Chapter 93
The auction moved quickly. Each item was wrapped up within ten minutes of being displayed. During this time, Alexa and Alex took a liking to two artifacts. After bidding and winning, it was Brandon himself who personally fetched the items from the back.
Ashton had promised to treat them and followed through, which thrilled Alexis to no end. On top of that, he heard that after the auction, they’d be treated to a late–night meal too. Alexia, who had no resistance to handsome men, agreed without a second thought.
Alex nearly lost his temper over
He thought to himself, “What the heck? Has my handsome face lost its charm already?”
As the auction neared its end, most of the bidders already had one or two items in hand. So when the frostworm that Briar had her eyes on finally came up, the competition had already halved.
Still, with a starting bid of 3 million dollars, the frostworm drew plenty of interest from wealthy bidders.
After all, no rich man would ever think they owned too many good things.
“4 million dollars!”
The moment the auctioneer announced the starting price, someone raised their paddle.
“5 million dollars!” Alexia jumped in immediately.
Ashton handed his bidding paddle to Briar. “Go ahead. Time to boost your treasure fund.
Briar took the paddle from him. “5.3 million dollars.”
In auctions, one shouldn’t raise the bid too aggressively. It would invite conflict and reverse psychology from other bidders, which could
drive the final price far beyond expectations.
But Briar had forgotten. Sitting next to her was none other than the richest scion of Shoneport. And she was holding his paddle.
The moment she raised it, the other wealthy bidders were not particularly fixated on the frostworm, so they quietly bowed out.
Since Ashton raised the paddle, this frostworm would go to the young lady.
After all, no matter how rich someone was, no one could compete with the Wade family, whose wealth could rival a nation’s.
There were still a few who knew the frostworm’s value and weren’t willing to give up. They wanted to try their luck, hoping a miracle would happen. Unfortunately, it definitely wouldn’t happen in the auction.
Not to mention, Ashton already knew the final bid price of every item tonight. And this was the first gift he was giving Briar. No matter how high the price went, he was going to secure it.
The bidding heated up.
“14.3 million dollars!”
“15 million dollars!” Alexia called out.
“15.2 million dollars!”
15.6 million dollars!” Briar called out.
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Chapter 93
216 million dollars!”
In the end, only two bidders were left competing with friar. These two wealthy men had traveled from other cities specifically for this G
and had their sights set on the frostworm. They had come prepared.
They thought their competitors would be other rich collectors. But out of nowhere, Ashton’s camp joined the fray.
13.5 million dollars was the maximum they were willing to go. Sure, the item was great, but paying more than 16 million dollars for it wouldn’t be worth it. It just wouldn’t yield proportional returns for them.
the bidding already at 16 million dollars, one of the men decisively backed out.
He thought to himself, ‘I’m out. Even with money to burn, this is just recklessť”
The other man clenched his teeth, looked at the unbothered Ashton, who hadn’t even glanced at the stage once. The other man decided to go all in one last time. “16.1 million!”
Briar didn’t hesitate. “16.3 million dollars!”
The other bidder was fuming and decided to give up. After all, a loss to Ashton was nothing to be ashamed of. No one could outbid him
anyway.
Even the auctioneer was getting nervous. She had already received a reminder from backstage. This last item was something Ashton’s girlfriend had her eye on, so she had to manage the bidding rhythm carefully and definitely couldn’t let it fall into someone else’s hands.
As the bids inched closer to the maximum value, sweat started to bead on her palms.
Finally, the auctioneer saw that the last bidder had given up. She relaxed and immediately dropped the hammer. “16.3 million dollars, first call! Any more bids? 16.3 million dollars, second call!”
“16.3 million dollars, third call!” She struck the gavel a final time, her smile even brighter now. “Congratulations to this young lady for winning tonight’s final item, the frostworm.”
It hadn’t been easy. The auctioneer looked sincerely toward Briar’s table, visibly relieved.
“Congratulations!” Ashton applauded gently.
Briar was clearly happy too. The final price was 300 thousand dollars less than she had estimated. “Thanks! Your name carries weight. You saved me 300 thousand dollars. I’ll treat you guys for supper.”
Alexia grinned. “Briar, you said it. We’re definitely going to go all out and eat till your wallet hurts.”
“Bring it on,” Briar said, waving her bank card confidently.
AD
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