The Red Rose of Manhattan Chapter 9

Lily struggled: "Get off me!"

But the man was strong, and just as he was about to succeed, the lights suddenly dimmed again, followed by the sound of someone being kicked across the room.

Someone quickly dragged him away from the scene.

Lily's heart jumped. She recognized the man who'd intervened—Ethan's personal bodyguard.

She instinctively looked toward Ethan, but in the darkness, she couldn't see his expression, only his silhouette still holding Serena.

When the lights came back on, he looked composed, as if nothing had happened.

Lily felt a shock of confusion, then overwhelming mockery.

What was he playing at? Protecting his precious princess while still coming to her rescue? Didn't he see how ridiculous that was?

But there was no time to think about it. Soon, the auction officially began.

The first item up for bid was Lily's donation—all of Ethan's "gifts"—with a starting price of one hundred million.

The room erupted.

Ethan's gaze sharpened instantly. He narrowed his eyes at Lily, clearly recognizing where these items came from.

Anyone who knew him could see this was the prelude to his anger.

But Lily met his gaze calmly, even with a hint of mockery at the corner of her mouth.

People began bidding, one after another. Serena tugged at Ethan's sleeve, whispering: "Ethan, that blue diamond is so beautiful. I like it..."

Ethan was silent for a few seconds before finally raising his paddle.

In the end, Ethan bought back the entire lot for ten billion dollars and turned it over to a beaming Serena.

Lily found it grimly ironic—a twisted kind of things returning to their rightful owner.

During the break, she went to the restroom to touch up her makeup.

Coming out, she found Ethan leaning against the hallway wall smoking, the hazy smoke obscuring his sharp features but not the weight of his gaze.

Lily kept her eyes forward, intending to walk right past him, but he grabbed her wrist.

"Why did you auction those things?"

Lily didn't answer. Instead, she looked up at him, her tone mocking: "Why did you step in earlier?"

Ethan's brow furrowed, about to speak.

Lily cut him off with a sneer: "Let me guess—because I'm Bella's best friend? She asked you to look after me?"

She moved closer, looking up at his cold face, her red lips curving into an icy arc: "Can she also ask you to look after my love life, Mr. Frost?"

Ethan rubbed his temples, seeming tired, finally just saying: "Lily, you're always like a hedgehog, covered in spikes. How is that helping you?"

Helping her?

It wasn't. But if she wasn't a hedgehog, that family—and his precious Serena—would have devoured her to the bones.

Before she could respond, Ethan continued: "I was your last man. The next one can't be worse than me. That trash from earlier wasn't good enough for you. If you need men, I can introduce you to some."

Lily stared at him, then burst out laughing until tears came to her eyes.

Who did he think he was? After stabbing her in the heart, now he wanted to dictate her dating standards?

Was it possessiveness? Or did he just think she was embarrassing him?

"Ethan Frost," she stopped laughing, her eyes cold and shattered, "my business is none of yours. You don't need to care."

"As for men," her tone turned flippant, carrying self-destructive mockery, "I can have as many as I want. Once I'm far away, you won't be able to control me anyway."

Ethan caught the key phrase, his tone darkening: "What do you mean, far away? Where are you going?"

Lily said nothing, forcefully shaking off his hand and walking away.

Back in her seat, she just wanted to leave this mess behind as quickly as possible.

However, when the next auction item was presented, Lily's gaze froze!

It was a sapphire necklace, classic and elegant—her mother's most treasured possession!

She looked sharply at Serena, meeting her triumphant gaze, and instantly understood. Her father Marcus must have secretly given Serena her mother's things, and Serena had put them up for auction!

Lily had no choice but to sit back down and force herself to stay calm.

She couldn't let her mother's belongings fall into someone else's hands.

After several rounds of intense bidding, Lily finally won the necklace at several times its market value.

She breathed a sigh of relief, about to go claim it, when Serena suddenly stood up.

"Wait," Serena's voice was gentle but laced with unmistakable malice. "I'm sorry, host, I brought the wrong item. This necklace is from my personal collection. I don't want to auction it. I mixed it up by mistake."

With that, she took the necklace and gave Lily a victorious smile before heading for the exit.

Lily immediately chased after her, catching up outside the club.

"Serena! Give me the necklace! Name your price—I'll pay anything!" Lily said urgently.

Serena played with the necklace, her smile vicious: "I don't need money."

She walked over to an artificial lake, looking at the murky water, then turned to Lily: "You love being beautiful, love being proud, right? If you want it, go fish it out yourself."

With that, she casually tossed the necklace into the lake!

Without a moment's hesitation, amid shocked gasps and exclamations from onlookers, Lily dove into the cold water!

She frantically searched through the murky lake, mud ruining her expensive dress, smearing her carefully applied makeup.

Ethan came out after his cigarette to see exactly this scene.