Template placeholder with Chapter 41

Chapter 41:

Gasps rippled through the room, and Dayna’s eyes burned with fury as she fixed her gaze on the second floor. Meanwhile, the auctioneer onstage couldn’t hide his delight, convinced that fortune had favored him tonight.

“Would you like to go higher, miss?” he asked Dayna.

Although Janessa had prepared only five million for her, there was no way she would back down like this. Silence settled over the hall, all eyes locked on Dayna. Her cheeks burned under the sting of scornful glances.

Without a word, she turned to Jaxton, desperation flickering in her eyes. Keen to the tension, the auctioneer didn’t miss a beat. Sensing Dayna’s dilemma, he turned to Jaxton. “Sir, do you want to raise your bid p>

Those who had focused on Dayna now shifted their gaze, waiting to see Jaxton’s next move. Displeasure crept over Jaxton’s face—at the auctioneer’s tactics and at Dayna’s plea—but he was left with no choice. Gritting his teeth, he lifted the offer by another million.

“Ten million p>

𝗧𝘩o𝗎𝘴a𝗻𝘥ѕ о𝖿 𝗋eа𝖽𝘦𝗋𝘴 о𝘯 𝘨𝖺𝗹ո𝗼v𝘦𝗹ѕ.𝗰𝗼𝗆

As soon as Jaxton set down his paddle, Wyatt shot a signal to Davin, and Davin raised the bid to a new height. The bracelet’s price rocketed far beyond its starting point, but for the wealthy gathered on the second floor, tossing around ten million barely registered as a loss.

Jaxton was in a tight spot. Conceding now would disgrace the Morrison family. In an instant, the auction became a showdown between Jaxton and Wyatt. Jaxton kept nudging up the offer by a million each round, while Davin—acting on Wyatt’s cue—pushed the price steadily higher, eventually bumping it straight to fifty million.

Anger flashed in Jaxton’s eyes as he glared up at the second floor, refused to quit, and raised the bid by another million.

On the second floor, Davin watched Jaxton with thinly veiled amusement, thinking he was a fool. No one in Kretol had ever dared to compete with Wyatt like this.

Just as Davin prepared to raise the bid again, Amelia’s voice rang out. “Stop!” Looking straight at Wyatt, she said firmly, “A bracelet like this can’t possibly be worth more than a few hundred thousand. Even if you have money to burn, why throw it away like this p>

For Wyatt, such a sum was spare change. Still, he gave Amelia a respectful nod. “Fine. I’ll do as you say p>

Davin set the microphone down without delay. The hush that followed from the second floor disappointed the crowd, while Jaxton’s expression shifted.

The price of the bracelet—fifty-one million—was far above the amount Laura had prepared for him. Dayna, sitting uncomfortably beside Jaxton, found herself at a loss. While it had been Jaxton who kept raising the stakes, it had been her actions that ignited the bidding war.

Applause sounded as the auctioneer congratulated Jaxton. Dayna, uncertain, tried to slip her hand into Jaxton’s, but he jerked away. Her injured hand throbbed even worse after his abrupt reaction, prompting a sharp cry of pain. Yet the auctioneer’s next words made her forget the pain.

Since Dayna had initiated the bidding war, both she and Jaxton now had to bear the final cost together.

Jaxton’s scowl softened just a bit when he heard that. Dayna instinctively wanted to back out, but seeing Jaxton’s gaze, she forced a strained smile. “Jaxton, don’t worry. I’ll share the cost of the fifty-one million with you. This whole mess was my fault. I’m sorry p>

With teary eyes and a trembling voice, she looked at him, waiting for his response. Seeing her like this, he could only say, “It’s alright. You don’t have to pay half p>

Hope fluttered in Dayna’s chest; she was convinced his words came from love. But his next words left her stunned.

“You can only pay twenty-five million. I’ll take care of the rest p>