Veronica was still speaking. “Sharon, Mr. Gerald loves collecting old paintings. If you buy it, he might borrow it to admire and make sketches of. Isn’t this your chance?”Sharon’s heartbeat sped up. That was right, Gerald would love this painting. She had to win it!Soon, Sharon and another man pushed the painting’s price up to twenty million dollars.After the man gave up, the auctioneer started the countdown. Sharon looked over at North nervously.This time, North did not even glance at the painting. She did not seem at all interested in it. Sharon let out a relieved breath.Veronica said tauntingly, “See, Sharon? I told you she’s just biting off more than she can chew. She has run out of money. There are still many other treasures after this. It’s such a shame that some people won’t be able to buy any of them.”Sharon had the feeling that she had gotten one up on North. “Veronica, it’s just that North doesn’t like paintings.”Veronica scoffed. “She doesn’t like paintings?
Gerald spread his legs comfortably and folded his hands before placing them in his lap. There was amusement on his face, but when he looked at Sharon, his expression turned frigid. His tone was bland as he said, “Reasonable? But why can’t North buy these items if she has the money to do so?”Sharon’s expression changed drastically. She stared at Gerald in disbelief.Veronica was frustrated. “B-But it’s obvious that North is just jealous of Sharon! Based on her financial abilities, she can’t compete with the Lane family at all. Still, she wants to steal the items from Sharon! She’s shameless!”Everyone went silent around them.North gave a slight chuckle and broke the silence.“Ms. Lane, if I don’t spend any money, I’m unkind. If I place bids, then I’m biting off more than I can chew. When I can pay, suddenly I’m jealous of Sharon.“Why is it that everything you Lanes say is the most reasonable? I’m simply donating money to the mountain villages, but the Lane family is calling m
David’s expression was twisted. “Sharon, you have to buy that violin no matter how much you have to spend.”Sharon’s eyes reddened. “Dad, even if I try my best to bid for it, North adds ten million dollars to the bid every time. She also has Gerald’s support. How are we supposed to compete against him?”Sharon did not believe that North was spending her own money. It had to be Gerald who was helping her pay for the items!David’s jaw tightened. He suddenly thought of something and put on a confident smile. “Sharon, just bid as you need to. I will intervene with Gerald. Don’t worry. He definitely won’t help North this time!”…During the recess, David personally went to catch up with Gerald.Seeing that North was sitting alone, Georgia could not help but say sarcastically, “Ms. North, is it fun spending a man’s money?”When North turned around, she saw Georgia’s huffy expression. She suddenly chuckled. “Of course, I’m happy to spend my husband’s money. Haven’t you felt the same w
Gerald’s eyes narrowed. What North meant was that she would be able to get her hands on the violin without having to pay for it. How could there be such a good deal in this world?The Lane family was confident that they would be able to get the violin. If North gave up now, it would become the Lane family’s property.Could something that the Lane family bought somehow be handed over to North just like that?This was interesting.Soon, the bidding for the violin began.The opening bid was ten million dollars. After Sharon and some other bidders raised the price to twenty million, North suddenly shot Sharon a look.Then, she immediately raised the bid. “Fifty million dollars.”Even though the auctioneer had a lot of experience under his belt, he had never seen anyone bid so frivolously before. It was as if North did not care about money. To raise the bid by thirty million dollars in one go was clearly a move to force the other bidders to back off!After all, even if this viol
“What? 210 million dollars? Forget it, I don’t have that much money. I give up.” … The entire auction hall was dead silent.The people who had been waiting for a good show to play out exchanged glances with each other. They thought they might have misheard North.Had North really… given up?They recalled the intense bidding battle between North and Sharon before. No one expected that North would simply give up after Sharon’s bid of 210 million dollars.Nathan hesitated for a moment. It seemed that North really wanted that violin but did not have the money to keep the bidding going. Why did Gerald not give her some more money?Nathan could not believe it. Was Gerald really that cheap?! Could he not transfer the money to North?Meanwhile, Veronica was terrified that North was tricking them. Her eyes were wide as she said, “What do you mean by that? You’re giving up on the violin?!”North was unperturbed. She feigned resignation and said, “Well, it’s not that I don’t want it. I
Ivan smiled and feigned confusion. “You’re giving it to me? Ms. Sharon, there is no reason for this gift. I simply cannot accept it.”Sharon smiled warmly. Generously, she said, “Don’t think too much about it, Mr. Ivory. This violin will only be valuable when you play it.”Everyone watched as Ivan considered it for a beat. He seemed to really want it. After hesitating for a long while, he nodded gratefully in the end.“Thank you, Ms. Sharon. You’re welcome in the Ivory family at any time. From now on, any of the Ivory family’s properties will have its doors open to you.”Everyone exclaimed. They looked at Sharon in admiration.Goodness, what an honor it was to have the Ivory family offer Sharon such an invitation! With one violin, she had gotten a great reputation and the Ivory family’s support. That was 210 million dollars well spent!Veronica was haughty. She bumped North hard. “Some people are short-sighted. Are you jealous now that Sharon is getting the spotlight?”North nod
Meanwhile, Ivan coolly finished his sentence onstage, blocking out what Georgia said. “...North. Come up here, North.”Ivan’s gaze swept lightly past Georgia as he said meaningfully, “Don’t you really love this violin? Hurry and thank Ms. Sharon for it.”…The entire hall grew quiet. Georgia’s mouth was still open. She swallowed the rest of her words. What…? Who was Ivan calling onstage? North? How could it be North?!Everyone was stunned. Their mocking gazes abruptly turned disbelieving.Ivan had said that North liked this violin and told her to thank Sharon for the gift. Ivan was going to give the violin to North!In that case, the Lane family had made a mistake.North slowly looked up. She propped her chin up and said in fascination, “Mrs. Lane, I was only telling the truth. I would never hold a grudge against Ivan.“Because… Ivan only ever wanted this violin to be given to me. Tell me, why would I hold a grudge against him for that?”Georgia abruptly came back to herse
“Ms. Sharon was the one who said that this violin belongs to me. Thus, I can naturally do with it as I see fit.”Ivan feigned confusion. “However, when I said that I was giving it to North, the Lane family wouldn’t allow it anymore. If that’s the case, let’s pay for it ourselves, North. It’s 210 million dollars, right? I’ll transfer it to the Lane family.”North shrugged helplessly. “Alright. I knew that the Lane family wouldn’t keep their word. But that’s alright. In any case, I had planned to buy this violin today. It’s okay to spend a little more money.”Ivan’s assistant came forward. “Don’t worry, sir. I’ve contacted the bank. They will complete the transfer within half an hour. Please wait, Ms. Sharon.”Nathan scratched his head and mumbled softly, “Can you take back something you’ve given to someone? Then who was the one who made the donation? Ivan or Sharon?”The person in charge of the auction was also getting anxious. Sharon’s name had already been written down as the per