True Love Waits novel Chapter 1200

'It's just an auction. Why did Matthew invite both Phoebe and me? What does he want?' Erica thought.

While the crowd watched, Phoebe waved at Matthew gracefully and called his name enthusiastically. But she knew she had to at least acknowledge Erica, so she reluctantly nodded to her.

Erica gave her a fake smile and thought, 'This woman is really annoying. It's like she's stalking Matthew.'

Matthew held Erica's hand and helped her sit down first.

Erica wasn't playing that game, though. She was about to take a seat, then suddenly moved one seat over. Now Matthew had to sit next to Erica, no matter what. Phoebe would be on the end.

And Erica was there, smiling smugly. She wasn't going to let Phoebe get any closer to Matthew than she already was.

After the person in charge of the event walked away from them, Erica whispered in the man's ear, "You told me you weren't inviting Phoebe along. Why is she here?"

Matthew looked at her, a hint of a smile in his eyes. "She isn't here because of me."

If his suspicions were correct, Phoebe might be attending this charity auction representing the Su family.

"Then why is she here?" Erica said, in a demanding tone. If she hadn't chosen a seat first, Phoebe would have sat next to Matthew.

After thinking for a while, Matthew answered honestly, "Hard to say. Maybe the organizer knows that Phoebe and I are friends, and invited her along." After all, he had attended quite a few events with Nathan and Phoebe before.

What he said made sense. Seeing that she couldn't win this one, Erica dropped the topic. She didn't care why Phoebe was there as long as Matthew hadn't specifically invited her.

Many people saw Erica and Matthew sitting together in the first row and whispering intimately. While they didn't know what was being said, this helped bust the rumor that Matthew was in love with another woman.

Soon, the auction formally began. It was held once a year, and the guests were famous people in the city. The items on auction were real rarities.

The first item was a jade pendant from the Qing Dynasty with two fish as decoration. Its final price—six million—shocked Erica.

Matthew handed the bidding sign to Erica and said, "Bid on whatever you want." Knowing that his wife was loath to spend money, he added, "I'll pay for it. Consider it a gift from me. Use my credit card!"

Sure enough! His words excited her. "Really?"

"Absolutely!" He had never lied to her.

Erica nodded her head and said excitedly, "Wow! Okay, thanks!"

"No problem!" As long as she was happy.

However, Erica was not interested in the first few pieces, and Phoebe didn't seem all that intrigued either. Matthew sat there, dispassionate, bidding on nothing, as if he were there just to watch.

So far, the auction seemed quite boring to Erica. Finally, when she was about to fall asleep, the item in the auctioneer's hand woke her up.

It was a bookmark made of gold, a historical item from the National Museum of M Country whose collection had fallen in private hands. The bookmark was very thin and delicate, fashioned in the shape of a leaf, and engraved with rather elaborate patterns.

The starting bid was ten thousand. Erica was interested and was about to raise the bidding sign, but Phoebe was one step ahead of her. "Thirty thousand!" Phoebe said.

Erica was deliberating as to whether to raise the price or not. Someone else took advantage of her silence and shouted, "Fifty thousand!"

She knew she had to act now. She raised the bid sign and said, "Sixty thousand!"

A smile flashed across Matthew's eyes. 'Ah, something she's interested in.'

However, next to her, Phoebe stared at the item displayed onstage and increased the price again. "Eighty thousand!"

Erica turned her head to stare at the woman who had just bid against her. She felt this woman was competing against her deliberately, outbidding her at every turn. Was it real, or just an illusion?

So she did something that was a bit out of character. Erica decided to let Phoebe have the final bid. Phoebe was pregnant. Why should she compete against a pregnant woman?

At last, the deal was closed at eighty thousand dollars and Phoebe got the bookmark.

The second item that aroused Erica's interest was a butterfly brooch. The starting price was one hundred thousand. As soon as she raised the bidding sign, Phoebe decided to step in and raise the price. "One hundred and fifty thousand!" Phoebe declared.