Chapter 746 An Unremarkable Stone
Hayley’s POV:
The raw stone was completely covered in thick moss. Its surface had a faint reddish tint, and under the light, it looked more like an ordinary rock than a gemstone.
It was about the same size as the first one, but its rough, unremarkable appearance caused a stir of murmurs and disapproval across the room.
The starting bid was set at 280,000 dollars.
In the silence that followed, I called out enthusiastically, “Five hundred thousand dollars! I’ll take it!”
The moment the words left my mouth, every pair of eyes turned my way. Some were confused, others suspicious or outright condescending.
A half-second pause later, the whole place erupted in laughter.
“Haha! Whose spoiled rich brat is this, making a fool of herself in public?”
“She looks decent enough; too bad she’s just an Omega. Doesn’t even have the basic knowledge to tell a rock from a gem.”
“Hey, sweetheart, do you know what premium gemstone rough looks like? The lighter the outer layer, the better chance there is something valuable inside. You take that rock home, and your elders are going to faint from rage!”
The man stretched his neck and made a show of looking concerned, drawing a wave of laughter from the crowd.
Because of all that, no one else placed a bid. My bid stood unchallenged for more than a minute, right in the middle of the jeering.
I had to stop Hera from bursting out and putting them in their place. Instead, I scanned the room, gave a half-smile, and laughed at myself.
If I’d known no one would raise the price, I could’ve just offered 300,000. I ended up wasting 200,000 for nothing.
Victory was almost in my grasp. Even Nelson on stage had started smiling, clearly ready to congratulate me. Then a sharp male voice cut through the room from the VIP box to my right.
“Eight hundred and eighty thousand dollars!”
His voice was low and clear, firm enough to carry across the hall. Everyone turned to look.
So did I. I followed their gaze, wondering which poor fool was joining me in this bid.
That’s when I saw Truman standing at the railing in white gloves, looking down at the raw stone from above like he was examining something interesting.
My brow furrowed. I had a bad feeling about this.
Chapter 746 An Unremarkable Stone
Downstairs, Celine seethed with jealousy. She turned to Freya and hissed, “Why is Truman bidding too…”
“Freya! Your sister’s got Truman wrapped around her finger! He’s seriously buying that junk stone? What a joke!”
Someone jeered loudly, “Alpha Truman’s really going all out, huh? Willing to waste money just to win a lady’s heart!”
“Don’t be ridiculous!” Celine snapped loudly. “You think Truman’s like you low-class mutts? Watch your mouth!” That one sentence managed to offend nearly everyone in the room.
“Oh wow, Alpha Truman’s got quite the harem, huh?” someone shot back. “Too bad, just like these seats, some ladies get the VIP treatment, while others are stuck down here with the rest of us.”
“Exactly! If you’ve fallen so low you’re squeezed in with us on the first floor, why are you so smug? Maybe don’t act like she’s his Luna or something!”
“She might be a big spender, but at least she’s pretty. That one over there? I doubt even a man without a wolf would want her!”
Having been publicly insulted by Celine earlier, the crowd showed no mercy now. Their taunts came one after another, dragging Celine’s reputation through the dirt.
She was so furious, her fangs came out, gleaming and sharp, ready to snap back at every single one of them.
Freya, terrified that the gender war might spiral out of control and land her in the line of fire, quickly held her back. “Celine! Calm down! Alpha Truman is still watching from upstairs. Don’t make yourself look like a lunatic!”
The mention of Truman was enough to pull Celine back from the edge. She reluctantly held her tongue and turned her focus back to Hayley.
Hayley’s POV:
After the sudden interruption from the mystery bidder, I raised my voice again. “Nine hundred thousand.”
“Nine hundred and eighty thousand,” Truman countered casually, looking straight at me, a faint smirk playing on his lips like he was enjoying some private joke.
“One million.”
“One million and twenty thousand.”
My hands clenched into fists. He had casually handed over 90 million earlier for land—why was he fighting me over this?
I needed to win the bidding to humiliate Freya with it.
“Mr. White,” I said with a polite smile, testing the waters, “would you consider letting me have this piece?”
“Apologies, Ms. Carson,” Truman replied just as politely, “but I happen to want it too. I’m afraid I can’t grant your wish.” His tone was courteous, but his refusal left no room for argument.