Chapter 9: Leo Kings
The man looked at the invitation in her hand and eyed her suspiciously. "Where did you get the invitation, if you don’t mind me asking?" He had been trained to be respectful, so even if he suspected that she stole it, he couldn’t be rude to her.
Violet’s composure cracked slightly, the anxiety she felt was written all over her face. She inhaled slowly, then schooled her expression.
"I think there’s a misunderstanding." she explained. "My name is not on the guest list because I am here to represent Mr. Sullivan." she said. "You can confirm from him. He gave me the invitation himself."
Violet knew this was a gamble. She was betting on the fact that her father would not have placed her name as the representative, because he was ashamed to acknowledge her as his daughter.
In front of her, the man called his superior, asking him to confirm if the Sullivan family was being represented.
"Please, kindly step to the side while we wait for the confirmation to be done." the man said, gesturing to the side.
Violet smiled, clutching her purse as she stood by the side watching other people walk into the hall.
She felt a dull hum in her chest. She would lose the jade if she didn’t get inside. She stole a quick glance at her wristwatch; the auction would begin in the next ten minutes.
The man got the confirmation he needed and turned to her, his lips flattened. "It has been confirmed. I’m sorry for the inconvenience I caused you. You can now enter."
Violet let out a breath she hadn’t realised she was holding. She nodded, flashed him a cold smile, squared her shoulders and took bold steps into the hall.
The hall smelled like old money. There were artworks lining the walls. Violet’s eyes swept over the entire place, committing every detail to memory.
People chatted softly; from afar, she heard rich laughter from a group. By the side, an orchestra played, their melody carrying far into the hall.
The moment the clock struck 9, the preview period began. The guests in the hall were led to a section where all the items for the night were displayed.
Violet pushed out her chest, her strides slow and graceful. It turned out it wasn’t too difficult to mimic the rich. She feigned interest in each item, pretending to admire them as she walked past, when what she was truly doing was looking for the jade necklace.
Her eyes finally landed on the necklace, a black almond-shaped jade pendant resting on a velvet cushion. Violet’s breath caught and she leaned closer, careful not to touch the glass.
It was here. This was what she came for. She took one last look at it before following the woman ushering them into the hall where the auction would be held.
As she took her seat, a woman in gloves handed her a leather-bound booklet. She flipped it until she found the necklace.
She read the note beside the necklace to herself. "Lot 14: Ming-era jade pendant, origin disputed, estimated value undisclosed." She tapped on the image twice, her eyes glimmering. ’You will soon be mine.’
The auction finally began.
Violet thought it would be boring, but it wasn’t. She listened intently as people called out millions like it was nothing.
She was born into a rich family, but she never knew what it truly felt like to be rich. Her eyes skillfully skimmed everyone; she had not given up on searching for her first paying target.
After what seemed like forever, the auctioneer finally announced, "A Ming-era jade pendant, provenance may be disputed, but its authenticity has been confirmed by three independent appraisers." He pointed to the case beside him.
Violet’s lips parted slightly. It was finally time to acquire it. "We’ll open the bidding at two million." said the auctioneer.
A paddle rose near the front.
"Three million. Do I hear five million?" Violet clutched her paddle. Not yet, she told herself.
Someone else rose, quickly followed by another. Violet watched as the number climbed higher.
"Fifteen million," the auctioneer called. Violet was about to raise her paddle when a male voice called from behind her.
"Twenty million." The man wore a black fitted suit, casually lifted his paddle, a bored expression on his face.
Violet, who hadn’t noticed him previously, threw her head back to get a quick look. She thought he looked somewhat familiar.
She raised her paddle and said in a firm voice, "Thirty-five million." She smiled. She had added fifteen million to it because she reasoned the man would immediately give it up.
But she was wrong. She was yet to grasp the ways of the rich.
"Forty-five million." A loud gasp ripped through the crowd at the man’s words.
Violet squinted her eyes, wondering why the man would offer such a huge amount for the necklace. ’Does he perhaps know what the necklace truly holds?’ she asked herself.
"Forty-five million, going once—"
"Fifty," Violet called out, "fifty million." Heads turned in her direction. Violet felt the weight of every eye in the room settle on her, but she kept her gaze fixed on the auctioneer, refusing to flinch. She would be damned if she allowed him to get the necklace. She didn’t mind emptying Harry’s account just to get it.
Her heart thudded softly against her chest. Once the murmuring in the crowd died down, the auctioneer didn’t even get to speak before the man behind her lifted his paddle.
"Seventy million." The moment Violet heard him, her stomach dropped. He was just as determined as her. She hadn’t expected anyone would spend so much on the necklace.
"Seventy million, do I hear seventy-five?" The auctioneer looked ecstatic, his eyes glinting in pure delight, focused on Violet.
Violet’s mind spun, her paddle lay on her lap as she calculated. She refused to lose the one thing she needed most to survive the upcoming apocalypse.
"Seventy million, going once, twice—"
"Two hundred million." She stated, her fingers curled around the edge of the paddle. The entire hall fell silent.
The man behind her flicked his cold gaze to her and furrowed his brows. "Going once." The auctioneer’s voice broke the silence, "going twice."
"Sold," the auctioneer said, "to Miss Kierra Adams, for two hundred million dollars."
The gavel struck, sealing the purchase. Violet’s eyes brightened; she got it, the jade was finally hers.
It cost two hundred million dollars, but she didn’t care. After all, Harry was the one paying. She would collect it as part of the debt he owed her.
Her eyes turned stoic and she finally relaxed into her seat. Then she heard a low grunt behind her and turned to find the gentleman staring at her with so much intrigue.
Realisation flickered in her gaze as she stared at him.
Leo Kings.
A well-known businessman whose family specialised in real estate.
She returned her gaze ahead, tightening her grip on the leather brochure. Now that the first objective was done, the next part was meeting a target.
And maybe, just maybe, Leo Kings behind her was foolish enough to be scammed. As the auction continued, Violet slowly came up with a plan.