Chapter 284: Surviving a Great Calamity, Good Fortune is Bound to Follow

Chapter 284: Chapter 284: Surviving a Great Calamity, Good Fortune is Bound to Follow

The man’s gaze was dark and profound as he said in a low voice, "If you truly wanted to kill me, you wouldn’t have just saved me."

"I’ve sutured and bandaged your wound. The medicine I gave you was a powerful styptic. I put a maintenance sign on the door, so don’t go out before your friends arrive to pick you up. And remember to lock the door from the inside."

Just as Vesper finished her instructions, her phone rang. It was Jared Hawthorne.

"Where did you go?"

The man’s voice was deep, heavy with a worry he couldn’t hide.

He’d only stepped out for a moment to make a call, and when he came back, she was gone.

"The finale piece hasn’t been presented yet. I just went to the restroom. I’m on my way back now."

Vesper replied as she hurried back toward the auction hall.

Before returning to her seat, she made sure to wash the bloodstains from her palms.

She had just sat down beside Jared Hawthorne when his nose twitched.

"What’s that smell?"

"What smell?"

’I’ve already washed my hands repeatedly with soap. Even if a faint scent of blood lingers, it should be far too subtle for anyone to notice.’

Jared Hawthorne lowered his gaze, leaning in closer to her. The faint but distinct scent of blood lingered around her.

Blood.

His heart clenched. His deep, dark eyes swept over her, finally fixating on a few barely perceptible, dark red stains on the hem of her dress. His brows knitted together tightly.

He reached out to examine her slender legs. Only after confirming that she was uninjured did the knot in his chest begin to loosen.

"Where did the blood come from?"

Vesper’s eyes widened as she followed his gaze to the stain on her hem. Blood must have splattered onto her dress while she was treating the man’s wound.

"I ran into someone who was injured in the restroom and helped treat the wound," she said, lowering her voice so only he could hear.

Jared Hawthorne’s grip on her hand tightened, his brow furrowed. "A man or a woman?"

"What difference does it make?" Vesper gave a helpless laugh. "In my eyes, there are only two kinds of people: you, and patients who need to be treated."

To a doctor, age and gender don’t matter; every life is treated equally.

"From now on, don’t be so quick to help strangers. If you run into a situation like that again, just call the police and an ambulance."

He knew she was soft-hearted, but she was pregnant. She shouldn’t be getting involved in such bloody situations.

"I know."

Vesper knew he was just worried about her, so she answered obediently.

’In a situation like that, if I had just stood by, the man would have bled out and died,’ she thought. ’Saving a life brings good karma. I can think of it as a blessing for my unborn child.’

Just then, the auctioneer’s voice boomed from the stage, introducing the grand finale of the auction.

"And now, for our final item of the evening! Three kilograms of top-grade, wild, sinking-grade Agarwood! The starting bid is five million!"

Vesper’s gaze was instantly captivated by the block of Agarwood on the display stand. A wild specimen of this size was incredibly rare. It could be carved into an ornament to bring peace and prosperity to a home, ensuring lasting blessings. The leftover scraps could be ground into the finest incense, and it was also a precious medicinal ingredient.

The moment he finished speaking, paddles shot up across the room, igniting a fierce bidding war.

"Five million!"

"Five and a half million!"

"Six and a half million!"

"Eight million!"

"Ten million!"

"..."

Vesper didn’t rush to join in. She waited until the price climbed to twenty million before slowly raising her paddle.

"Twenty-six million."

She was determined to win this incredibly rare piece of Agarwood.

The bid gave many collectors in the room pause. Agarwood was precious, but spending tens of millions on it was a step too far for most.

For a moment, the crowd just looked at one another. No one else raised their bid.

The auctioneer scanned the room, his voice booming as he began the countdown.

"The bid is twenty-six million from paddle number 99! Is there any other collector willing to bid higher?"

"Twenty-six million, going once."

"Twenty-six million, going twice."

"Third and final call for twenty-six million!"

The gavel fell with a loud, clear CRACK.

"Congratulations to paddle number 99 on successfully winning this magnificent piece of wild Agarwood!"

A slight smile touched Vesper’s lips. The weight on her chest finally lifted. She had been worried someone would fight her for it.

Meanwhile, at the end of the hallway, a dozen burly men rushed toward the restroom.

The powerfully built Victor Holden slammed his palm against the women’s restroom door and yelled, "Seth, are you in there?"

