Free Web NovelChapter 139: Chapter 139: Withdrawal of the Necklace
The Beck Mansion hall, with hundreds of people inside, was in perfect silence. The auction of the necklace turned into a battle without fire. Everyone present held their breath and wondered if number forty-four would make another bid.
Number forty-four made another bid shortly after, fifty million. This price disappointed some people.
"Is the number forty-four out of money? Only bidding up by ten million?"
"Are you crazy, only ten million? Does your company make ten million profit a year?
"But compared to number sixteen he lost, number sixteen always doubles the price."
"Do you think Mr. Beck hired number sixteen? Who bids like this?"
"Are you crazy? Why would Mr. Beck hire someone to do the bidding?"
Edie had the same doubts. Watching the figure on the screen getting larger and larger, she pressed her nails hard against her palm. "Stuart, why is number forty-four competing against you, it seems a little strange."
Regardless of the atmosphere around him, Stuart remained calm and relaxed. Although his eyes were a little concerned, he still acted cool and in control. "Don’t worry." Two words slipped out of his mouth as if telling her his attitude.
Edie couldn’t help but look around. She counted the tables, wanting to know who number forty-four was. When she counted to number forty-four, Edie cringed in her seat.
From where she was sitting, she could only see the side view of a person with the number forty-four, it was a young man. The man was dressed all in black, a black cap, a black mask, and a black hood, hardly revealing any skin. He looked down at the screen in front of him, and his facial expression could not be seen.
"Who is he?" Edie wondered.
While Edie looked around, she missed Stuart’s action, and he was already raising up his hand to make another bid. The host almost lost his grip on the microphone, and a loud noise came from the speaker. The sound made the audience gasp, but also silenced them.
The whispering stopped, the auction hall was in dead silence. The host spoke in a shaky voice, "Number sixteen...made another bid," he swallowed hard and said in disbelief, "of one hundred million dollars!"
No one could believe their ears. One hundred million! Even if everyone present were top business leaders, no one could afford one hundred million dollars for a necklace, regardless of its value. Holding the hammer in his hand, his hands shook. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
Ever since starting his career, the auction hammer never felt this heavy to him before. His eyes ran down the hall quickly, seeing a bunch of astonishing faces, he said prudently, "If no one can make a higher bid, then, one hundred million once..."
Everyone in the auction hall held their breath waiting. It was either number forty-four gives a higher price or number sixteen takes the diamond necklace with such an astronomical amount.
"One hundred million twice..." The auction hammer was already up in the air. Edie’s heart was beating rapidly. However, at this point, a member of the staff ran up quickly, looking very anxious and whispered in Mr. Beck’s ear.
"What?! There has never been such a precedent!" Since the microphone was turned on, everyone heard his exclamation very vividly. Noticing his own lapse, the host quickly explained, "Sorry, there are some problems in the auction process. Please wait for a moment."
Then he turned off the microphone, walked aside, and started whispering to the man. The guests were waiting too, and they were wondering what sort of significant issue was important enough to interrupt a record-breaking auction like this?
A few minutes later, the host walked back onto the stage. "My fellow guests, we are very sorry, since the donator changed his mind, we have decided to withdraw this necklace from today’s auction."
Mr. Beck looked pale, but he had to announce the decision that was made by the donator. After the announcement was made, the man closed the jewelry box and carried it off the stage. When seeing the one hundred million dollar necklace being taken away, the auction hall turned into a kettle of boiling water.
"Isn’t this against the rules, how can they do such a thing?"
"Withdrawing a donated exhibit? Beck Mansion is out of line."
"The man probably realized he had seriously underestimated the value of the necklace."
Edie did not expect this would happen, and she had just been thinking about how much work she had to do to pay Stuart back, and now, the necklace was withdrawn. Edie turned around to ask Stuart, "Stuart, does this mean that we can’t bid on the necklace anymore?" fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
Stuart frowned, clearly not expecting this either and replied, "Wait a moment, I’ll go ask Mr. Beck what is going on." Edie nodded, then Stuart got up and left. Hearing the voices around her, Edie was a little confused and flustered.
Suddenly, Edie’s phone rang. It was Donald, and she hung up without thinking. Since Donald humiliated her at the café last time, she wanted nothing to do with him. Edie only wanted to wait quietly for Stuart to come back.
As she was about to turn off her phone, Donald sent a text message to her, "The Sea of Stars is no longer for auction tonight, I withdrew it. If you want it back, come to the underground warehouse, I will not wait long."
After reading the message, Edie trembled in rage. How did she forget? Although Joanna donated the jewelry, Donald was her fiancé, and he probably was in it with her too. Withdrawing the necklace in the middle of the auction was perhaps a part of their plan.
Donald Lynch...how did he become so crooked? Threatening her with the necklace, of course, she didn’t want him to accomplish his plot, but this was the only remnant of her mother that was left to her.
First, it was overbidding, then Donald withdrew the necklace, which directly cut off her access to it. She only wanted her own thing back; why was it so difficult?!
Edie couldn’t seem to catch her breath the rest of the evening, she unlocked her phone and dialed Donald’s number. The phone was picked up almost immediately as if he predicted that she would call.
