"Okay, I give up... It seems for the next auction, we need to come prepared," Katherine murmured, a hint of defeat in her voice.
"Prepared? With what funds?" Adonis asked, turning to face his sister, his brow furrowed in concern.
"I don't know," Katherine admitted, her gaze drifting towards the egg.
"6 Billion!" Chaya's sharp voice cut through the lingering tension, her eyes fixed on the auctioneer.
'This girl is really something...' Christopher mused silently.
"7 Billion!" Murphy countered, her voice carrying a newfound assertiveness.
'Is Murphy planning something?' A seed of suspicion took root in Christopher's mind as he glanced at Murphy over his shoulder, trying to decipher her intentions.
"7.5 Billion!" Chaya wasn't backing down, her gaze locked on the prize.
"It seems I will have to step up again... And besides, I need that egg," Christopher muttered under his breath, a sense of obligation settling upon him.
"Christopher, you already have powerful beasts, why do you still need the egg?" Chloe asked curiously, turning her attention to him, her eyes filled with genuine inquiry.
"I am getting it for someone," he replied simply, his tone leaving no room for further probing.
"Oh... Is it Adonis or Katherine?" Chloe asked with a small, knowing smile playing on her lips.
"None of your business," he stated plainly, cutting off her line of questioning. He then raised his hand, his voice ringing through the hall with unmistakable authority.
"20 Billion!"
A collective gasp swept through the room.
"....."
Chloe froze, her smile vanishing as shock registered on her face.
".....?!!!!"
Murphy and Chaya were utterly speechless, their earlier bravado evaporating into thin air.
'Why so high?' Confusion clouded Murphy's thoughts as she tried to comprehend Christopher's exorbitant bid.
The grand hall descended into an almost palpable silence. No one dared to bid, not even a whisper broke the stillness. They had all seen Christopher's card, a silent testament to his immense wealth and ability to follow through.
Britney moved her gaze slowly around the stunned audience, allowing the silence to linger for a few agonizing seconds, before bringing the microphone closer to her lips.
"20 Billion! Going once!!"
She continued to scan the room, her eyes searching for any flicker of movement, any sign that someone else might challenge Christopher's staggering offer.
"20 Billion going twice!!"
Still, the silence held, unbroken and absolute.
She sighed softly, a hint of awe in her voice, before finally announcing with a professional smile, "Sold to Master Christopher!!"
The silence persisted for a moment longer, as if the sheer magnitude of the transaction had momentarily suspended reality.
Britney nodded respectfully and continued, "Master Christopher, do you wish to pay now, or later?"
'If I pay now, and give the egg to Advika, these guys will surely misunderstand, and it might put her life in danger... I can give her when we are alone,' he reasoned internally, his mind quickly assessing the potential ramifications. Aloud, he said calmly, "Later."
"Ok then!"
Britney gestured to a uniformed attendee, who stepped forward and carefully wheeled the encased egg away.
"That was something," she remarked with a genuine smile, shaking her head slightly before regaining her professional composure. "Our third item on the list! As you all know, we have five items today... This is the third!!" She gestured to her left, and another young lady, dressed in the same attendee's uniform, pushed a new, velvet-lined case to the center of the stage.
"....!!"
Every eye in the hall widened in unison, a wave of collective surprise washing over the room. Even Christopher was visibly stunned by the sheer beauty of the object now on display.
"This here is known as the Beautiful Pearl!" Britney announced, her voice filled with reverence. "As you all can see, this necklace is adorned with not only the most exquisite gemstones, but also imbued with potent life force and a rare beast's eye... It provides the wearer with exceptional damage resistance and grants them a significantly extended lifespan! This is undeniably one of the most coveted treasures in the world... The Beautiful Pearl, a woman's necklace; husbands, sons, nephews, boyfriends, and brothers! This is your opportunity to demonstrate your profound affection for your wives, mothers, aunties, girlfriends, and sisters!! Or, of course, if a woman desires it for herself!"
She paused, her gaze sweeping over the sea of anticipating faces, allowing the significance of the item to sink in.
"The starting bid is 50 Million!" she declared, her voice echoing through the hall.
"50 million?!" Adonis exclaimed without hesitation, his eyes gleaming with interest.
