She Left She Thrived She’s Worth Billions novel Chapter 779

"The Marisse Vale Museum of Fine Arts..."

Melanie murmured the words softly.

"Alright, I'll take it."

Seeing Melanie accept the invitation, Preston breathed a faint sigh of relief.

"Thank you."

Hearing him thank her, Melanie paused in surprise.

"You're giving me an invitation, and you're thanking me?"

"Because you're willing to accompany my grandmother to the auction, of course I should thank you."

Melanie smiled gently.

She had guessed correctly.

She remembered seeing a breathtaking masterpiece at Tessa Rowland's home before—it was Marisse Vale's *Garden of Fallen Roses*.

She knew Tessa loved Vale's work; otherwise, she wouldn't have spent a fortune to win it at auction.

Since the invitation Preston just gave her was for a charity auction at The Marisse Vale Museum of Fine Arts, she naturally thought of his grandmother.

Melanie didn't want to get more deeply involved with Preston because she feared getting hurt.

However, Tessa had always been very kind to her. Simply keeping her company at an art auction wasn't something she needed to refuse.

Melanie had also casually seen news about this charity auction online.

It said that on the day of the auction, all the paintings in the museum would be available for purchase on a first-come, first-served basis, with all proceeds going to charity.

Saturday brought beautiful weather, and the museum was packed.

It was the largest crowd the museum had seen since it first opened.

Melanie arrived as promised, but while scanning the crowd for Tessa, she ended up spotting Leila Langley first.

Leila was naturally accompanying Holden and Dominic.

Melanie instinctively glanced around but didn't see Gavin Lockridge.

Given Gavin's personality, he probably wouldn't be interested in an art auction anyway.

However, an event like this was still considered a form of business networking and a good way to build connections.

Melanie realized that ever since Holden took Dominic under his wing, he brought him everywhere, making Gavin's appearances increasingly rare.

When Melanie remained silent, Leila preened herself smugly.

"Didn't you know? Lady Whitmore loves Marisse Vale's art more than anything, so she's attending today's charity auction... I thought you were desperate to hook up with Vice President Whitmore. Didn't he tell you something so important?"

Leila probed while watching Melanie's reaction.

She was certain...

Even if Melanie had some sort of relationship with Gabriel, it couldn't be that deep.

"Lady Whitmore completely despises people who don't understand art. And here you are, wearing all black..."

Leila purposefully covered her mouth, hiding a mocking laugh.

"I think you better hope for a miracle! Oh, right..."

Leila suddenly snapped her fingers.

"I forgot to tell you, all my bad press was taken down a long time ago..."

She turned her head to look at Holden.

"Mr. Lockridge has a very special relationship with Lady Whitmore. We came to this auction today specifically to meet her..."