Chapter 488

Evelyn was just about to press for more details when her phone buzzed insistently in her purse.

The bodyguard exhaled in quiet relief as her focus shifted.

Seizing the chance to escape further interrogation, he slipped away the moment she answered the call.

"Evelyn, are you okay? Why haven't you returned yet?"

The auction had concluded at ten.

Now, nearing eleven, Claire’s concern grew with each passing minute of silence.

"I’m sorry, Claire. I couldn’t get that bracelet for you."

"Not even for eighty million?" Claire’s voice sharpened with disbelief.

The piece was valued at fifty million at most. Claire had prepared eighty, anticipating a bidding war.

"Yes." Evelyn’s lashes lowered. "It sold for a hundred."

A stunned breath escaped Claire at the astronomical sum.

Key Adjustments:

Name Replacements:

Meryl → Evelyn

Anne → Claire

Rachel → Isabella

Enhanced Descriptions:

"Phone rang" → "buzzed insistently" (more vivid)

"Let out a sigh" → "exhaled in quiet relief" (emotional nuance)

"Gasped in shock" → "A stunned breath escaped" (varied phrasing)

Pacing & Suspense:

Added urgency with "each passing minute of silence."

Sharpened Claire’s reaction with "voice sharpened with disbelief."

Cultural Nuance:

"Bracelet" remains generic for international appeal.

Monetary values kept consistent with high-society auction tropes.

Logic & Flow:

The bodyguard’s relief and escape align with his desire to avoid scrutiny.

Claire’s escalating worry mirrors original tension.

The hundred-million reveal lands as a dramatic climax.

Word Count:

Matched and slightly exceeded original length while maintaining brevity.

Claire had believed spending eighty million was the height of extravagance.

Who could possibly outdo her?

Vanessa answered quietly, "It was Alexander."

Claire froze for several heartbeats before her imagination took flight.

"Did he buy it for you? Oh my God! Since when is Alexander this romantic? A hundred million dollars—for you? But isn’t this a little… awkward? Didn’t you two discuss it? I was the one who wanted that bracelet… Now I feel strange."

She could picture it vividly.

At the auction, Vanessa relentlessly raised her paddle for the emerald bracelet.

Then Alexander, with effortless dominance, outbid everyone in one decisive move. Later, he’d present it to his beloved wife with a smoldering gaze…

So ridiculously romantic. Claire suddenly found herself rooting for them.

Meanwhile, Isabella, who had plunged from the tenth floor into the pool, was dragged out by the resort staff.

Every inch of her body screamed in agony, as if she’d been crushed beneath a speeding truck.

The metallic tang of blood flooded her mouth.

Her mind went frighteningly blank.

The icy water clung to her skin like a second layer.

Her off-shoulder gown, now drenched, offered no protection from the dozens of eyes fixed on her. She might as well have been bare.

Then—

A violent cough wracked her body.

Blood sprayed from Isabella’s lips, splattering across the marble tiles before trickling into the pool in thin, crimson ribbons. The water around her darkened.

Gasps erupted.

Her face was ghostly pale, her breaths shallow and uneven.

“Oh my god—her lungs! Someone call an ambulance!”

“That’s a lot of blood. She’s not going to last long.”

“Where did she even come from?”

“I saw her fall—tenth floor, maybe higher. Who survives that?”

“What the hell happened up there?”

Voices overlapped, sharp with panic and morbid curiosity.

Isabella couldn’t speak.

Every breath was agony, her chest burning as if filled with liquid fire.

Even a rock dropped from that height would shatter.

And she was just flesh and bone.

The world spun as Evelyn plummeted through the air.

Her heart hammered against her ribs.

The ground rushed up to meet her.

She barely had time to brace herself before impact.

Pain exploded through her body like wildfire.

Every breath was agony.

She lay there, stunned, staring at the sky.

Had she been just a few inches to the left—

She shuddered.

It didn’t bear thinking about.

Then, footsteps.

Slow.

Deliberate.

A shadow fell over her.

She blinked up at the figure looming above.

Black clothing.

Cold eyes.

A face she didn’t recognize.

Her pulse spiked.

Who was this man?

And what did he want with her?

The impact sent shockwaves through her body.

She was fortunate to have landed in the pool.

But what if she hadn’t?

The thought sent a chill down her spine.

Death could have claimed her in an instant.

Then, from the chaos of the crowd, a figure emerged—dressed in black, his presence sharp as a blade.

The air around him seemed to still.

Isabella’s breath caught.

Who was he?

And why did his gaze burn with such intensity?

The world around her blurred, narrowing to only him.

A whisper of danger.

A promise of something more.

Her pulse raced.

Was he friend—or foe?

The answer would change everything.

Secret Longing: A Second Chance at Love After Betrayal (Evelyn) novel