After the female host finished speaking, she and the male host stepped aside, and two workers in white suits pushed a mannequin covered in white cloth onto the stage.
The white cloth was pulled away, revealing a mannequin dressed in a black gown.
The gown was simple in design but unique, with countless black feathers wrapping around the bodice and cascading down, with a crystal pendant hanging from the end, forming a Y shape.
Overall, it looked like a proud black swan.
"This is the work of Designer Al, the first gown she designed after establishing her studio."
"I heard that the royal family of Country M bought it at a high price, but Al was unwilling to sell."
There were also many wealthy ladies and socialites present, and as soon as the gown appeared, someone shouted out its name.
Alessia pursed her lips. This gown was something she had randomly grabbed from her closet.
The reason she didn't want to sell it at the time was that Eleanor still had a sense of novelty for it.
It was a good thing she requested anonymity in advance. Otherwise, with this much attention, it would have been hard to keep a low profile.
Alessia looked back at the stage, and when she saw that the atmosphere had built up, the female host spoke up again at the opportune moment.
"It seems like everyone has a good eye. This gown has been authenticated and is indeed the work of Designer Al."
As soon as the female host spoke, the atmosphere reached another level.
After all, Designer Al's debut work was priceless. However, on second thought, who could the person be who casually donated the Black Swan gown by Designer Al?
With this in mind, everyone couldn't help but become curious about the anonymous donor.
"Excuse me, who donated the Black Swan gown?" someone asked again, echoing the thoughts of many.
At that moment, a beautiful woman dressed in a black gown and high heels entered through the front door of the event venue and walked directly to the center of the stage, displaying her dominance. Bianca stepped forward.
The host, with a polite smile, addressed her.
"Miss Carter, I'm sorry, but there are rules for the event. If the donor doesn't wish to reveal their identity, we cannot disclose it to anyone. If you're interested in this gown, you can participate in the upcoming auction."
Bianca reluctantly pursed her lips.
Al was her favorite designer, but she was so low-key that she hadn't been able to see her in person. Today, she finally got a chance to see the Black Swan gown that Al had personally collected. She couldn't miss it.
Seeing Bianca about to cause trouble, Dominic's dark eyes narrowed.
Beside him, Sisca had already stood up and walked forward, holding Bianca's hand.
Sisca gently persuaded, "Miss Carter, Mr. Carter is here! Why don't you wait a bit longer? Perhaps the donor is not even present."
As soon as Sisca finished speaking, it felt like she was intentionally hitting Bianca's face.
The spotlight on the stage suddenly lit up, casting a beam of white light directly onto a woman sitting in the third row with her eyes closed, emitting a cold aura.
"Chris!"
In the utility room, Christopher pressed his lips together, looking at his brother operating the tablet to control the spotlight.
Christian grinned mischievously. "Hehe, let me tell you secretly, Mommy is Designer Al. She donated this gown. We have to show Daddy Mommy's talent. In case Daddy isn't impressed by Mommy's singing, he might be impressed by her talent."
"Yeah, Mommy is awesome!" Eleanor nodded admiringly.
Christopher fell silent for a moment, feeling that his brother's approach was not wrong. If Daddy couldn't be swayed by Al's talent, persuading Auntie shouldn't be a problem.
At the event venue, all eyes followed the spotlight and landed directly on Alessia.
Under the white light, her delicate features and cold temperament made her look like a fairy untouched by the mortal world.
The women who had mocked Alessia behind her back felt like biting off their own tongues.
They never expected that the donor would be this woman who didn't have a single branded item on her body.
To be able to donate a gown designed by Al, one must have a considerable fortune to afford such extravagance.
Bianca was shocked when she saw Alessia's appearance and muttered to herself, "How could it be this widow?"
"Do you know her, Miss Carter?" Sisca asked, a flash of jealousy in her eyes.
She hadn't expected such a beautiful woman to be hidden at today's event, and she had generously stolen all her limelight.
Bianca was about to answer when her brother's voice, unable to discern any emotion, rang out.
"Bianca, where's Christopher?"
Bianca's expression changed instantly, realizing it was bad news.
She hadn't found Christopher, that little brat, yet.
She had searched around the restroom area earlier but hadn't found him. She had only just arrived at the event venue, nearly forgetting about the task due to Al's appearance.
Now that her brother asked, Christopher probably hadn't come here yet.
Bianca furrowed her brows. She was hesitating whether to tell Dominic about Christopher's disappearance when her phone vibrated in her pocket.