The door opened from within. Seth Shepherd stood there, clutching his chest, his face ghastly pale and his breathing shallow.

"Victor."

"Seth! Are you all right? Where are you hurt?" Victor Holden rushed forward to support him, his face a mask of anxiety. Seeing him clutching his chest, Victor grew even more alarmed. "That’s so much blood!"

"I’m not dead yet. The ones who attacked me were probably from the Azure Brotherhood, disguised as auction house staff."

"Those bastards! I’m taking my men to settle the score right now!" Victor Holden was seething. He turned to the man beside him. "Bell, you get Seth out of here. I’m taking the others!"

Simon Bell, standing beside him, spoke in a low, calm voice. "Don’t be rash. We don’t have any proof. If we go charging in now, we’ll just be giving them leverage."

"So we’re just supposed to take this?"

"Let’s get Seth back to the villa first, then we can plan our next move. They made their move on The Azure Gallery’s territory. The auction house will have to answer to us."

Victor Holden barely suppressed his rage, cursing under his breath. "If Shawn Payne doesn’t give us a satisfactory explanation, I’ll tear down his Azure Gallery!"

The two men supported Seth Shepherd as they drove back to the villa. Their private doctor, Derek Kane, had already gotten word and was waiting for them.

He immediately stepped forward to examine the wound. Seeing the neat, meticulous stitches, he looked up in amazement.

"Seth, who treated this wound? I have to admit, their suturing technique is better than mine."

At his words, all eyes turned to Seth Shepherd.

Before he started working for Seth, Derek Kane was a top surgeon. They had never heard him praise anyone’s skills before.

They didn’t know anything about medicine, but even they could see that the stitches were remarkably neat and tidy.

Seth Shepherd’s expression was neutral. "Just a stroke of luck. I ran into a doctor."

"They truly saved your life. Your wound is in an area with a high concentration of blood vessels, so you were bleeding out extremely fast. A moment’s delay and you would have died," Derek Kane said, then added, "It’s a good thing you have dextrocardia. If a normal person had been shot in the left side of the chest, it would have been too late."

"Did you happen to get their name?"

"Everything happened too fast. There wasn’t time." Seth Shepherd turned to Simon Bell. "The Agarwood. Did we get it?"

Simon Bell shrugged, his expression full of regret.

"Couldn’t win it. Their bid was too high."

"How much?"

"Twenty-six million."

Derek Kane raised an eyebrow. "If you need it urgently, why not contact the buyer privately? See if they’ll sell us a piece. It’s unlikely they need the whole block of Agarwood for themselves."

They had come to Veridia specifically for this wild Agarwood. Seth Shepherd’s sister suffered from chronic insomnia and heart palpitations, and only the scent of Agarwood incense could soothe her.

Seth Shepherd’s eyes darkened. "Find out who bought it."

Just as Simon Bell agreed, his phone buzzed with the requested information. He glanced at it for a moment before holding the screen out for Seth Shepherd to see.

"The Whitman Family’s recently returned young lady is the one who bought the Agarwood."

Seth Shepherd casually glanced at the name on the screen, and his gaze suddenly froze.

’It’s her!’

’So her name is Prue Whitman.’

Simon Bell noticed the change in his expression and asked nonchalantly, "Seth, you know her?"

Seth Shepherd picked up a cup of hot tea and downed it in one gulp. His voice was perfectly even. "She’s the one who saved me in the restroom."

Victor Holden leaned in for a look. "Damn, she’s gorgeous. Like a little angel. Seth, you sure are lucky with the ladies. You’ve got a way with them everywhere you go."

"Is this really the time for jokes?" Seth Shepherd shot him a cool glance.

Victor Holden just chuckled sheepishly.

Simon Bell shook his head. "I’ll contact Shawn Payne," he said quietly. "Have him set up a meeting with Miss Whitman."

"Mm."

Speak of the devil.

Shawn Payne hurried in, rushing to Seth Shepherd’s side.

"I heard you were attacked! Where are you hurt?"

Victor Holden piped up, "Shawn Payne, Seth was attacked on your turf. The Azure Gallery is taking full responsibility for this."

"I came as soon as I heard! I’ve already sent people to investigate. Once we know what happened, I’ll give you a full account!"

Shawn Payne never imagined someone would dare to attack Seth Shepherd at The Azure Gallery.

