Chapter 263: Proving Your Loyalty to Me?

"That's so sick, Evan," Avery whispers, unconsciously glancing down at his crotch.

Evan raises her hand to his mouth and lightly nips the tip of her finger. "You're too imaginative," he says. "Have you ever heard of a penis cocktail?"

"I was just guessing based on the shape," Avery says, feeling defensive.

Evan smirks at her and says, "You think I'm twisted, but you came up with that idea all by yourself."

"Well, maybe it's not such a bad idea," Avery snaps. "If you ever cheat on me, I can cut your dick off and give it to you in a bottle of wine."

"What a vicious mind you have," Evan says. "But tell me, if you cut my dick off, how would you ever get satisfaction?"

"I'd rather not have that kind of satisfaction," she says, rolling her eyes.

Evan gives her a long, serious look, and says, "I swear I'll be eternally loyal to you."

Avery swallows hard and looks away. Evan is swearing eternal loyalty to me, but I'm planning to run away and marry Andrew, she thinks. I don't deserve his loyalty—I'm only going to betray him. Evan seems to mistake her silence for suspicion. He grabs her chin and smiles gently.

"If you don't believe me, I can prove it," he says.

"Evan, I don't need proof," she says.

Before he can respond, there's a loud knock at the door, and Robert enters the room. His eyes are crinkled with laughter, but he tries to look more professional. He clears his throat and looks at Evan.

"I just delivered the wine," Robert says. "Mr. Oliver didn't say anything, but his face was priceless. I wish I could have taken a picture. He looked like he'd seen a ghost."

"I don't understand," Avery says, looking between Evan and Robert. "If it's not umm, what I thought, why is Jackson so upset? What did you put in the bottle? Animal shit?" 

"Do you really think I'm that gross," Evan scoffs. "Robert, explain it to Avery."

"It's a seahorse, Mrs. Howel," Robert says, clearly trying not to laugh. "Though you have quite the imagination."

"A seahorse?" Avery asks. "That's not so strange, though, is it? I've heard there's a traditional Chinese liquor that has a seahorse in it. It's said to ease fatigue and re-energize the drinker."

"The Oliver family crest is a seahorse," Robert says. "And Jackson's name comes from an Old English word related to horses. The bottle is like a warning or a threat."

"Oh, I see," Avery says, shooting a sideways glance at Evan.

The light in the auction hall dims to a warm yellow, and the auctioneer takes the stage. Priceless antiques are wheeled out by assistants. There are scrolls of calligraphy, ancient coins, Baroque furniture, oil paintings, and beautiful jewelry. A screen behind the auctioneer plays a slideshow with pictures of all the items. Avery squints at the pictures—none of the items seem that special.

"Today, we're giving you a special auction," the auctioneer announces in a booming voice. "You've all paid entry fees just to come here, so we're not selling the items to the highest bidder. Instead, each item goes to the man or woman who most accurately guesses its real value. This is a speculation auction!"

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The bidders immediately begin whispering to each other, and Evan frowns. Besides Jackson, Evan is the richest man in the room, but his money won't help him win a speculation auction. He needs knowledge about the items for sale and good luck. Avery wonders if this is the first time he hasn't been able just to buy whatever he wants.

"What do you have your eye on?" Avery asks curiously. "Everything here seems pretty ordinary to me."

"You'll know soon enough," Evan says.

The auction begins, and Avery watches as they sell Chinese screens, watercolors, and calligraphy. She fights back a yawn. The items are nice enough, but she still doesn't understand why the auction is so special. Then a model wheels out a watercolor painting of the sea. The auctioneer explains that the paints were made with ground jewels, so the painting shimmers just like real water. Avery looks at Evan, but he doesn't bid on the painting.

After the painting sells, the lights change to a green color. Two models carry a dark wooden box onto the stage. A dragon and phoenix are carved into the top of the box, and they seem to be locked in an intense embrace. The auctioneer opens the box, revealing two rings on top of a red silk pillow.

Avery feels disappointed—the rings don't look that special. Such an extraordinary show for such an ordinary item, she thinks. A closeup picture of the rings appears on the screen behind the stage, and Avery leans forward to get a closer look. The stones look like fine turquoise, but they're damaged. Each stone seems to have been cut in half, making the rings incomplete.

Evan uncrosses his legs and leans forward. His eyes narrow in concentration, and Avery feels her stomach turn nervously. One ring is clearly bigger than the other—it looks about the size of a man's finger. Does he want to buy them as engagement rings? Avery wonders.

"Are you going to bid on the rings?" she asks.

"Yeah," Evan says, fingering the bidding device.

Avery crosses her arms across her chest and asks, "Are you going to use them to propose?"

"Do you want me to?" Evan asks, looking surprised. 

"Isn't that your plan?" she asks.

"Only if you want me to," he answers.

She looks at him in confusion and asks, "Then what are you planning to do with them?"

"They're quite unique," he says. "They have a secret use you'd never imagine in your wildest dreams."

She starts to ask Evan what he means, but he raises his finger to his lips and nods toward the stage. The auctioneer has lifted the rings from the box to show them off to the bidders. He holds the rings carefully in one hand and a microphone in the other.

"Ladies and gentlemen, these rings have an extraordinary story," the auctioneer says. "These ancient turquoise rings are one of a kind. Throughout history, lovers have given each other turquoise rings to prove their love and loyalty. It was said that the turquoise had magical properties—if the person wearing it even thought about cheating on their love, the turquoise would change color.

"These rings were made for King Anawrahta of Burma in order to swear loyalty to his favorite concubine. The turquoise was soaked in a strong poison for years before it was put into the rings. Each ring is missing part of the stone because King Anawrahta ground it into powder and mixed it with tattoo ink. He believed that if he ever cheated on his love and had sex with another woman, the poison from the ink would enter his blood and kill him."

Avery gasps and looks at Evan. No wonder he's interested in these rings, she thinks. They're the perfect reminder to stay faithful. The king was willing to die if he ever betrayed his partner, and anyone who wears the ring will always remember that. The ancient people were so extreme. 

Avery takes Evan's free hand and asks, "Is this your way of proving your loyalty to me?"

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