My Husband Dared Me to Take a Lover of My Own to Match His Mistress—He Never Imagined I’d Walk Out and Come Back as the Majority Shareholder Who Owned His Company

PART 2: THE AUCTION AND THE SETUP

The next day, I met up with Caroline at a high-society charity auction. Looking at the dark circles under my eyes, she didn’t hold back.

“Finally decided to get a boy toy? Take care of your health, Vic.”

“No, I was just playing midnight chauffeur,” I sighed.

Caroline looked me up and down knowingly. “Why do I feel like the Crown Prince is a little out of your usual league?”

I neither confirmed nor denied it. I was eyeing a ruby necklace in today’s catalog. I planned to buy it to gift to Mrs. Vance tomorrow. Flattery and catering to interests were basic survival skills for any real businessperson.

The auctioneer brought the final item to the stage. The exquisite necklace sparkled under the spotlights, blindingly beautiful. I didn’t even listen to the introduction. The moment the starting bid was announced, I raised my paddle.

“Three million. Three point two million. Three point five.”

I calculated my budget and raised my paddle again. “Four million.”

No one countered. The auctioneer called out, “Four million going once. Four million going twice…”

“Four point five million.”

A voice suddenly cut through the room. I instinctively looked toward the source. Preston was sitting a few rows away, his paddle still raised. His other arm was wrapped around the girl next to him, and he was smiling, looking directly into my eyes. Audrey saw me looking, feigned terror, and buried her face deeper into Preston’s chest.

I looked away. “Four point seven.”

“Five million.”

Preston seemed determined to fight me to the bitter end, casually raising the price. The entire hall held its breath, quietly eating up the drama of a wealthy couple fracturing in public.

I felt a headache coming on. I stood up and walked over to Preston. “I didn’t realize you had a hobby of collecting jewelry.”

He smirked. “I just suddenly thought this necklace would look perfect on Audrey.”

I looked at Audrey. Meeting my gaze, she bit her lip, her eyes turning red. “Mrs. Hayes… the necklace is truly beautiful.”

Preston shrugged, his playboy eyes curving in amusement. I withdrew my gaze. The composure I had maintained for years almost shattered right then and there. Preston loved watching women fight over him, especially when I lost control. The endless parade of mistresses around him constantly provoked me with all sorts of dirty tricks.

The only time I had ever lost my temper was two years ago, when I personally slapped one of his mistresses across the face. I couldn’t even remember what she looked like anymore. I just remembered that when Preston saw me furious, he looked absolutely ecstatic. He grabbed the hand I used to slap her and rubbed it affectionately.

“Victoria, if she makes you unhappy, just tell me. You don’t need to dirty your own hands.”

I didn’t say another word. I turned around and walked straight out of the auction hall.

The auctioneer’s gavel dropped, finalizing the new owner of the necklace. I stood at the entrance, watching the staff lead Preston and Audrey to settle the bill. The moment Preston handed over his black card, my mood instantly improved.

I looked down at my phone and texted the Crown Prince.

Mr. Vance, where are you?

Nathaniel replied almost instantly. In the lab.

I checked the time. Did you skip dinner again?

The chat bubble showed he was typing for a long time, but no complete sentence came through. So I took the initiative.

I’ll pick up some food from that bistro you like. Wait for me at the campus gate in forty minutes.

I hung up the phone. Caroline shot me a look. “Playing maid to the Crown Prince again?”

I nodded. She looked like she wanted to say something, but held back. I smiled. “Caroline, I’m a businesswoman.”

My timing was impeccable. Nathaniel was standing at the university gate, standing as upright and proper as a guard on duty. It was a little foolish, but undeniably endearing. I pulled the car up to him, rolled down the window, and handed him the takeout bag from the passenger seat.

He thanked me softly. I looked up, about to tease him, when I saw two familiar silhouettes not far away.

It really is a small world. My husband’s little white lily was apparently a top-tier university student here.

The ruby necklace Preston had just won at the auction was now resting against Audrey’s collarbone. Even in the dark, it couldn’t hide its brilliance. Jewelry is meant to elevate the wearer, but this girl was too green. She couldn’t carry the weight of such luxury; instead, she became a mere backdrop for the necklace.

Such a stupid, stupid girl. At her age, in the prime of her youth, she was a breathtaking beauty all on her own. She didn’t need any jewelry to embellish her.

