Chapter 55
No.1
The sound of Elisa's voice echoing from the shadows caused a physical ripple through the ballroom.
Heads snapped around. The spotlight operator scrambled, swinging a beam of light into the back corner, illuminating Elisa's sharp grey suit and her raised paddle.
In the front row, Allena whipped her head around.When she saw Elisa bidding, her face contorted. A toxic, burning wave of pure jealousy flooded her veins. In Allena's twisted reality, anything Elisa wanted had to be destroyed or stolen.
Allena grabbed August's bicep, digging her nails into his tuxedo jacket.
"August," Allena whined, her voice artificially loud so the surrounding VIPs could hear. "That necklace is stunning. I want to buy it as a baptism gift for my cousin's new baby."
August frowned slightly. He knew Allena hated
antique jewelry; she preferred massive, gaudy modern diamonds. He knew she was only doing this to antagonize Elisa.
But as August looked back at Elisa sitting calmly in the spotlight, his own bruised ego flared. He remembered her throwing the keycard at him. He remembered the crystal lamp. He wanted to break that unbreakable composure.
No.2
August nodded once.
Allena's eyes lit up. She didn't snatch the paddle; her movements were far more practiced. She clutched his arm tighter, leaning into him with a look of desperate, public adoration. "Oh, thank you, August,"she breathed, a perfect performance of the grateful lover. Then, with a graceful, deliberate motion, she raised the paddle.
"Three million!" Allena called out, glaring back at Elisa.
Elisa didn't even blink. Her face was carved from marble. She raised her paddle instantly.
"Five million."
+120 Points at most
The crowd murmured nervously. Five million was already double the estimated value. This was no longer an auction; it was a public execution of wealth.
Allena's face flushed red. She felt her authority being challenged. She raised the paddle again, her voice shrill.
No.3
"Eight million!"
Elisa didn't wait for the auctioneer to acknowledge the bid. She spoke directly over him, her voice a flat,mechanical drone of absolute certainty.
"Ten million."
The ballroom went dead silent. You could hear a pin drop on the thick carpet.
Ten million dollars in liquid cash. Everyone in the room knew Elisa was supposed to be the discarded,penniless wife. Where was she getting this kind of capital?
In the front row, August's spine went rigid. His hands clenched into massive fists.
He knew exactly where the money/ came from.It was the twenty-five million dollar settlement he had wired
her to buy her silence.
No.4
The realization hit him like a physical blow to the stomach. She was using his own money to publicly humiliate himn and outbid his mistress. The sheer,unadulterated disrespect shattered his fragile control.
Allena's hand trembled. Ten million was too high. She looked at August, her eyes welling up with fake tears."August... she's doing this on purpose to embarrass me."
August's vision swam with red. The primal,sociopathic need to dominate completely consumed him.
He reached over and violently ripped the paddle out of Allena's hand. He stood up, his massive frame blocking the stage. He turned around, looking directly at Elisa in the back corner.
He spun like a provoked, wounded bull, locking his furious gaze onto the shadows. The air in the grand ballroom instantly solidified. Every single socialite and investor held their breath, their eyes darting between the towering billionaire and the solitary
figure in the dark, watching this silent, lethal duel unfold. Then, his eyes were black with fury.He raised the paddle high.
"Fifteen million," August roared. The sound vibrated off the crystal chandeliers.
The auctioneer's voice cracked with shock. "F-fifteen million! Going once! Going twice! Sold to Mr.Chambers!"
No.5
The heavy wooden gavel slammed down. Bang.
The room erupted into deafening applause. The Wall Street elite cheered, celebrating the vulgar display of absolute financial supremacy. They looked at August with awe, and then turned to look at Elisa with mocking pity.
August remained standing. He stared down at Elisa,a cruel, arrogant smirk twisting his lips. He waited for her to break. He waited for the tears, the anger, the humiliation of being crushed by his power.
Elisa sat perfectly still in the shadows.
She looked at the digital screen displaying the blue sapphire amulet. The talisman meant to protect a
child.
Then, she looked at August.
A sound escaped Elisa's throat. It started low, a soft vibration in her chest, and then spilled out into the quiet corner of the room.
No.6
It was a laugh.
It was a cold, hollow, terrifyingly genuine laugh.
The absolute, sickening irony of the universe was almost beautiful. August Chambers had just spent fifteen million dollars to violently steal a protective amulet meant for his own biological daughter, just so he could hand it to the parasite who was destroying his life.
He was paying for his own damnation.
Beside her, Jewel was shaking violently. Tears of pure rage were spilling down her cheeks. "Elisa... I'm so sorry. That bastard."
Elisa stopped laughing. Her eyes were completely dead. The last microscopic atom of humanity she held for August Chambers evaporated into the cold air.③
+120 Points at most
She reached out and gently patted Jewel's trembling hand.
No.7
"Don't cry, Jewel," Elisa whispered. Her voice was smoother than glass. "It's fine. He isn't spending money; he's spending luck. And he's about to find out this particular transaction comes with an impossibly high interest rate."
Down in the front row, Allena was practically bouncing with joy. She threw her arms around August's neck, kissing his cheek, waving at the crowd as if she had just won an Oscar.
Elisa looked away. She picked up her phone and opened the encrypted Aethel server app.
The auction was just a sideshow. The real execution was coming.