Chapter 16
The auction soon began.
The earlier items included rare treasures and famous paintings from abroad, and even handsome men and beautiful women were up for bid. The competition was intense.
However, Loretta and John weren’t interested in any of these, Jom simply observed the iterns, while Loretta was busy texting on her phone,
Loretta: Did you find the mercenaries I asked for?]
R: I’m on it. Don’t worry. The team is in position. As long as the money is there, they’ll protect whatever you need. If anything goes wrong, they’ll cover the costs.]
Loretta relaxed upon reading this.
Loretta: [Thanks, I’ll treat you to dinner once we’re back home-
R: [As you should. But this time, I have a favor to ask of you]
Loretta: [What is it?]
R: [Help me pick out a gift. My grandfather’s 70th birthday is coming up, and I need something that’ll outshine everyone else’s.]
Loretta’s lips curved into a smile. [No problem; you can count on me.]
“Loretta,” John said.
Hearing her name, Loretta turned to John and asked, “Dad, what is it?”
John gestured toward the auction stage. They were currently showcasing a stunning sapphire necklace. “Do you like this necklace! If you do, I’ll hid for it.”
Loretta glanced at it briefly and then shook her head. The necklace is too expensive. We should save our money for the Nine Dragons Goblet later.”
John didn’t agree. “I make money for your happiness. If I can’t buy the things you want, what’s the point of bidding for anything else?”
Warmth spread through Loretta’s heart, and a soft smile appeared on her lips. Her beautiful eyes sparkled with joy. “Well… if you want to, go ahead and bid. But let’s stop if it goes over 15 million dollars.”
The necklace had an opening bid of 3 million dollars, and it was well–designed. Many men were eager to win it for their wives or lovers..
When the bidding reached 20 million dollars, Loretta asked John to stop. The necklace was eventually won by a guest in Section B, Seat 111, for 23 million dollars.
The auction continued for another half–hour until, finally, it was time for the Nine Dragons Goblet to be presented. The auctioneer began describing the unique qualities of the goblet.
As the goblet was filled with wine, the lights in the room dimme the nine dragons etched on its surface were moving. This magic
leaving only a spotlight on the goblet, making it seem as if display immediately captured the audience’s attention.
The auctioneer then added, “In addition to its extraordinary aparance, the Nine Dragons Goblet har special properes in winter, the liquid inside will naturally warm, and in summer, itols. If any poison is present, the goblet will instantly turn
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Chapter 16
black
At this, several eager bidders urged the auctioneer to start the bidding process. Without further delay, the auction began.
The starting price was 60 million dollars, and bids quickly escalated to 300 million. However, the number of bidders hadn’t dwindled much.
John frowned, looking a bit worried. “I didn’t expect so many people to bid. I wonder if we’ve prepared enough money. Loretta, knowing what the final price would be, reassured him, think a lot of people are about to drop out.”
Not long after Loretta spoke, the bidding for the Nine Dragons Goblet shot up to 400 million dollars, and as she predicted, many bidders dropped out.
In the end, only four bidders remained.
At 500 million dollars, there were just three.
When the bid reached 530 million dollars, Michael cursed under his breath. “Damn it! John must be out of his mind, still not giving up at this point.”
For Michael, 500 million was already the limit. He feared John might be tricking them, pushing the bid higher only to suddenly drop out, leaving Michael stuck with the bill.
Eduard suggested, “Should we call Uncle Christopher and ask for his advice?”
Michael snapped, “Christopher’s not handling this. Malcolm’s the one calling the shots now.”
At the mention of Malcolm, Eduard’s expression soured.
Michael sighed, “Let’s raise it by another 30 million. Even if we win, it won’t be a total loss. We can’t let John have this antique and gift it to others.”
“I wonder who the other bidder is,” Eduard said.
“Probably some foreigner. It doesn’t matter. We’ll just match whatever John bids, Michael said.
At that moment, the auctioneer announced, “Bidder 373 has offered 560 million dollars. Will the other two continue?”
“Damn it!” Michael’s face twisted in frustration, “Who the hell is $73, bidding even more aggressively than John?”
“Should we keep going? Eduard asked.
“Yeah, let’s raise it by 3 million, Michael said.
The auctioneer called out, “Bidder 250 offers 563 million dollars. Do the other bidders wish to continue
Then, “Bidder 341 offers 573 million dollars. Do the other bidders wish to continue?”
“Bidder 373 offers 576 million dollars. Do the other bidders wish to continue?” the auctioneer continued.
“Bidder 250 offers 580 million dollars. Do the other bidders wish to continue?‘ the auctioneer still didn’t stop.
The relentless bidding created an atmosphere of tension and excitement throughout the auction hall.
When the price hit 590 million dollars, Eduard’s heart was racing, and his hand holding the paddle felt too heavy to lift. He glanced anxiously at Michael. “Dad, do we keep going?”
Michael hadn’t expected John and this other bidder to be so relentless Gritting his teeth, he said, “No, we’re done. John
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Chapter 16
might not win against that other guy anyway.”
in that
As long as John didn’t win, that was enough for Michael,
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When the bid from bidder 373 shot up to 600 million dollars, John didn’t raise the price again.
Michael and Eduard were satisfied, though Michael instructed Eduard to find out who bidder 373 was
Meanwhile, John and Loretta exchanged smiles. John said, “Good thing you had your friend help with the bidding. If it had been just us against the Lindsey family, they would’ve kept pushing the price higher.”
Loretta smiled back, “Since your goal was to return the Nine Dragons Goblet to the country, fate helped us succeed in the bidding
John nodded, grinning.
At that moment, Loretta’s phone buzzed. After glancing at it, she turned to John and said, “Dad, I need to use the restroom.”
“Take the bodyguards with you,” said John.
“Okay,” Loretta said.
The bodyguards followed Loretta and stopped outside the ladies restroom.
The bathroom was spacious. After Loretta entered and saw that it was empty, two masked figures, a man and a woman, suddenly dropped down from the ceiling vents.
“Are you the mercenaries I hired? Loretta asked.
“Yes,” the woman replied.
Loretta showed them a picture of the Nine Dragons Goblet on her phone. Your mission is to protect this goblet until we return home and hand it over to the government.”
“Understood.” The two mercenaries accepted the task and disappeared back through the vent, as silently as they had arrived
Loretta tucked her phone away and headed back out, only to run into Eduard walking down the hallway toward the
restroom.
The moment Eduard saw her, he smirked maliciously. “Ms. Broderick, I didn’t expect to see you here. You know, there are plenty of men back in Yorkhaven who are still upset over you. What do you think would happen if I revealed your location?
boyfriend. Maybe some of your admirers will be here, especially your…
Loretta knew Eduard was trying to get under her skin. She shot am a glance, not bothering to talk to him, and started walking back to the auction hall with her bodyguards.
But as she passed Eduard, he suddenly reached out, blocking her path.
SEND GIFT
