However, the auctioneer was an experienced veteran for a reason.
With just a few expertly chosen words, he yanked their attention violently back to the S-Rank serum.
After all, the existence of the secret cargo was still a completely unverified myth.
But the S-Rank serum sitting right in front of them was an undeniable reality.
Handcrafted by The Panacea herself!
A genuine lifesaver!
Seizing the momentum, the auctioneer aggressively slammed the gavel to open the bidding.
The moment the words left his mouth, the digital displays exploded into a frenzy.
In just a few short minutes, the initial asking price was obliterated, soaring exponentially higher.
And the numbers kept violently climbing.
It was painfully clear that an overwhelming number of buyers were desperate to secure the cure.
Up in the VIP suite, Serena reclined lazily in Nicholas's arms, her bright eyes tracking the skyrocketing figures.
The corners of her eyes crinkled with unadulterated delight.
Nicholas gazed down at her, a slow smile touching his lips. "Enjoying this?"
From the corner of her eye, Serena subtly clocked the cleverly hidden bug planted near the ceiling. Her smirk deepened, and she practically melted into his chest.
Her pale fingers traced lazy, tantalizing circles over his hard chest.
The movement was painfully seductive.
"Of course," she cooed, tilting her breathtaking face up with the smugness of a well-
fed fox. "Who would ever complain about having too much money?"
Her tone was drenched in the blatant, shallow ecstasy of a gold digger.
She didn't hide a single drop of her greed.
Nicholas's smirk widened. "Then allow me to make you even happier."
Saying that, he raised a hand, his long fingers hovering directly over their suite's console.
Right before he could press the button—
Serena snapped her hand out, pinning his wrist. "What do you think you're doing?"
Nicholas arched a brow, looking completely unapologetic. "Bidding."
Serena stared at him.
She dragged his hand away from the console and slapped it back onto her waist. "If you want a serum, just tell me."
"Given how generous my Patron is, I suppose I could reluctantly offer you a discount."
Nicholas allowed her to manhandle him, his dark eyes brimming with amusement. "To win a smile from a beautiful woman, this kind of money is nothing."
Serena rolled her eyes at him. "Absolutely not!"
She poked his solid chest with a slender finger, her expression utterly serious. "Your money is my money."
"You using my money to buy my medicine is the equivalent of taking cash from my left pocket to put it in my right, all while paying the vessel a massive processing fee! What's the point?
She dramatically clutched her chest, looking genuinely pained. "That would literally kill me!"
Nicholas couldn't hold back a low, rumbling laugh at her blatantly greedy logic.
His chest vibrated against her, the deep affection in his eyes completely uncontainable.
His arm tightened around her waist, caging her firmly against him. "Right."
Smiling, his voice was warm and lazy. "You make an excellent point, Ms. Panacea. Everything of mine is yours."
Seeing him fall in line, Serena smiled in smug satisfaction. "That's more like it."
She forcefully pressed his hand flat
against her waist to ensure he
stayed away from the console Now. sit back and behave. Don't go
throwing my money away.
She spoke to him like one might soothe a wildly disobedient, overgrown dog.
And yet, the terrifying Sterling Sovereign wasn't offended in the slightest. Instead, he
laughed even harder. "Alright. Whatever you say."