Chapter 833:
Yolanda and Katie turned as pale as sheets. He was really going to do it—cross the line and provoke the untouchables in those private rooms. If this madness kept going, the painting they had come for would slip through their fingers.
“Brendon, have you forgotten what we’re here for? We came for…” Yolanda said in a low voice, stopping short of exposing their real goal. They couldn’t afford to let anyone else know that their true target was Feathers of the Divine. If word got out that Margot had a special fondness for rare paintings—especially that one—the competition would skyrocket.
She tugged at Brendon’s sleeve, leaning in close. “We’re here to acquire the collection that’ll bring in critical resources for the Dawson family. You need to think this through.”
Brendon’s breath slowed, his pulse gradually steadying. But he wasn’t ready to back down completely. If he could somehow win both the necklace and the painting, wouldn’t that finally impress Christina? Wouldn’t it stop her from looking down on him?
Brendon had the nerve to raise the bid to two hundred million—a move that felt like a direct slap in the face to the two dominant figures in the private rooms upstairs.
“Does he even realize who he’s up against? Those two clearly want the necklace, and here comes Brendon from the barely-relevant Dawson family, jumping into the ring. What the hell is he thinking?”
“Probably just some hot-headed, youthful defiance. He doesn’t realize that a move like that could bury his whole family. Too impulsive.”
“Young people these days… It’s all ego and romance. No sense of responsibility, just recklessness. They don’t think about their family’s future.”
“The Dawson family used to be something. Back when Karl was still alive, he and Bethel had run the Dawson Group to the top of its game. After Karl passed, Bethel’s been carrying the whole company.”
𝐿𝖆𝙩𝑒𝓼𝓉 сհ𝖆ρ𝑡𝓮𝓇𝘀 g𝖆ⅼ𝓃𝗈ν𝓮𝗅𝓈[.]ⅽ𝑜𝗆
“I once thought the Dawson Group would thrive under Brendon’s leadership, but now it seems not much different. If he keeps acting recklessly like this, the Dawson family’s not going to last.”
Many of the guests had lived through the Dawson family’s prime. They still admired Karl’s and Bethel’s strength and leadership, lamenting the lack of promising heirs. After Karl’s death, the Dawson Group relied heavily on Bethel’s efforts to maintain its current state. If Bethel passed away, the Dawson Group would collapse in no time. And as for returning to its former glory? Or going beyond it? Not unless a miracle prodigy came out of nowhere.
Davina caught wind of all the murmurs and smirked to herself. The Dawson family had no one to blame but themselves. They failed to see Christina’s worth—worse, they mistreated her. Thank God Christina hadn’t elevated the Dawson Group too high. If she had, Brendon and his family would’ve been even more insufferable, with Brendon likely taking the credit for Christina’s contribution.
“Two hundred and thirty million.”
“Two hundred and eighty million.”
The bids kept climbing fast. In the blink of an eye, the necklace had jumped another eighty million.
.
.
.