Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Nathan delivered his report in a respectful tone. “Mr. Charrington, we’ve dug into the background of that lady, as you instructed. Her name is Danielle Darling. She is the biological daughter of the Darling family, and they have only recently reunited.
“We also discovered that she is, in fact, the miracle healer we’ve been searching for. We verified with the director of St Katherine’s Hospital that she was the one who performed the surgery on your grandfather.
“And one more thing, Miss Darling’s hacking skills also seem quite formidable. If she hadn’t been intoxicated that day and made a mistake, we would never have caught on. He seemed impressed by Danielle’s background and talents.
“Well, I guess it’s about time to pay a visit to the Darling family, David answered with a hint of amusement in his eyes.
Ever since Xavier found out about the trending searches, he thought frequently of his biological little sister. She’d disappeared when he was just a small boy, but he remembered that she’d been docile and clingy.
Her parents had despaired following her disappearance, and their anguish was only soothed a little after they adopted Audrey.
Xavier himself had never taken a liking to Audrey, and all the buzz about David and her left him feeling slightly resentful. He couldn’t help thinking that if his sister was around, she would be the one in the spotlight instead.
It wasn’t that David was such a fantastic catch. Xavier just wanted to protect what should have been his sister’s life, even though he had no clue where in the world she was
The Waywood Club auction was being held at a luxurious private manor in the outskirts of Soufield. The owner of the manor kept such a low profile that nobody had a clue who he or she was.
Several luxury cars were making their way onto the brightly lit premises. Each car had a designated valet, who wou! ark the car in lots according to the owner’s auction room numbers.
Admission to the Waywood Club auction was by invitation only. The guest list had been curated stringently, so only the most affluent, influential individuals could grace the event. Receiving an invite was a testament to one’s status.
Danielle and Juniper had been invited to the auction a number of times before, but this time, they were invited by merit of their identity as the founders of Black Web.
Black Web was a powerful network that boasted unrivalled search capabilities, whether for people, objects, or information. The fees varied, but one thing for certain was that if Black Web accepted your job request, they delivered without fail
The auction had been arranged to be highly private. Each attendee would be seated in a fully outfitted, closed room instead of an open event hall. Each room had a number, and the smaller the number, the higher the attendee’s status.
There was no auctioneer present nor any physical displays of the exhibits. Instead, each auction room came equipped with a smart screen monitor that would provide detailed descriptions of each item,
At the end of the auction, the item would be delivered to the room of the highest bidder. The attendees could then proceed to the main hall of the manor, where an afterparty would be held
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Chapter 15
Some attendees had come to the auction precisely because of the afterparty. It was a rare opportunity to meet and rub shoulders with the bigwigs of the entire country, and many company directors were looking to expand their businesses in
that way
In auction room number one, Nathan stood next to David and formed him slated to be the final item in the auction.”
Ordially, “Mr. Charrington, Crimson Lily is
David hummed in acknowledgment as he stood in front of the floor–to–ceiling window, cutting an intimidating figure. The Crimson Lily was said to grow in the depths of volcanoes and was reputable for its ability to cure all sorts of poisons and
ailments
Suddenly, the smart screen lit up, and a voice from the system announced, “The auction will begin now,” It started to introduce the first item, a diamond–studded crown with a total of three hundred carats of diamonds. The voice began to announce each bid that was placed.
Danielle had come to the auction solely for the Crimson Lily. She had zero interest in the other items.
Juniper struck up a conversation. “That sister of yours and Davidare trending online. Did you see it? I didn’t realize they had that kind of relationship.” she said as she gazed at Danielle with interest.
“I didn’t know anything about that,” came the bored reply of Damelle as she drank from her glass of water,
“You’ve only just reunited with your family, but she’s already playing all these little mind games. You should just kick her out already. Juniper ignored Danielle’s disinterest and continued.
My parents have a strong bond with Audrey. After all, she’s been with them for over ten years. If I asked them to kick her out, they’d feel guilty. It’s better to just leave things as they are, Danielle explained.
“I guess that’s fine, as long as you’re okay with it,” Juniper relented. Then she continued, “I know you don’t usually go to the party after the auction, but I think you should this time. Just to accompany me.”
Danielle hummed to signal her agreement.
Just then, the system’s voice crackled to life, announcing the final item of the auction: the Crimson Lily herb. It went on about its rare properties, the health benefits, and how exclusive it was–basically selling it like it was the holy grail
The system laid down the rules of the bid. The starting price was 3 million dollars, and each subsequent bid had to be at least 300 thousand dollars.
The screen also displayed the information of the bids, including the bid amount and the bidder’s room number. Once the bidding began, it was obvious that many of the attendees were keen to get their hands on the Crimson Lily.
In no time at all, the bids jumped to 5 million dollars, then 6, then 6.5 million dollars.
Juniper watched the number on the screen jump steadily. “How much should we bid?” she asked.
“Add 1.5 million dollars to the top bid,” Danielle replied.
The other bidders quickly realized that Auction Room 2 had the highest bid, and sure enough, the offers started to dry up. Everyone understood what a low–numbered auctiorf room meant–it was basically a sign that the big players were already
-in.
Juniper and Danielle thought they had it in the bag when they saw that the bidding frenzy had died down after their bid. Suddenly, the number on the monitor changed again. There was an additional increase of 3 million dollars, bringing the
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highest bid now to 12 million dollars. What’s more, the bid had come from auction room number one.
The two had not seen that coming. They sprang to action, raising the bid by 1.5 million dollars.
The guest in auction room number one reciprocated by bidding an extra 3 million dollars.
The bidding war between auction rooms one and two went back and forth, much to the shock and silence of the other attendees.
Juniper started to get nervous. “Danielle, we can’t keep bidding like this. We’re already way over budget. If we go any further. we’ll have to find something else to replace the Crimson Lily.”
“Nothing beats the Crimson Lily. It’s the only option. I have to have it,” Danielle said, her fingers flying over the keyboard as she punched in an even higher bid.
“Danielle, don’t be rash, Juniper reasoned as she grabbed Danielle’s hand and held it back.
The screen display changed then, and the voice announced, “Congratulations to Auction Room 1 for successfully bidding on Crimson Lily for 45 million dollars.”
Everyone else in the rest of the auction rooms collectively gasped. This singular plant had sold for 45 million dollars just like that. The same thought crossed all of their minds. Who the hellare the people in rooms one and two?‘
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