Chapter 835:
Inside one of the private rooms, Ralphy asked nervously, mistakenly assuming that Davina had her eyes on the emerald necklace. “Davina’s placed a bid. Should we wait and see how it plays out?”
“Let’s hold off for now,” Dylan replied calmly. In his eyes, Davina was never one to be drawn to flashy jewelry, yet she had suddenly entered the bidding war. He had a strong hunch that this was Christina’s idea. He intended to step in only if it came down to the wire and they risked losing the piece.
Meanwhile, in another private room, Terrence didn’t plan to hold off, even though Davina was Christina’s friend. He had already made up his mind—this necklace was for Christina. What she chose to do with it after that was none of his business, though deep down, he wished she’d wear it herself instead of passing it on.
Just as Terrence prepared to lift his paddle, Brendon beat him to it. “Three hundred and twenty million!”
Brendon shot Christina a chilly glance. He was convinced there was no way she could top that. From what he had gauged, he still had enough capital left to keep going. But if he won this necklace, bidding on Feathers of the Divine later on would be completely off the table.
Brendon knew the potential value of that painting, and the realization of his impulsiveness stung like a slap. He shouldn’t have let his temper take over. Still, the damage was done—there was no turning back now.
Yolanda was in a frenzy, practically pacing in her seat like a cat on hot bricks. She desperately wanted Brendon to back down. Pouring that much money into a necklace meant they’d be left with scraps when it came time to chase after Feathers of the Divine. That would be the dumbest move ever. Between the necklace and the painting, she’d choose the painting any day—especially if it meant currying favor with Margot.
“Three hundred and thirty million!” Davina raised the bid, her face calm and composed, as though she were merely reading out random digits.
𝕷𝓪𝖙𝑒𝖘𝓉 ¢հ𝖺ρ𝑡𝑒𝗋𝓈 gⲁ𝗅𝗇𝗈ⲇ𝗲𝗅𝘀．ⅽ𝗈𝗆
The crowd whipped their heads toward her, silently sizing her up and trying to unravel her identity.
“Brendon,” Yolanda whispered, clutching his arm tightly, her voice thick with worry. “Let’s not push this further and just give up.”
Brendon turned his gaze on her, wavering for a moment, when one of the heavyweights upstairs raised the bid. “Three hundred and fifty million.” Before anyone could react, a silky voice rang out, slicing through the tension. “Three hundred and ninety million.”
Christina’s lips curved into a faint, confident smile as she coolly escalated the bid by a whopping forty million.
A collective gasp rippled through the room. All eyes turned to Christina, expressions frozen in disbelief. Why had she suddenly jumped into the fray with such an audacious number, especially when even the other heavyweight was hesitating? What a daring, fearless woman.
“Isn’t that Brendon’s ex-wife? How on earth is she so bold? I doubt she’s able to pull out that kind of cash.”
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