My Little Sunshine

After a number of items were auctioned off, including watches, paintings, rings and jewelry which were once worn by the royal family members, the final item was brought on the stage. 

It was a choker style necklace which was around two fingers wide. There was a single large square shaped ruby in the center with two rows of crystal clear diamonds on either side of it with small oval shaped emeralds holding the two chains together, going around the neck of the mannequin. There was a drop shaped diamond dangling from the ruby. 

One could hear the gasps being escaped from everyone's mouth as soon as the necklace was brought on the stage. 

The MC started to speak. "This beautiful necklace before you isn't from some royal family. It was a family heirloom of a well distinguished family of our country. But around twenty years ago or so, for some reason, which none of us knows, the family disappeared from the grid, leaving their businesses to be handled by one of their relatives. Even today, we don't know whether anyone from the family is alive or not." 

Adam's eyes were set in Stella as she was on her third glass of wine now.

The MC continued. "This beautiful piece before you, is the family heirloom of one the most renowned families of our country, The Martin family."

-----------------------

A while back,

"What is it Uncle?" Adam spoke into the phone. He had excused himself when he saw the call was from Liam.

"Are you still at the auction?" Liam asked in return.

"Yes, I am. And you are taking up my time which I am supposed to be spending with Stella." Adam replied with an irritated voice.

"Remember I told you about Stella's parents." Liam continued on, ignoring his irritation.

"Yeah! What about them?" Adam's ear perked up.

"At tonight's auction, there's going to be a necklace with a bug ruby in the centre." Liam spoke up heaving out a sigh. "According to my sources, that will be the last thing to be auctioned off. You have to bid for it. Get it for Stella." 

"But she doesn't even like such stuff." Adam replied, his brows furrowed in confusion as to why would his Uncle Liam be asking him to bid for a necklace.

"You don't get it. You have to bid for it and have to get it back." Liam almost yelled at him through the phone's speaker.

"What do you mean by getting it back?" Adam asked, his voice was still calm.

"It's a family heirloom. It belongs to the Martin family." Liam replied heaving out a sigh.

"Martin?..... As in Stella's family?" Adam asked.

"Yes the very same Martin family." Liam replied.

Adam didn't reply to him for a while. He was trying to wrap his head around things. After a while he finally spoke up. "So, you mean that the family heirloom was misplaced? Or they sold it off?" 

"They left the business for Ethan's second paternal cousin to handle since he was an only child of the family. Along with the business, they left every single property they owned under this care. And then they vanished." Liam explained it to him. "I don't know why but that rascal just sold the family heirloom some years ago. It has been in the dark till now." 

"Okay." Adam only replied with one word and cut off the call.

He was having a hard time wrapping his head around what his Uncle Liam had told him over the phone. Even though there were many questions that he wanted to ask Liam, but at the moment the most important thing for him was to get the necklace back for his beasty. With this thought in mind, he made his way back in the hall, to his girl.

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Stella was shocked to her core hearing the name Martin. First, she thought that it must be some coincidence that she had the same last name but her thoughts than drifted back to the conversation they had at Liam's house. For her parents to know two of the most influential families of the country, they can't be normal themselves. 

She turned her head to her right where Adam was sitting, only go find him already looking at her with a complex emotion in his eyes. 

"Is it the same Martin family as in my name?" She asked Adam with her quivering lips.

Adam brought his lips closer to hers and placed a lingering kiss as if trying to reassure her. He slowly retracted his lips back. He slowly nodded his head in a yes. 

"The starting bid for this lovely piece of art is just 50 million euros. " The MC continued his speech.

Before he could continue Adam had already raised his placard. "One hundred million euros."