He looked at Seth Shepherd, his expression serious. "How did anyone know you were coming to Veridia ahead of time?"

His words sent a shock through the room.

Only a handful of insiders knew about their trip to Veridia, yet someone had laid an ambush at The Azure Gallery, waiting to attack Seth Shepherd.

They were clearly trying to kill him!

If his heart hadn’t been on the right side of his chest, this trip to Veridia would have been his last.

"Are you saying we have a traitor?" Seth Shepherd’s eyes were deep and dark, like bottomless pools of ice. He hated two things above all else: lies and traitors.

Victor Holden frowned. "Impossible. Everyone knows what happens to people who betray Seth."

"I’m just asking a question. You’ll have to investigate the specifics yourselves." Shawn Payne’s expression was grim. "Are you sure the attackers were from the Azure Brotherhood?"

"Not sure. I only overheard the name. It could have been a misdirection—someone posing as the Azure Brotherhood to assassinate me."

"I remember one of them had a round, red birthmark on his neck."

Victor Holden cursed. "Who gives a damn about a birthmark? I don’t care who they are. When I get my hands on them, I’ll beat them so badly they’ll wish they were never born."

Simon Bell immediately found some paper and a pen.

"Seth, draw it. I’ll send our people out to search right now. Even if we have to tear this city apart, we’ll find them!"

Seth Shepherd sketched it from memory, and Simon Bell left with Victor Holden to start the search at once.

"What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger," Shawn Payne remarked, refilling his tea. "Someone else bought the Agarwood."

"I know. The Whitman heiress. I need you to help me get in touch with her. I want to meet with her in person."

"Alright, but I can’t guarantee she’ll agree to meet you. The Whitman Family is the wealthiest in all of Veridia. I’ve never dealt with Chadwick Whitman personally, but I hear he’s not someone you want to cross."

"It’s just business. We’re not committing murder and arson. Just don’t get his attention. Contact Miss Whitman directly."

"I’ll see what I can do."

...

Having successfully won such a large piece of wild Agarwood, Vesper was grinning from ear to ear on the ride home.

She already had a plan for how to use the Agarwood, determined to put every ounce of it to its best possible use.

Jared Hawthorne glanced over at her, a faint smile touching his lips at her joyful expression as he teased her in a low voice.

"It’s just a piece of Agarwood. Do you have to be this happy?"

"You don’t understand how rare this is. A wild, sinking-grade piece this large is practically unheard of. It can be carved into an ornament for peace and prosperity, and the leftover shavings can be ground into high-end incense to calm the nerves and purify a room. Medicinally, it’s a precious ingredient for regulating qi and nourishing the heart. Whether you use it daily or pass it down as an heirloom, it’s incredibly versatile."

Jared Hawthorne raised an eyebrow. "Who taught you how to make incense?"

’She seems to know so many things,’ he thought. ’She’s even more impressive than I imagined.’

"I’m self-taught. Most of the Calming Incense on the market is made with cheap ingredients that do nothing to actually soothe you. I went through the ancient texts and formulas my grandmaster left behind and figured out how to blend it myself."

For someone with a medical background, making incense isn’t difficult as long as you have the right formula.

Selecting the right ingredients is important, but the true essence lies in the ancient formula. The slightest error in proportion can create a world of difference in both the scent and the medicinal properties.

Back home after a shower, Vesper melted against Jared’s chest, her voice soft.

"Is Grandpa’s birthday coming up soon?"

"Mm, next month."

"If I give him an Agarwood carving, do you think he’ll hate it?"

"No, he adores you. He’ll love whatever you give him."

Vesper tilted her face up, a small smile breaking out.

"That’s only because he loves you, so he loves me by extension!"

It wasn’t as if she couldn’t see that for herself.

Jared Hawthorne leaned down and pressed a warm, lingering kiss to her smooth forehead.

"What’s the difference? As long as I always love you, he’ll always love you."

...

The next morning, just as Vesper was finishing breakfast, she received a call from The Azure Gallery.

"Miss Whitman, good morning. This is Shawn Payne, the owner of The Azure Gallery. Regarding the wild Agarwood you won at auction yesterday... we have an honored guest who is in urgent need of a small amount for medicinal purposes. I know this is forward, but he was hoping to meet with you in person. He is willing to purchase a small piece from you at a price well above market value. I was wondering if you might have time to see him?"