Chapter 35

From securing sponsorships for Kieran’s firm to caring for Audrey, even making chicken soup for Kieran himself, no detail about Kieran’s preferences escaped Freya. She wished she could micromanage everything, down to how long Kieran spent in the shower, his bathroom trips, and even his toilet paper usage. “Mr. Beckett,” Freya said, her voice brimming with confidence, “watch and see. You’re going to come out on top tonight.” With an effortless gesture, she emptied her champagne glass and placed it on the table.

As the auction commenced, the auctioneer introduced the piece of land in Echo City. “Fifteen acres of suburban Echo City land, starting bid at 300 million dollars!”

Ronan furrowed his brow at the starting bid. It was as Freya had predicted. Auction prices were kept under wraps until the event, making it impossible for Freya to have known the starting bid in advance, unless… was this Echo City auction a trap set by Kieran?

“Bid at 500 million!”

“800 million!”

“One billion!”

The bidding war for the land escalated quickly, fueled by rumors of its appreciation potential, potentially reaching five billion. Noticing Ronan’s hesitation, Freya boldly raised her bidding paddle and announced, “Two billion!”

Ronan glanced at Freya and remarked, “Easy for you to say when it’s not your money.”

“Exactly.”

Not to be outdone, Kieran raised his paddle, “Three billion.”

The bid jump to three billion silenced many until a nod from Kieran to a bidder in the crowd prompted a new offer, “3.5 billion!”

“Four billion,” Ronan countered firmly.

The room buzzed with speculation as the price approached the rumored maximum value of the land. Then, in a dramatic turn, Kieran bid 4.5 billion under the watchful eyes of the auction attendees.

The atmosphere was tense as everyone awaited Ronan’s next move, aware of the high-stakes battle between him and Kieran for the plot of land. Ronan subtly raised his hand at that critical moment, making a gracious “after you” gesture.

That gesture erased the smile from Kieran’s face. Ronan… was yielding?

“Mr. Sutton!” Jarrett was visibly shaken.

The Echo City land was supposed to be their trap for Ronan. Unexpectedly, Ronan chose not to fall for it. A slight smile curved Freya’s lips. In a past life, Ronan had taken the bait, resulting in a massive financial loss for him as the Echo City land failed to meet its expected value. Far from the speculated five billion, it wasn’t even worth 1.5 billion, leading to a significant loss for Ronan and allowing Kieran to oppress the Beckett Group.

But this time, Kieran had overplayed his hand.