Chapter 27

The rumored hoodlum Winnie was with had indeed appeared, and a pang of sourness surged through Daniel's heart. He had never believed that Winnie could find a man, and yet this hoodlum has just made a bid of six million.

This provoked anger and provocation in Daniel's eyes. Winnie couldn't possibly find a man richer than him. This hoodlum must be showing off.

He immediately shouted, "Eight million!"

"Ten million," said a male voice with a mellifluous tone, careless and icy.

Daniel's eyes turned sharp and cold. "Twelve million!"

"Fourteen million," said the same male voice as the response.

Winnie didn't even look at him. This painting is only worth five million, and his bids were double the painting's value.

Winnie was a bit uncertain. "Mr. Rodriguez, you don't have to compete with him. It's not worth it."

"I never planned to buy it."

"Hmm?" Winnie looked at him in disbelief.

The man glanced at her indifferently and said coldly, "I'm just helping him raise the bid."

Winnie looked at his elegant and merciless appearance and had to give him a thumbs up.

"Twenty million." He continued to hold up the sign and boast.

Daniel gradually became furious, frequently glancing toward Winnie on the side. 'The tall, masked man beside Winnie must be hideous,' he thought to himself.

He absolutely couldn't let a hoodlum steal his spotlight. He shouted, "Twenty-six million!"

The other party stopped holding up the sign. Winnie looked at the man coldly raising his chin, the corners of his narrow eyes slightly raised.

The host was afraid the sucker would run away, so he immediately hammered the gavel three times.

"Congratulations to Mr. Daniel for winning the painting at twenty-six million!"

Daniel slumped in his seat with a sulky face, looking like he was about to get angry. Ava was frightened by his expression and didn't dare make a sound.

The realization slammed into them like a rogue wave, cold and bitter. They had been played by that damned hoodlum. Although Triton had a high market value, money didn't come from nowhere. Spending twenty-six million on a painting was quite painful.

But Ava was still proud, strutting over to Winnie. She glanced at the masked man. For some reason, even though he was a hoodlum, he exuded an unattainable aura. Just by standing there, he dazzled Winnie and made her appear cold and untouchable.

Ava thought it must be her imagination. He was just a pretty boy. She sneered at Winnie in a low voice, "A hoodlum is just a hoodlum. All they know is dirty price manipulation. Even if it's just one million, I don't think your boyfriend will ever earn that in his lifetime."

Winnie raised her eyebrows and looked at Ava with an amused expression as if she was looking at a clown. Beside her, Mr. Rodriguez stood tall and straight, completely ignoring Ava. It seemed like he didn't even bother with anything at that point.

"Let's go," he said as he decisively turned around.

Winnie trailed behind him gracefully. With her obedient demeanor, she made the man appear even taller. Daniel stared at them from behind, his eyes filled with fiery anger.

"Winnie!" He suddenly shouted, stopping her in her tracks.

Ava's expression immediately turned ugly. Winnie halted, and Mr. Rodriguez glanced at her. "I need to take a call. Will the driver be able to pick you up?"

Winnie smiled and nodded.

She turned around coldly, and Daniel walked over, staring at the tall man who had walked away to answer the phone. "Who is he, exactly?"

"None of your business."

"How could you associate yourself with hoodlums? Winnie, how could you let yourself fall so low?"

"Even if I did fall, I didn't pick up money from the ground like you did."

Her response made Ava and Daniel furious, while bystanders couldn't help but laugh. Ava's face turned cold, and Daniel's even colder. As Daniel grabbed Winnie's hand, he mockingly said, "I guess the hoodlum doesn't even have a car, does he? Does he ride a motorcycle? Let me take you home."

The sound of car keys jingled, and a Lamborghini flashed its lights.

Ava walked over insincerely and said, "Right, Winnie, you walked here, didn't you? You should be careful, especially being pregnant, even though the child's father is unknown. Let Daniel and I take you home, just in case the motorcycle ride causes a miscarriage."

Several high society ladies sneered at Winnie, questioning her decision to associate with a hoodlum as she was still so beautiful even though she was ruined.

Winnie remained silent.

Just then, with a screech, a luxury car came driving by. Once everyone saw it clearly, they all marveled in awe.

The limited-edition Bugatti Veyron, not to mention the car's detailed work and the sequential numbers on the license plate, made Daniel's and Ava's eyes widen in disbelief.

That kind of license plate number couldn't even be obtained by the prestigious Lymington family. It was a symbol of power.

"Whose car was it?" The crowd began to speculate in hushed tones.

At that moment, the driver stepped out and respectfully called out to Winnie, "Ms. Winnie, the car is ready. When you are, please get in."

He called her Ms. Winnie and not Mrs. Rodriguez. Winnie thought that the man must have instructed the driver to address her by that name. With a smile on her lips, she glanced at the shocked and dumbfounded Ava, Sophia, and Matthew as she calmly got into the car.

The Bugatti Veyron accelerated fiercely and raced away, leaving only a trail of exhaust behind for the entire Anderson family.

The debutantes and aristocrats beside them were extremely surprised, asking, "Who did Winnie hitch a ride with? That license plate was exclusive to the Rodriguez family in Lymington.

"Winnie would never be able to get involved with the Rodriguez family."

Sophia quickly mocked Winnie by saying, "She's ruined. She's just become a whore, always attaching herself to men with fake license plates."

"Winnie? How could she do this? She has brought shame to her father's name." Ava felt jealous deep down but expressed her sympathy.

As Daniel listened, his face turned pale. He wondered how Winnie knew a man who owned such a high-ranking car.

A strong sense of frustration rose from deep within him. Her beauty, her excellence and her abilities ... Winnie should have been his woman.

Daniel's eyes filled with confusion, and a hint of pain flashed through his heart. He felt unwilling and jealous as he couldn't reconcile his image of Winnie with the notion of her past relationships.

Mr. Rodriguez, didn't ride in the same car as Winnie. He was in front, and the car she was in was behind.

On the way, Olivia, who had left due to an urgent matter, contacted her. "Winnie, did I handle things nicely?"

"Perfectly," Winnie replied in response.

Winnie asked Olivia to put the medicine in the pot to make Ava unconscious again, then brought her down to the basement.

The driver then went to buy some dog meat to create the scene.

Sophia's plan for tonight failed miserably, making everyone witness her mental breakdown and naturally sending her to the mental hospital. When thinking back, it sent shivers down her spine.

"This mother and daughter duo can truly cause chaos. It's a pity that Ava got her foot in the door of one of the Four Great Families, but you kicked her out. What's the use of forcing you to sign the vacation resort contract." Olivia was relieved.

"By the way, did the CEO of Imperial Jewelry show up?"

"No," said Winnie. She was distracted the whole time by her fake husband and didn't see the beautiful face of her archenemy.