Nathaniel followed my gaze. Preston had his back to us; we could only see Audrey’s face.

“She’s very beautiful,” I murmured.

I pulled my gaze back and looked at Nathaniel with interest. He turned, catching my eye, and raised an eyebrow.

“My husband loves that type,” I said.

I stared at Nathaniel. “I don’t like that type.” He blurted it out almost instantly.

The two sentences collided in the air. I froze for a second, then burst out laughing. The Crown Prince’s face turned crimson in an instant. He used his free hand to cover his face in mortification.

I was highly amused. “So, what type do you like?”

Nathaniel was so embarrassed he couldn’t stand it. His face was as red as a ripe strawberry, making me want to reach out and pinch it. “Victoria…” he groaned.

He took a deep breath, his ears still burning red, lowered his hand, and looked at me. “What does it matter what type your husband likes?”

Defining one’s own “type” is hard, but it was glaringly obvious that Audrey and I were absolute polar opposites. Saying he didn’t like Audrey’s type… what else could that mean?

I didn’t answer, just giggled and waved him off. “Hurry up and eat. It’s late.”

Nathaniel frowned, clearly displeased. After a long moment, he finally sighed. “Are you free next Friday?”

“Why?” I felt a surge of excitement. “Your Highness, are you finally taking your first steps into a forbidden romance?”

“Victoria.” He gritted his teeth, saying my name like a warning. “I just wanted to thank you for looking out for me. I want to buy you dinner. Just the two of us.”

“Ah, the appetites of men and women. It’s only natural. A man and a woman going to a private dinner…” I reached out and pinched his cheek. He didn’t dodge in time, and I poked right into his dimple. He jumped back like he’d been electrocuted, flustered like a kid. “Are you sure your intentions are pure, Your Highness?”

“If you’re not free, forget it,” he muttered, looking away, sounding thoroughly sulky.

“Of course I’m free,” I laughed. “See you Friday.”

I predicted Audrey would seek me out, but I didn’t expect her to be so fast.

Her text came through right as I was reviewing a stack of contracts. After reading it, I slid the folder over to my assistant, Mr. Brooks. “I’ll be back in half an hour. Handle the first five minutes of the board meeting for me.”

He nodded. I went downstairs and drove to the cafe Audrey had chosen. It was right near Preston’s corporate building.

The moment she saw me, she sprang to her feet. “Mrs. Hayes.”

I nodded. She forced a stiff smile. “I remembered you don’t like coffee, so I ordered you a fruit tea. Is that okay?”

“You said you had something to tell me. What is it?”

Audrey looked at me, her eyes slowly turning red. She looked down and gently touched her flat stomach. “Mrs. Hayes, I’m pregnant.”

“I grew up without a father, in a single-parent home. I know how much harder life is for a child without a dad. Mrs. Hayes, I want my baby to have a complete family.”

I took a sip of the fruit tea. I remembered Preston was always incredibly strict about using protection. Avoiding illegitimate children was one of the biggest reasons I had tolerated him this long.

Audrey’s tears fell onto the table, dropping one by one like shooting stars. “It’s me… I didn’t take the pill that day. Mrs. Hayes, it’s all my fault. It’s because I love him too much. I can only love Preston in this lifetime.”

I always thought Preston was an idiot, and the women he kept on the side were equally idiotic. I had finally found one that seemed somewhat tolerable, but she turned out to be a fool too.

I coldly watched her cry, glancing at my watch. It looked like this meeting would end even earlier than my thirty-minute estimate.

“Audrey,” I called her name calmly. “Do you know why I agreed to meet you today?”

She looked up, stunned. Her red eyes made her look like a pathetic, frightened bunny.

“My time is very valuable. I usually have zero interest in getting involved in Preston’s romantic debts. Plenty of women have messaged me before; I treat it as spam and delete it. But you’re different.”

“You’re very beautiful.”

I rarely complimented other people’s looks, but she truly was a rare beauty, stunning enough that I was willing to spare thirty minutes for her. After all, looking at a beautiful woman is always a pleasant experience.

I pulled out a tissue, stood up, and pressed it against her cheek, gently wiping away the tear at the corner of her eye.

“Do me a favor,” I whispered softly. “Use this pretty face of yours to make Preston divorce me. Can you do that?”