making him think of popping the balloon-like boobs with the fork on the table next to her. He went back to look into the woman's face. The furrow stayed. "Long time, no see, Diane," he greeted her back, but there was no trace of excitement. Diane was smiling brightly at him. "What brings you here, Diane? I don't think this place fits for the field you pursued." Quintin questioned her while intently looking into her eyes, and he saw how that bright smile on Diane's face faded in a snap. He was certain because Diane pursued medicine and everyone there was in the field of business. He knew Diane because he had seen her at so many events he went to. Most of those were social events for rich people. Same places where he mostly encountered Lucas, who he didn't know by that time had a relationship with Diane. "I came here to see a friend," Diane answered after looking away at Quintin, pretending to be checking out all the people who were just entering the spacious hall. "Who, Lucas?" Quintin asked without a pause. 'I haven't seen him around yet. I was looking for him to talk about some business," he added. "Yes, Lucas. He hasn't come yet, and it's making me worried. Frankly, I approached you thinking you might know where I could find your friend by this time," she responded, and Quintin noticed how firmly she used the word friend. Although he did, he pretended he didn't by laughing at what she said. Something Diane didn't expect, but she wasn't done yet. "Lucas and I aren't even friends. We consider ourselves more specifically rivals," he corrected after a short laugh, but the way Diane looked at him and the way she saw his grin, she knew he was lying. "Silly me, to think you both were close. Friends help each other, right? And I heard you helped him reach out to his ex-wife recently," she said, surprising Quintin as to how the woman found out about that. "Oh, that! That was only a small favor." He paused, checking how she would react first before continuing with the tons of thought he was about to explode. "As I said, I don't consider him a friend, but I wanted to help them fix their marriage. A small act of kindness for poor Lucas who got trapped in the situation. I honestly pity him. It left him no choice. He wrecked his marriage to the one he truly loves to please a leech to protect his beloved." Diane clenched her fist, looking sharp at the man before her.