Chapter 4

The Powell family organized a grand charity gala, ostensibly to celebrate Teresa's "successful transplant," but it actually aimed to bolster their philanthropic image.

As a "family member", I was forced to attend it.

Bella warned me, saying, "Many important figures are here this evening. Behave yourself and don't embarrass the Powell family."

I stood in the corner and felt like an outsider, wearing an outdated dress from last season.

Soon, the auction began.

Teresa held Theo's arm and stood dazzlingly on stage.

"Next, we present our family's highlight item. The host unveiled a red cloth.

A flash of emerald caught my eye.

My eyes were wide open.

It was an emerald ring.

That was the only keepsake my mother had left me!

When I entered the Powell family, Bella told me that she would keep it for me and forcibly took it away from me.

No matter how I pleaded, she refused to give it back to me.

And now, they were going to sell my mother's keepsake?

"The starting bid is one million!"

"I offer one and a half million!"

"Two million!"

Watching the guests bidding fiercely, I couldn't hold back any longer.

That ring was the only thing my mother gave me.

I dashed onto the stage and grabbed the box containing the ring. "This is mine! It's my mother's keepsake! You can't sell it!"

The audience erupted in an uproar.

Security quickly stepped in and gently but firmly guided me off the stage.

Teresa held the microphone, and her eyes reddened instantly. "Dolores, how could you do this? The money from selling your ring is meant for the orphanage children. How could you be so selfish? Are you trying to take even the charity funds?"

The guests began to whisper and point.

"Isn't she the one from the other branch? She doesn't seem to understand family decorum."

"They say she's always been resentful of Teresa. No wonder she'd cause a scene like this."

"What an embarrassment! How did the Powell family raise such an ungrateful wretch?"

The insults washed over me like a relentless tide.

I struggled desperately and shouted, "No! It's mine! It's what my mother left me!"

A pair of polished leather shoes stopped in front of me.

I looked up and saw Theo.

Clinging to him like a lifeline, I pleaded with him, "Theo, help me... It's my mother's keepsake..."

Theo looked at me with nothing but disdain. "Let go," he said coldly.

The security released me.

I thought that he was going to help me.

But to my surprise, he took the box from my hands without a word. "Such a fine treasure is only fitting for Teresa," he said.

He picked up the ring and put it on Teresa's thumb in front of everyone. "Teresa, this is a gift for you."

Teresa was delighted and gasped in delight. "Thank you, Theo! I'll take good care of it."

I watched the emerald gleaming on her hand.

I was consumed by rage.

My heart skipped a beat, and everything went black.

I fainted on the spot.

In the last moment before losing consciousness, I heard Theo's cold voice. "Use some ice water to revive her. I'm tired of these fainting tricks."

I slowly came to in the lounge behind the hall, still dazed and shivering. I gasped for air and coughed violently.

I lay on the floor of the lounge behind the banquet hall, drenched. My hair was plastered to my face. I was utterly disheveled.

Outside, Theo's voice rose in anger, "Why isn't the treatment working? You said this donor match was ideal! Why are Teresa's indicators all declining?"

The doctor replied nervously, "The biological compatibility wasn't as strong as we hoped... and the donor's health during the process may have affected the outcome."

"Bang!" A loud crash was heard.

The lounge door was kicked open.

Theo burst into the room, his eyes blazing. He loomed over me. "This is your fault," he said coldly. "Your emotional state during the procedure compromised everything. When you were pregnant, you were always so gloomy. You seemed to be carrying the world's burdens! You put Teresa's life at risk! Dolores, how could you be so malicious? Did you do it on purpose?"

I was suffocated under his grip, and my face turned purple. My vision blurred.

Yet, watching his frantic rage, I felt an urge to laugh.

He killed my baby and now blamed me for not raising it well?

Could anything be more absurd?

"Haaa... This is karma..."

My laughter completely enraged Theo.

He turned away in disgust. "If the first treatment fails, we'll use another option. Your biology is still the closest match to Teresa's."