The CEO's Empathy Pregnancy Pains
Chapter 66 The $7 Million Hair Pin

Michael just nodded, keeping quiet. Sophia watched him down the drugged wine, feeling a rush of excitement but quickly pushing it down.

Now, all she had to do was wait for the drug to kick in.

As the auction was wrapping up, Michael placed bids on a few antiques until "Lucky" was brought out.

Emily immediately perked up, eyes glued to "Lucky." She shot a look at Abigail, who got the message right away. Abigail went to find their pre-arranged buyer to bid on the hairpin. But Emily was worried Sophia might try to snag "Lucky," so she pretended to be interested, then leaned back, acting all nonchalant.

Michael noticed Emily's little act. When she looked at other items, her eyes were dull and bored. But when she saw the hairpin, her eyes lit up with surprise and hope.

Then she went back to pretending she didn't care. Michael thought, 'Is Emily an actress? How does she switch emotions so fast?'

Michael chuckled and glanced at the hairpin on stage. The auctioneer called it "Lucky." To him, it looked pretty ordinary, just a girl's hairpin, though a bit more delicate and pretty than usual. Nothing special, really.

The crowd seemed to agree. Most girls preferred necklaces and rings. Hairpins like this were usually for weddings, so the women there weren't too interested, which was perfect for Emily.

The starting bid for the hairpin was $70,000, not too high. But as soon as the auctioneer announced it, someone raised the bid. It quickly shot up from $70,000 to $300,000.

Emily got anxious and tugged at Michael, giving him a look. Michael asked, "You want it?"

Emily nodded slightly. Just as Michael was about to bid, Sophia suddenly raised her paddle. "700,000 dollars."

Emily saw the determined look in Sophia's eyes.

Emily could only look at Michael for help. She couldn't let Sophia win "Lucky."

Michael noticed the determination in Sophia's eyes as well and felt a bit confused. She had never looked at him like that before, and his heart skipped a beat.

But in those few seconds, "Lucky"'s price had jumped from $700,000 to $3 million.

Only Emily's buyer and Sophia were still bidding. Seeing that Sophia was about to bid $3.5 million, Emily kicked Michael.

Michael snapped out of it, put on a lazy smile and boomed, "7 million dollars."

The room went silent. Emily looked at Michael in disbelief, like he was crazy. The hairpin was worth at most 1 million dollars, but it had been bid up to 7 million. Sophia also went quiet. Emily thought Michael must have a ton of money. She had planned everything, but Sophia still wanted to mess with her.

Michael then asked Sophia, "Why are you even bidding on this?"

Sophia smirked, "Oh, I just want to wear it for my future husband at our wedding."

Her eyes were locked on Michael, and everyone knew who she meant by "future husband."

But Michael ended up winning "Lucky," and Emily felt a wave of relief, telling Abigail to stop bidding since they couldn't afford it.

Emily thought she could relax now that Michael had promised to give it to her. But she still snapped, "Are you nuts? 7 million dollars? You better hand it over."

Michael found her concern for money amusing. "Should I cancel it then?"

Emily glared at him. "You wouldn't dare."

Since it was Michael's money, she didn't care how much he spent, as long as Sophia didn't get it.

Emily said, "At least you kept your word."

She was about to leave when Michael grabbed her arm. "Wait for me at the door. We'll head back together."

Emily thought about "Lucky" still being with Michael and reluctantly said, "Okay, Mr. Smith."

Michael smiled at her slightly sarcastic tone and then handed her something. When she opened her hand, she saw it was the candy Michael had taken earlier. She looked up, but only saw his tall figure as he chatted with some bigwigs. Emily looked at the candy in her hand, feeling complicated inside.

She pocketed the candy and left the venue.

Michael watched Emily's retreating figure, a smile playing on his lips. He was about to say goodbye to the bosses when he suddenly felt a rush of heat and dryness. He glanced at the glass of wine on the table and then at Sophia. Sophia felt a pang of panic but kept a calm and innocent expression, blinking at him. "Michael, what's wrong?"

Whether her acting was too good or she was genuinely clueless, Michael saw no trace of panic in Sophia's eyes.

Suppressing his agitation, Michael said, "Nothing."

Then he turned to follow Emily. Sophia had anticipated this and had set everything up.

As soon as Michael stepped out of the venue, a waiter stopped him. "Mr. Smith, Mrs. Smith is waiting for you in the room upstairs."

Michael's eyes turned cold. "Why is she waiting for me? Are you sure it's Mrs. Smith?"

The waiter remained calm. "Mrs. Smith asked you to bring her the hairpin."

Michael believed him. He couldn't ask further due to the drug's effect, and he headed upstairs.

Meanwhile, Sophia quickly took the fast route upstairs. The estate's layout was an advantage, with all areas connected. She swiftly entered the pre-arranged room, leaving the door slightly ajar. It was already dark outside, so she drew all the curtains and turned off the lights. Soon, she heard the door open.

"Emily," Michael called out, groping around the wall for the switch to turn on the light. He felt increasingly hot and agitated, unable to control himself, but he wouldn't turn on the light. He was desperate to find Emily and release his pent-up energy.