Chapter 195: Looks Quite Fun
"Ah, so you’re her cousin." Though Caspian Rhodes was slightly exasperated, his expression betrayed nothing. "Mr. Jennings. I’m Caspian Rhodes, a friend of Serena’s."
The moment Brandon Jennings heard Caspian Rhodes, he felt like he’d swallowed a stick of dynamite. He was so furious he felt like he could breathe fire at any second.
’Cousin? Who’s he calling cousin? And "Serena"? He says it so intimately. Are you two even that close? Hah!’
Brandon Jennings was silent for so long that Arabella Donovan couldn’t help but give him a little tug.
Brandon Jennings snapped out of it. Considering his cousin was right there, he had to temporarily suppress his apprehension and offer a polite, "Hello."
Seeing the atmosphere grow a little stiff, Arabella Donovan quickly changed the subject. "Mr. Rhodes, did you just say you came to Brynn with Kerr to discuss a partnership?"
"Yes, Kerr from the Aethel Jade Group. The one you know."
"But, doesn’t your family mainly invest in hospitals? Theirs... they sell jewelry, right?"
Hearing her say that, Caspian Rhodes couldn’t help but smile. He explained patiently, "Hospital investments are just one part. My family’s business interests are quite diversified, covering many different sectors. We were recently thinking of exploring investments in the jewelry industry, so I got in touch with Kerr."
"Oh, I see..."
’Damn capitalists, with their businesses everywhere. But most people don’t have this many ventures, so does that make Mr. Rhodes the capitalist of capitalists?’
Caspian Rhodes: "..."
"Ahem. The Aethel Jade Group is partnering with the auction house for this event, so their chances of getting invitations are higher than most. As it happens, I was quite interested in this auction, so I asked him for one."
"So Mr. Kerr gave you your invitation, too? He’s the one who gave me mine."
"Is that so?" Caspian Rhodes had been laying the groundwork for this very response from Arabella. He casually took out his own invitation, flipped it open, and glanced at it. "The Aethel Jade Group’s partnership with the auction house seems to be going quite smoothly. Even the seats they were given are relatively near the front. My invitation is for the third seat from the left in the third row."
"Huh? The invitation shows your seat for the auction? Let me see..." Hearing this, Arabella Donovan was predictably curious and took out her own invitation to have a look. "What a coincidence, we’re also in the third row. Hey, our seat numbers are consecutive. Does that mean we’ll be sitting together later?"
"That should be the case." Caspian Rhodes smiled faintly. "After all, Kerr gave us both the invitations. It’s understandable that the auction house would provide consecutive seat numbers."
Arabella Donovan didn’t think much of it, nodding as she put her invitation away. "Mhm, that does seem possible."
Brandon Jennings, who had just witnessed the entire process of his cousin being led astray: "..." ’Possible my ass! This guy is definitely up to no good with my little cousin. No, I need to call for backup!’
"Since we’ll be sitting together later, why don’t we walk together for now? Are you interested in any of the items in the exhibition hall? If so, you can jot down the lot numbers to make bidding easier later."
"Not yet. We only just got here."
"In that case, let’s go look at the exhibits first. We can talk about other things later."
"Right, right, business first." Caspian Rhodes’s reminder made Arabella Donovan remember her main purpose for coming today, and she turned her attention to the exhibits in the hall.
Just as Herman had described earlier, the items auctioned by the Pavilion of Many Treasures were mostly rare antiques and treasures from all over the world: precious medicinal herbs that could prolong one’s life, antique vases from the last century, famous sculptures just salvaged from shipwrecks, priceless rare jewels... The dazzling array was almost overwhelming.
Arabella Donovan and the others wandered around, discovering that nearly every treasure was surrounded by a crowd of guests, all fervently discussing the items’ potential value.
Arabella Donovan had limited interest in these things. She was just starting to feel regretful that she might not be able to complete her mission tonight and would have to go back and find another chance for her master to mail some treasures over to tide her over, when she suddenly noticed an exhibit in the hall that was completely deserted.
Brandon Jennings noticed that exhibit too. "What is that thing? It looks all gray and dusty, and it’s huge..."
"That should be... a raw jade stone?"
"A raw jade stone?" Arabella Donovan looked surprised. "Don’t tell me that’s the item Mr. Kerr and his company are collaborating with the auction house on?"
"No, that’s not it. That set of blue jewelry over there is their product. This raw jade stone is supposedly one of the auction house’s own items."
"Its own item?"
"Meaning, it’s an item the auction house itself is putting up for sale." Caspian Rhodes seemed to think of something and deliberately lowered his voice. "This stone is said to be from the personal collection of the old man who owns the auction house. He’s had it for many years. No one knows why he suddenly decided to put it up for auction this time."
"The owner’s personal collection?" Brandon Jennings’s brow furrowed. "Wouldn’t that make it a rare treasure? But I really can’t see what makes this rock look so valuable."
It wasn’t just Brandon Jennings; even a connoisseur like Caspian Rhodes had to admit the stone was truly unsightly.
Never mind the thick, weathered crust on the outside; the long fracture running through the center of the stone was enough to deter most people.
Arabella Donovan, however, didn’t think so. She didn’t know much about stone gambling, but the first time she saw the rock, she found it strangely familiar and felt an inexplicable sense of kinship with it.
"If that’s the case, how much would it probably cost to win this stone at the auction?"
The moment Arabella Donovan said this, the two men present both turned to look at her.
"Serena, you want to buy this rock?"
"I’m just asking. I just think this rock looks... kind of interesting."
Brandon Jennings: "???"
Caspian Rhodes: "???"
’What part of it looks interesting?!’
But since Arabella Donovan had asked, Caspian Rhodes answered truthfully, "It will depend on the bidding later. But seeing as there’s hardly anyone in front of this stone, and assuming there’s no malicious bidding, it could probably be won for under a million."
This was a reasonable guess, taking into account the stone’s large size and the prestige of the owner’s name. It was possible someone else knew about its origins and would intentionally bid on it to curry favor with the old man.
"A million for a worthless-looking rock like this?" Arabella Donovan felt she still had a lot to learn about the world.
"In that case, never mind." Just as Arabella Donovan finished speaking and prepared to walk away, she heard a THUD.
"What was that sound?" Arabella Donovan stopped in her tracks and turned to look quizzically at Caspian Rhodes and Brandon Jennings.
The two men had heard it too, but neither could tell where it had come from.
Arabella Donovan furrowed her brow and subconsciously took another step forward. Another THUD sounded. She took one more step, and it sounded again.
This time, all three of them whipped their heads around toward the sound.
And then, they watched, wide-eyed, as the stone that had been in the center of the display stand somehow shifted a few centimeters to the left.
Caspian Rhodes and Brandon Jennings: "!!!"
Arabella Donovan: "???"