Bianca took out her phone and saw a message from Christopher.
"Where are you, Auntie?"
Bianca's face turned pale. She quickly replied to the message.
"Where are you?"
"I haven't seen you since I came out of the restroom. Auntie, I've been waiting for you for so long."
The reply came quickly from the other side.
Bianca furrowed her brows. She had waited outside the restroom for quite a while and hadn't seen anyone come out. She even went to the men's restroom, pinching her nose, but that little brat was probably playing tricks on her again.
However, she couldn't let the Great Demon King know about losing the little brat.
Bianca quickly calculated in her mind. The exchange of messages only took a few seconds.
Bianca quickly looked up, smiling brightly at Dominic. "Chris is waiting for me outside. I'll go first. Dom, please help me bid for the Black Swan gown! "
She didn't believe that Al could be related to this widow. Even if there was a relationship, this widow was here for her brother. She would have another chance to ask her in the future.
Bianca slipped away without giving Dominic a chance to speak.
Dominic watched as Bianca slipped away, a hint of indulgence flashing in his dark eyes. He casually glanced at Alessia, then turned his gaze towards the female host on stage, who was momentarily stunned by Bianca's disruption.
In a low, commanding voice, Dominic uttered a word, "Continue."
The female host on stage, now regaining her composure, resumed her hosting duties.
Alessia narrowed her eyes as she looked at the recently withdrawn spotlight. The sudden appearance of that spotlight seemed suspicious; if it wasn't a deliberate gimmick by the event planners, then it was likely orchestrated by Z.
She gave a sharp glance at the side where Dylan was sitting, noticing him stealing glances at her again, his face flushed with excitement. He was very suspicious, but is he Z? Pending confirmation.
As the auction continued on stage, Alessia found herself intrigued by the last item being auctioned off: a beautiful pink diamond.
At first glance, she thought that Eleanor would love it. Since the spotlight incident had already drawn attention to her, she decided to bid for it and make it into a necklace for her daughter.
Alessia lazily raised her bidding card as the auction for the pink diamond began. "Dom, this pink diamond is beautiful. It will complement the dress I bought last time."
Seeing Alessia bid, Sisca suddenly spoke from the front row.
Dominic's lips tightened, a hint of impatience in his deep voice as he uttered three words, "As you wish."
"Thank you, Dom." Sisca happily raised the bidding card in front of Dominic.
"Alright, now this pink diamond has been bid up to five million and twenty thousand by Mr. Carter. Is there anyone else willing to bid?" The female host on stage looked excited as she saw the bidding war unfold.
Alessia's expression remained unchanged as she slowly raised her bidding card once again.
As soon as she did, Sisca's bidding card went up as well.
Alessia sneered inwardly. She was not foolish; she quickly sensed Sisca's hostility towards her.
She didn't want to deal with someone irrelevant, but if someone insisted on butting heads with her, she wouldn't mind giving them a lesson.
Alessia raised her bidding card once more, her voice cold and direct as she called out, "Nine million."
Her voice echoed in the silent hall, shocking everyone present. While the pink diamond was indeed rare and beautiful, it was not so rare as to warrant such an exorbitant price. Five million was already its limit, and increasing it by four million in one go was unreasonable.
There was a moment of silence as everyone processed Alessia's bid.
Sisca's delicate face turned pale as she tightly gripped her bidding card.
She had set her budget at five million, expecting Alessia to stop bidding after her bid of five million and twenty thousand. However, Alessia had continued for two more rounds. This woman was clearly trying to provoke her.
Sisca felt a surge of anger rising within her, but there was also a hint of panic. Had she been played by this woman?
Sitting in her seat, Sisca felt as if she had been struck. There was no joy in successfully bidding for the pink diamond.
Would Dominic despise her because of this?
Sisca suddenly realized something else and her eyes lit up.
It didn't matter. The charity performance was coming up soon, and when she performed, she would surely win back Dominic's favor.
Alessia couldn't help but smirk.
Yes, she had indeed deliberately provoked Sisca just now.
While the pink diamond was undoubtedly beautiful, it wasn't a necessity for her to have. Anything significantly over its actual value wasn't worth purchasing. If someone wanted to be a fool, she was more than happy to oblige.
Z's email hadn't arrived yet. Alessia took out her phone once again to check, and she noticed the female host on stage stepping out in a new outfit, a silver sequin dress.
***