Terry became flustered, but he still tried his best to compose himself. "I believe I have the ability to take over your position as head of the Emersons, Dad. Did you know that what happened last night had caused all of our stocks to crash today? Some of our businesses had already declared bankruptcy and shut down."Itijah let out a sigh and replied, "I already guessed as much. We'll be having tough times ahead of us indeed. Walter's appearance last night had basically sealed our fate. The other families must've already started preparations to kick us while we're down when they received news about what happened."The Emersons had gathered a lot of enemies over the years as the richest family in Kandor City.Lots of people wanted nothing but the downfall of the Emersons so that they could take over their spot as the most powerful in Kandor City.But none had ever done anything in fear of being crushed by the Emersons.It was the only thing keeping the balance within Kandor City.W
For the next few days, Austin would be busy resuming work handling matters of the Dominion Properties.On the other side of things, Vincent had already finished building up the internal structure of the finance company that he would be taking charge of.Neither had given a second of their attention to the chaos ongoing around the Emersons within Kandor City.They did not care whether or not the Emersons would rise back up through the ashes or not.Austin lived a relatively peaceful life with a straightforward routine between going to work and going back home. Cecily would also visit Heavensgate Residence daily ever since Dahlia had made it back home safely from the kidnapping incident.She would also ask Raquel for advice on cooking from time to time.Austin was very satisfied with living such a peaceful life.However, it didn't mean that he wouldn't be involved with them again just because he didn't care about the Emersons.During the evening, Austin, Ezra, Aldus, and Vincent
Austin realized that the Clarks must have really extended their invitation out of genuine respect as Ezra described.They had no reason to challenge him.Austin stretched and replied, "I'll bring Vincent with me tonight."Ezra nodded without questioning why Austin had chosen Vincent instead of him.The truth was simply that Austin had no other choice back then. But now that he had gained a new ally in Vincent, he could finally give Ezra some time to rest.Austin headed to work as usual until 6:00 pm.He had just arrived downstairs when the roar of an engine was blasting loudly from across the street.The next moment, a black Koenigsegg was making its way toward Austin.The Koenigsegg stopped right in front of him and Vincent came out from the car. "Let's go, Austin!"Austin was left speechless as he stared at the car in disbelief.It was way too luxurious!Vincent smiled and explained, "What's wrong, Austin? Why are you so surprised?"Austin pursed his lips and got into the
The private room on the second floor had exquisite lighting.Austin and Vincent entered the room and scanned their surroundings before looking at each other.As the employee left, Austin frowned and said, "Are all private rooms in auction halls so luxurious?"Vincent was similarly in awe. "I'm as surprised as you are… They've really gone over the top in decorating the room."The corner of Austin's mouth twitched as he sat down on the recliner seat.The room had more than just exquisite lighting.The entire private room was filled with a sweet aroma, while the walls were decorated with beautiful paintings of the human physique.Austin could only wonder if he had mistakenly entered an art exhibition.He also felt awkward about being in a private room with another man and no one else.Austin realized that the private room included a full view directly facing the auction table. It was obvious that the Clarks had assigned him to a VIP area with an optimal view of the auction as t
Yannis had complete confidence that her appearance would be able to charm Austin in a single night.The presence of the "bodyguard", however, had derailed her plans.Austin tried to hide his smirk. He wasn't the slightest bit angry as he was truly interested in letting the scene continue to play out.He wanted to see Yannis' reaction when she learned the truth.Yannis smiled at Vincent and said, "You sure are a generous man to allow your bodyguard to be in the room with you, Mr. Campbell. I guess that's what makes you so much different from the other rich folk."Vincent almost laughed out loud. His face turned red as he tried his best to hold back his laughter.The scene only made Yannis even more confused as she wondered if she had said the wrong thing.Vincent waved his hands. "It's nothing, sorry. Anyway, he's a good friend of mine, and we're always together."Austin remained silent as he realized that Vincent had already caught on to his plan to keep up the act.Vincent to
The auction hall became filled with guests as time passed.Other private rooms on the second floor were also lit up one after another.The design of the private rooms maintained the privacy of the guests as no one could tell who was in the other rooms.Austin continued to ignore Vincent and Yannis' conversation.He lowered his head to look at his phone as he sent a text message to Cecily on WhatsApp. "I'm going to get you a gift."Cecily instantly replied, "What is it?""You'll know when you see it."Austin then put his phone on silent mode before returning it to his pocket.He leaned on the chair as he stared at the brightly lit auction table below.The auction was about to start.Austin wanted to win the bid for the Blue Tears Diamond as a gift for Cecily no matter what.He wasn't worried about the price as he believed that the bid wouldn't possibly end up in astronomical numbers. And besides, he did have money now.Suddenly, Yannis sheepishly spoke up. "It's getting hot
Austin held back his laughter.He didn't want to spoil Vincent's mood. Hence, he forcibly diverted his attention to the somewhat dull auction on the podium.As round after round of bidding auctions passed inside the auction hall, the atmosphere grew increasingly heated.When the atmosphere reached its climax, the final three rounds of auctioning finally began.At this point, people on the second floor finally started raising their paddles to bid.Austin watched quietly.He was waiting for the finale, the "Blue Tears Diamond.""Mr. Campbell, the Blue Tears Diamond will be up soon," Yannis said softly.Vincent smirked. "Do you like it? I'll buy it for you then."Given his personality and financial power, spending a few hundred thousand dollars on a girl was routine.Moreover, the beauty in his arms was a wealthy woman herself. It was worth it to splurge on her."I will appreciate everything you buy me, Mr. Campbell."Yannis's eyes lit up. She almost melted into Vincent's arms
Although the voice was calm, it shocked everyone.In an instant, everyone turned their gaze toward the direction where the sound had come from."100 million dollars! We have a bid of 100 million dollars from the guest on the upper floor!" the auctioneer shouted excitedly.Immediately, everyone in the auction hall snapped back to attention.A cacophony of astonished gasps filled the air."Goodness gracious! Who's sitting in that room? He's willing to pay 100 million just like that?""Did he just double the bid? Looks like this big shot is determined to win!""That's ruthless. He shows no mercy at all. Could it be Jacob Sanders?"...Inside the room, Austin calmly set down the microphone and leaned back in his chair. He patiently awaited the outcome.It was his first time attending an auction.But observing the previous rounds, he had picked up a few tricks.He knew that continuous bidding only fueled the crowd's excitement and inflated the price beyond its true value.Strik