Chapter 13 : Raising the Bid
As the little incident settled down, it was time to move into the main event.
The lights in the hall dimmed and a man got up onto the stage with a spotlight on him.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen! On behalf of South Hampton’s charity organizations, I hereby thank you and welcome you to the annual charity ball.”
All the guests automatically gathered around the stage when the event started.
After a quick introduction, the emcee cum auctioneer started the main event of the night—the auction.
The guests at the event were all wealthy and famous, so regardless of the items or their value, every item up for bidding would find its new owner tonight.
In name, it was an auction for charity but frankly speaking, everyone knew it was a forceful donation.
Item after item was being bid and won.
As the event reached the climax, the emcee said, “Lastly, let’s welcome our prized item for the night—the sapphire from Queen Elizabeth’s crown. It has been around for 80 years and it’s still shining brightly today. It has appeared in many auctions abroad and after many turns of events, it ended here in South Hampton.
“A kind gentleman, who wished to remain anonymous, donated this sapphire to us and the starting price is 500,000 dollars! And each call is 20,000 dollars.”
The man hit the gavel.
“600,000 dollars!”
“620,000 dollars!”
“640,000 dollars!”
“700,000 dollars!” A voice from the dark raised the price all of a sudden.
Jeanne did not care but Monica was curious. She turned to the voice and said, “I think it’s Eden.”
Jeanne remained quiet.
Monica added, “I heard that little b*stard is trying to get this piece of rock for Jasmine as a wedding gift.”
Jeanne was surprised. “How did you know?”
Monica clicked her tongue in disdain. “You have no idea how arrogant your stepsister was. Ever since they fixed their wedding date, she has been showing off to whoever she meets.
“Everything that Eden did for her was a story that she can boast to her friends. The high society of South Hampton isn’t large, of course, everyone heard about it.”
Jeanne chuckled. She then raised her hand and called, “900,000 dollars!”
Monica was shocked. In fact, not only her but everyone else in the venue turned to Jeanne in disbelief.
The hall’s lighting was dimmed, not completely dark. They could see Jeanne calling the price with her hand raised.
Eden reacted bitterly to her call. Jasmine even wore a gloomy look on her face.
‘What’s that woman doing?!’
She thought Jeanne had learned to be smart, so it surprised her when Jeanne embarrassed Octavia in front of everyone.
Was Jeanne not afraid of Octavia’s retaliation after the wedding?
‘Hmph! She’s as stupid as ever!’
With that in mind, Eden’s voice sounded in her ears. “1 million!”
“1.2 million.” Jeanne continued to raise the price.
“1.4 million.”
“1.6 million.”
The gloom on Eden’s face was obvious. He turned to Jeanne and glared at her.
Jeanne received multiple questioning gazes but she was not concerned.
Monica, on the other hand, got nervous.
The Jeanne she knew was as feisty as ever! The almighty queen could never be brought down that easily! She even started to consider throwing all her money in to support Jeanne if Jeanne really ran out of money.
The thought of Eden losing the bid and the grumpy look on Jasmine gave Monica an adrenaline rush.
“1.8 million!” Eden squeezed the price out of his clenched teeth.
“2.4 million!” Jeanne said.
‘Oh my God…’ Monica started to count how much money she had in her purse.
She did not put any hope in her husband, who was just a poor doctor. How much would a surgeon earn annually? Besides, based on her understanding, Finn would never lend her the money. The man was stingy and calculative and they could barely agree on the same thing.
Monica thought of her father. She even started to think of ways to persuade her father to lend her the money. If she acted hard enough or shed a couple of tears, she could get a few hundred thousand, probably.
She inhaled deeply.
The hall went quiet. No one raised the price after Jeanne’s 2.4 million.
Monica whispered in Jeanne’s ears, “How much money do you have?”
“Not a single penny.”
Monica widened her eyes in shock. She started to rub her hands anxiously.
.4 million was an astronomical figure even to her. She started to wonder if her father would beat her to death after asking for the money.
“2.4 calling once.”
“2.4 calling twice…”
“S…”
“3 million!” Eden shouted his last offer.
Monica’s heart was pounding furiously.
She had a glance at Jeanne and she strongly believed Jeanne would raise the price again.
Jeanne, however, remained calm and there was not a hint of emotion on her face.
Monica cautiously asked, “Are you going to raise the price again?”
“Nope. I don’t have the money,” Jeanne said.
Monica sighed a breath of relief. ‘Geez, if you don’t have the money, why are you raising the price?!’
The emcee on the stage started counting down after Eden’s call.
“3 million calling once…”
The hall went quiet.
Eden glared at Jeanne as if he was waiting for a challenge.
Jeanne felt it too but she was not concerned.
She did not raise the price because she wanted the piece of rock. She simply wanted to waste people’s money.
“3 million calling twice…”
The hall remained silent.
“S…”
“4.5 million.”
Just when everyone thought Eden was going to win the bid, a strong voice came from the dark.
The charming voice caused everyone’s heart to skip a beat.
At the moment, everyone turned their attention to Fourth Master Swan.
The man wore a cold look for the entire night and it was at this moment, he became the highlight of the event.
Eden looked at his uncle in disbelief.
Fourth Master Swan did not look at anyone but the stone on the stage.
The emcee was stunned for a while before he regained his composure. “4.5 million! Is there another offer?!”
Eden dared not go against his uncle and 4.5 million had far exceeded his limit. His limit was actually below 3 million.
“4.5 million calling once…”
“4.5 million calling twice…”
“Sold to Fourth Master Swan! Congratulations!” The emcee hit the gavel excitedly.
The staff took the stone and delivered it to Fourth Master Swan.
The man had a glance at the stone before Teddy accepted it.
He looked at the stone in his hand and then his master.
Since when did the master he served become so unusual?