"60!!" someone else called out from the crowd.
"100 Million!!" Leyla stated firmly, her voice cutting through the rising chatter and causing several heads to turn in her direction.
"150 Million!!" Gabi countered, her determination evident in her tone.
"300 Million!!" Mariana bid for the first time, her voice surprisingly steady despite the escalating price.
The four heads of the prominent families gripped their fists tightly, a mixture of longing and frustration etched on their faces. This was a prime opportunity to acquire a legendary treasure, but their earlier pact had rendered them powerless to participate. They could only sit and listen as the bids soared.
"400 Million!" Chloe said with a confident smile, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
"500 million!!" Adrian retorted, a competitive edge in his voice.
"You guys are stingy.... If I get this for my mum, she will be so happy," James announced, raising his hand with a flourish.
"One billion!!!"
"...."
The two individuals sitting beside him exchanged stunned glances. Christopher, however, merely rolled his eyes, a hint of amusement playing on his lips.
"That's my son, he will get the Beautiful Pearl for me!" James' mother exclaimed proudly, a bright smile illuminating her face.
'You?! Even though I don't have that amount, I can borrow it!' Chloe thought fiercely, her resolve hardening. She raised her voice, "1.5 Billion!"
"Oh... I didn't know Miss Chloe had so much money," James said with a condescending smirk.
"2 Billion," he countered, his smirk widening as he tried to intimidate her.
"A toad thinking he can touch the sky... How foolish," Chaya muttered disdainfully, her eyes fixed on James with unconcealed contempt.
James frowned, his face hardening as he turned to Chaya, his eyes now cold with anger. "You?! Do you know who I am?!" he demanded, his voice rising in indignation.
"You are just a son of a small family in Cordelia... You aren't even worth holding a candle before me," she retorted dismissively, before adding with a chillingly casual tone, "Ten billion!"
'Ten... Ten billion?! Who really is this lady?!' James thought, his earlier arrogance completely shattered, leaving him utterly silenced.
"It's true money and strength are the only things that matter in their world... But you don't have to be so cocky about it. 15 Billion!" Murphy interjected, her voice calm.
'Now that I listened to this voice, it also sounds familiar,' Chaya thought, a flicker of recognition sparking in her mind as she glanced at Murphy over her shoulder, trying to place the familiar cadence.
"Worth a try," Adonis sighed, folding his arms, a hint of resignation in his voice.
"Why did you two bid? Who were you planning on giving it to?" Katherine asked Leyla and Adonis, her curiosity piqued.
Adonis answered simply, "Mum."
Layla echoed, "Madam."
"Oh... That's bad, it seems we will leave it to big Brother then," Katherine said, leaning back in her seat, a sense of inevitability in her tone.
"He loves mother more than the two of us combined, and she also dotes on him more than us. There is no way he won't bid for it," she stated matter-of-factly.
'Christopher just used more than 30 Billion, but they still think he has the money to bid for this... How rich is Christopher?' Advika wondered silently, her mind reeling at the sheer scale of his wealth.
'Christopher! This is the time to show your mother you love her! I can't bid, so you have to do this!' Ethan thought, his gaze fixed intently on the ground, a silent plea directed towards his son.
"20 Billion!" Chaya declared, her voice ringing with renewed determination.
'I don't have such an amount of money, but Dad has it... He will give it to me,' she thought confidently, her gaze fixed on the necklace.
Silence descended once more as everyone waited for the inevitable response.
Britney turned to Christopher, her eyebrows slightly raised as she noted his continued silence. She then moved her gaze around the expectant hall and announced, "20 Billion! Going once!!"
The silence stretched, thick with anticipation.
She nodded slowly and continued, her voice slightly louder, "20 Billion going twice!!!!"
Then, a voice, calm and utterly unexpected, cut through the tension.
"50 Billion."
"...?!!!"
Britney was so utterly stunned that the microphone nearly slipped from her grasp. Not only her, but everyone in the grand hall froze, their heads snapping towards the source of the audacious bid, a silent prayer on their lips that it wasn't who they suspected.
Alas! It was indeed Christopher Valhalla who had just thrown down the gauntlet, his bid sending shockwaves through the entire auction.