Chapter 108
No.1
The echo of "Five million dollars" hung in the subterranean auction room like a physical weight.
The auctioneer gripped the edges of his podium,his hands visibly shaking. A commission on a five-million-dollar sale was life-changing.He raised his wooden gavel high into the air.
"Five million dollars going once!" the auctioneer cried out, his voice cracking with excitement."Going twice!"
Elisa sat in the shadows. She bit down on her lower lip so hard she tasted the sharp, metallic tang of her own blood. She stared at the glass case,watching the physical embodiment of her family's history slip away, destined to be worn around the neck of the woman who had stolen her husband.
Just as the wooden gavel began its downward arc,Preston raised his hand.
"Hold the hammer," Preston commanded.
The auctioneer froze, the gavel hovering an inch above the sounding block.
No.2
Preston walked to the center of the stage. He stood next to the velvet pedestal, looking out over the crowd of billionaires.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Preston said, his voice smooth and authoritative. "The anonymous seller of this specific artifact placed a unique stipulation in the contract. If the final bidding price exceeds ten times the appraised value of the item,the seller grants the auction house the right to select the buyer based on strategic merit, not just the highest dollar amount."
Preston's eyes swept the room. For a brief second,his gaze landed on Elisa in the back row. His eyes were cold and judgmental. He remembered the scene in the hallway. He had no intention of letting a manipulative gold-digger win.
Preston turned his attention entirely to August.
"Mr. Chambers," Preston said, a sharp, predatory businessman's smile forming on his lips. "Five million dollarsis an incredibly generous offer.However, Vance Capital values long-term, strategic partnerships over immediate cash injections."
The room held its breath.
"I am willing to sell this locket to you for its base reserve price of two hundred thousand dollars,"
No.3
Preston offered publicly. "On one condition. The Chambers Group immediately divests its entire thirty percent stake in the Solaris Tech merger and sells it to Vance Capital at a twenty percent discount. The transfer must be executed by market open tomorrow."
A collective, stunned gasp erupted from the hedge fund managers in the room.
It was a masterstroke of Wall Street extortion.Solaris Tech was a direct competitor to one of Preston's key holdings. Forcing August to sell would not only give Preston a massive financial windfall but would also cripple his rival. He was leveraging a piece of jewelry to execute a brutal,short-term corporate kill.
Allena gripped August's sleeve. She didn't understand what a merger was, but she heard the murmurs of the crowd. She knew it meant giving up something huge. She looked at August nervously.
August sat perfectly still. He looked at Preston,acknowledging the ruthless brilliance of the move.Then, he slowly turned his head and looked at the back row.
He saw Elisa sitting there, her face pale, her eyes fixed on the necklace.
The twisted, sadistic thrill of absolute domination flooded August's veins. He wanted to crush her. He wanted to show Alastair Cromwell and every man in this room that his wealth and power were infinite.He would burn tens of millions of dollars just to watch Elisa bleed.
No.4
August turned back to Preston. He gave a single,arrogant nod.
"Deal," August stated. "Pleasure doing business with you,Vance."
The room erupted into furious whispers. The billionaires shook their heads in disbelief. August Chambers had just traded a fortune in corporate leverage to buy a bauble for his mistress. It was a display of wealth so obscene it bordered on madness.
Allena let out a high-pitched squeal. She threw her arms around August's neck, kissing his jaw repeatedly. "Thank you, thank you, baby! You are the best man in the world!"
Preston smiled, satisfied. He had secured a massive win for his fund, and he felt morally justified in helping the "wronged" fiancée.
Preston personally unlocked the glass case. He removed the sapphire locket, placed it into a black
velvet box, and walked off the stage. He handed the box directly to August.
No.5
August took the box. He did not hand it to Allena.
Instead, August stood up. He turned his back on the stage and began walking up the carpeted steps of the amphitheater, heading straight for the back row.
The whispers died instantly. Every single pair of eyes in the room tracked August's movement.
August stopped directly in front of Elisa. He stood tall, his broad shoulders blocking the stage lights,casting a dark shadow over her.
He looked down at her. His eyes were filled with a cruel,mocking triumph.
August slowly opened the velvet box. He tilted it forward, presenting the flawless sapphire locket just inches from Elisa's face. She could smell the faint, metallic scent of the old gold.
"Do you like it?" August asked. His voice was a low,venomous whisper designed to inflict maximum psychological damage. "It's a shame. You can't afford it. And it seems your new tech-billionaire sugar daddy can't afford it either."
No.6
Elisa's entire body began to tremble. Her eyes
burned with unshed tears of pure, unadulterated humiliation. Her chest tightened so severely she felt like her ribs were cracking. But she locked her jaw. She refused to let a single tear fall in front of him.
August stared at her trembling form for two agonizing seconds. Then, he snapped the velvet box shut with a loud, sharp crack.
He turned around and walked back down the stairs to Allena.
He opened the box, took out the necklace, and personally clasped it around Allena's neck. The blue sapphires rested against her collarbone,glittering under the lights.
Allena touched the stones. She looked up the stairs, locked eyes with Elisa, and flashed a massive, victorious, taunting smile.
In the back row, Alastair's face contorted with violent rage. He planted his hands on his knees,preparing to stand up and physically drag August out of the room.
No.7
Elisa's hand shot out. Her fingers clamped around Alastair's wrist with desperate, bruising force.
"Don't," Elisa choked out, her voice barely a
whisper. "If you hit him here, we both lose everything. Let it go."
She closed her eyes. She took one long,shuddering breath.
When she opened her eyes again, the humiliation was gone. The temperature in her black eyes had dropped to absolute zero.②
Elisa stood up. She did not look at August. She did not look at the necklace. She turned around and walked out of the auction room, her spine rigid,leaving the toxic theater behind.①