Chapter 212: What Is Your Master’s Surname?
Both men were amused by Arabella Donovan’s playful boasting, but Caspian Rhodes quickly noticed that she didn’t intend to give all the finished pieces to Dennis Donovan and his wife. A flicker of hope sparked within him.
"This section is all waste material. Should we keep cutting into it?"
The master craftsman was thrilled as he looked at the raw jadeite he had just revealed. Uncovering a treasure like this not only brought joy to its owner but also brought him, the one who cut it, a great deal of prestige.
But a treasure is called a treasure precisely because it is rare and difficult to come by.
In the master craftsman’s years of experience, for this stone to yield a "Blessing, Fortune, Longevity, Joy" piece was already a sign of heavenly favor.
The large, remaining uncut portion was most likely just worthless rock, which was why he had asked.
Arabella Donovan didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she turned to Man Vance. "Would you like to see me continue?"
Man Vance snapped out of his daze, his gaze on Arabella Donovan growing even gentler. "No, that’s not necessary. You can do what you wish with the rest."
"Then I won’t have it cut. The shape of the remaining stone is actually rather unique. I’ll take it back to my grandfather’s garden and use it for the rockery. It’ll blend in perfectly, and no one will ever know."
The moment Arabella Donovan finished speaking, Man Vance couldn’t help but roar with laughter. "HAHAHA! You’re a funny one, little lady. I heard you also won the bid for the last-minute item added to the auction. Come on, I’ll accompany you to get the paperwork sorted."
Arabella Donovan could sense this old gentleman held no ill will toward her; in fact, he seemed to treat her with the kind of fondness one would show their own grandchild. So, she was happy to joke along with him.
"Are you worried I don’t have the money to pay, so you want to come and supervise me yourself?"
"HAHAHA! Can’t you think of anything good, young lady? You’ve spent so much at our auction house, you’re our most honored guest. I, an old man, am personally offering you my services. Are you dissatisfied?"
"I wouldn’t dare! It’s an honor to be served by you personally. Let’s go right away."
The crowd, which had been marveling at the "Blessing, Fortune, Longevity, Joy" jade, turned to see Arabella Donovan laughing and chatting with Man Vance, and their surprise grew.
"This is the first time I’ve ever seen Man Vance be so pleasant to someone younger than his own grandson."
"Man Vance knows the Ninth Master, doesn’t he? Being so kind to that girl might be his way of currying favor with him."
"That’s true, but there’s a difference between putting on an act and genuine affection. Even if he is only being nice to her to get on the Ninth Master’s good side, the fact that the girl can handle such a sudden, immense fortune is a testament to her own ability."
"You have a point..."
It has to be said, people love a good show. After watching the excitement unfold, a group couldn’t help but gather to share their opinions.
While most people’s envy of Arabella Donovan’s good fortune was tinged with jealousy, it didn’t escalate to outright hatred. The same couldn’t be said for Timothy Donovan and his companions.
They had always styled themselves as Desmond Donovan’s immediate family and had long considered his assets to be their own inheritance.
Who could have expected Arabella Donovan to come out of nowhere, spending money that "should have been" theirs and, on top of it all, winning Man Vance’s favor!
Timothy Donovan was so furious he kicked a nearby wall, clenching his jaw so hard he nearly drew blood from his gums.
’If... if his father hadn’t stopped him, if he hadn’t been intimidated by the backing Dennis Donovan clearly gave Arabella and kept bidding, wouldn’t that treasure worth hundreds of millions have been his? Man Vance’s favor would have fallen on him instead.’
’Then he’d have hundreds of millions of his own. Why would he need to grovel before that so-called ’big shot’ his father relies on?’
One wrong move had led to a cascade of failures.
Feeling he had missed a life-changing opportunity, Timothy Donovan now hated not only Arabella Donovan, but also his own father, Victor Donovan, for stopping him. He had completely forgotten the panic and regret he’d felt when Arabella had dangled the bid in front of him, deliberately delaying her own offer.
Arabella Donovan couldn’t care less what any of them thought. She quickly followed Man Vance back to the main exhibition hall.
By then, most of the guests had already collected their winnings. Arabella Donovan was likely the only one left who had yet to settle her payment.
The moment they appeared, they instantly drew the eyes of everyone in the hall. Caspian Rhodes and the man with him, trailing behind, were reduced to mere background scenery.
The young woman at the payment counter saw Arabella Donovan and immediately put on a professional smile. "Hello, Miss Donovan. The items you won, number eighteen and nineteen, have a total price of one billion, five hundred and two million, fifty thousand. In addition to the auction price, you will also need to pay taxes on both items. Because the two items are different in nature—one being a commercial good and the other being land use rights—the applicable taxes are also different. They are, respectively..."
This was all way over Arabella Donovan’s head. She listened for a while, completely lost in the jargon, and managed to grasp only one key point.
On top of the one billion, five hundred and two million, fifty thousand for the two items, she also had to pay taxes. And these taxes were incredibly high—all told, they could add up to two or three hundred million?!
’Whoa, hold on. I completely forgot about taxes! Thank goodness I have some extra money in my account, or I’d really be trapped in this auction house today!’
Once her relief passed, Arabella Donovan couldn’t help but clutch her chest, her face a mask of utter agony.
’But these taxes are way too high! Two or three hundred million! That’s enough to buy dozens of our rundown Sacred Temples! If my master finds out, he’ll call me a spendthrift again for sure. Waaah...’
Caspian Rhodes was amused by Arabella Donovan’s genuinely heartfelt complaints. It was easy to tell her heart was bleeding at that moment.
It made sense. During the bidding for the stone, Timothy Donovan’s interference had already made her agonize over spending an extra million. Having to pay an additional two or three hundred million now was like someone carving the flesh from her heart.
But as much as it pained her, Arabella Donovan knew the money had to be paid. Once the clerk had calculated the final total, she obediently took out her small cardholder, pulled out the black card inside, and reluctantly handed it over.
But just as she passed the card over, a hand grabbed her wrist.
"Mr... Grandpa?"
The white-haired old man’s eyes were piercing, and his gaze on Arabella Donovan was so intense it felt like it could burn right through her.
Neither Caspian Rhodes nor his companion had expected this turn of events. Their expressions shifted, and their first instinct was to step forward to help, but they stopped when they heard the old man suddenly ask, "Where did you get this string of Copper Coins?"
’Copper Coins?’ The crowd simultaneously looked down toward the string of Five Emperors Coins hanging from the corner of Arabella Donovan’s cardholder.
"Th... this? It was an eighteenth birthday present from my master."
"Master? What’s your master’s surname?"
"His surname is Rooney. As in, Terrence Rooney."
"Rooney, as in Terrence Rooney? HAHAHA! Then it’s not a mistake! It’s you. It’s really you! To think that in my lifetime, I would actually live to see you appear... This is truly a blessing from the heavens upon the Vance Family, a blessing upon this old man! HAHAHA..."