Chapter 199: Not a Single... is Innocent
The auctioneer, maintaining a professional smile on stage as he eloquently introduced the lot, had no idea what a pivotal role an item like this played in countless chart-topping, trashy romance novels.
Seeing the guests below whispering amongst themselves over the mention of Master Lambert’s name, he smiled in satisfaction and continued, "It is worth mentioning that not only is this jewelry set Master Lambert’s final masterpiece, but he also designed this necklace during his and his wife’s golden anniversary. The inspiration for this piece comes from their beautiful love story, one of weathering decades of hardship together, hand in hand."
"At the center of the necklace is an exceptionally rare and beautiful tanzanite. The ten-carat stone boasts a rich color and is perfectly translucent—a true gem among tanzanites. It is surrounded by precisely five hundred and twenty small white diamonds, a declaration of Master Lambert’s love for his wife."
"You could say this necklace is, in essence, a testament to the love between Master Lambert and his wife. Therefore, this jewelry set has another name: ’Eternal Love.’ The starting bid for this set is ten million, with each increment no less than one hundred thousand. Guests who are interested may begin bidding now."
The moment the auctioneer finished speaking, someone in the audience immediately raised their paddle.
"Ten million."
"Eleven million."
"Twelve million."
"..."
The appearance of the Heart of the Ocean instantly enlivened the atmosphere. A steady stream of people raised their paddles, and in just a few moments, the price broke past twenty million and was heading toward thirty.
"As expected of a top-tier piece in the jewelry world. The starting bid is already higher than the last few items, and so many people are fighting over it. The price is shooting up like a rocket."
As if hearing Arabella Donovan’s comment, Ms. Kerr leaned past Caspian Rhodes to ask, "Miss Donovan, are you interested in this set? If you like it, I can..."
"No, no, it’s fine. I’m just enjoying the show. If I were really interested, I would have raised my paddle already."
’Heaven is my witness! I just want to watch the drama unfold, not become a part of it. Don’t drag me into this!’
Brandon Jennings and Caspian Rhodes: PFFT...
Ms. Kerr watched Arabella Donovan for a while. Seeing that she truly didn’t seem to have much interest in the jewelry, she didn’t insist and simply nodded before sitting back down.
Although many people were bidding on the popular item, a clear winner emerged rather quickly.
Around the twenty to thirty million mark, the bidding was still tight. But once it surpassed forty million, the number of bidders dwindled, and the size and frequency of the increments began to slow down.
"Forty-one million."
"Forty-one million, five hundred thousand."
"Forty-two million."
"..."
Arabella Donovan propped her chin on one hand, watching the few remaining bidders go back and forth. Her eyes flickered as if she’d noticed something. "That number fifteen over there..."
Brandon Jennings followed Arabella’s gaze and saw a well-dressed, bejeweled middle-aged couple. "What about number fifteen?"
"They seem to really want this necklace. They’ve matched every single bid increase since the start. And they’re following very closely."
Caspian Rhodes had also noticed the couple and guessed their identities almost immediately. He leaned in and explained to Arabella in a low voice, "That’s the chairman of Arancia Group and his wife. Arancia Group specializes in products like perfumes and fragrances. The chairman and his wife had a marriage of convenience for business. There are no feelings between them; they’ve been living separate lives since they got married. It’s just that..."
Arabella Donovan keenly smelled the scent of drama and excitedly leaned a little closer to Caspian Rhodes.
The faint scent of soap wafted over, causing Caspian Rhodes’s train of thought to stall for a moment.
"Ahem, it’s just that Arancia Group has been preparing to go public recently, but the two of them were just photographed spending the night out with their respective lovers. Suddenly, all their past salacious scandals were dug up. The personal ethics of the company’s top executives have seriously affected the group’s reputation and have also impacted their IPO preparations..."
With Caspian Rhodes’s explanation, Arabella Donovan immediately understood.
"So, you’re saying they want to use this Heart of the Ocean to salvage their marriage’s reputation, stabilize the company’s stock, and help the company go public smoothly?"
"You’re very clever."
Arabella Donovan chuckled, a little embarrassed. "Not really."
’Of course I am! I mean, I’m basically a seasoned expert who’s read a thousand books. A little bit of basic business knowledge like this isn’t going to stump me, is it?’
Caspian Rhodes chuckled. This little liar...
"This Heart of the Ocean is Master Lambert’s final masterpiece, so it has celebrity appeal. Plus, its inspiration comes from his many years of sincere love for his wife. As long as they win this necklace, find a suitable occasion for the husband to gift it to the wife, and put on a show of affection, they can coordinate with the online public opinion to greatly minimize the impact of their previous negative scandals on the company."
Arabella Donovan nodded with a complicated expression after hearing his explanation.
’Using someone else’s love story to prove their own? I really don’t get the way you rich people think.’
But it also proved that money makes the world go round. You need money to buy this necklace, and you need money to hire online shills to whitewash your reputation.
Some things, when enough people talk about them, and when enough different versions of the story are told, can confuse people and make it hard to distinguish fact from fiction.
After a series of such maneuvers, the whitewashing effect is naturally achieved. What’s black can be spun as white.
The couple knew this, which was why they were so brazen. Their high-profile bidding right now was undoubtedly tinged with the arrogance of believing they could control public perception.
However, in Arabella Donovan’s opinion, it wasn’t that simple.
For a private scandal involving the chairman and his wife to break just as their company was about to go public... the timing was too perfect to be a coincidence. It was most likely orchestrated by a rival company.
There was no way their rival would let them resolve the crisis with just a single necklace.
’Wherever there’s a Heart of the Ocean, there’s bound to be drama. In a world this chaotic, no Heart of the Ocean is ever innocent.’
The two men: "..." Uh... The Heart of the Ocean would like to protest its innocence.
"Forty-nine million, five hundred thousand."
"Fifty million."
"Fifty million! Are there any higher bids? Alright, fifty million going once... fifty million going twice... and sold for fifty million! Congratulations to our guest with paddle number fifteen for winning the Heart of the Ocean, a symbol of a beautiful love story."
As the gavel fell, symbolizing that the dust had settled, the room erupted in congratulatory applause. The chairman of Arancia Group even stood up and gave a small wave, a smug smile plastered on his face.
The applause quickly died down, and the next auction item was brought onto the stage.
"Our next lot is an antique blue-and-white vase from the Yuan dynasty with a scrolling chrysanthemum pattern. The diameter of this vase’s base is..."
The auctioneer on stage was still eloquently describing the blue-and-white porcelain vase in its glass case when Arabella Donovan suddenly discovered something and shot up in her seat.
’Huh? This vase...’