Chapter 142 - 140: No. 47
Cecilia Sterling calmly raised her fair, smooth arm, lifting the bidding paddle above her head.
The atmosphere in the auction hall instantly froze. Everyone subconsciously turned in unison toward the sound.
But when they saw that the person who called out the "two hundred thousand dollar" bid was Cecilia Sterling, their faces filled with shock and astonishment.
’Isn’t that the beautiful young woman who was turning heads in the lobby earlier?’
’The only individual bidder in the whole place, and the only one with a blue paddle!’
Unfortunately, Cecilia Sterling was wearing sunglasses that concealed her features, so no one could see her expression.
Even the auctioneer was stunned for a few seconds before managing to recover. He quickly announced, "Bidder number 47 bids two hundred thousand dollars! Do I have any other bids?"
Everyone present maintained a basic level of decorum. Although they were surprised by Cecilia Sterling’s sudden bid, no one whispered amongst themselves. Instead, they couldn’t help but grumble inwardly, exchanging puzzled glances.
’I don’t recognize this young woman. I’ve never seen her before!’
’With that kind of money, maybe she’s a proxy, a plant sent by some big-shot investor to avoid drawing attention?’
’She sat out the first five rounds, so her objective is clear. I thought this would be a showdown between the big corporations, but it looks like an unexpected challenger has just entered the ring.’
’Now this is getting interesting!’
Beyond their shock, the representatives from the other companies felt a sense of schadenfreude and settled in to watch the show.
In the past, a prime piece of land like this was always a "juicy prize" enjoyed exclusively by these major corporations. Now, someone had come to crash the party. The big companies themselves probably never expected today’s auction to take such an unexpected turn.
If this young woman could snatch this prize from right under the noses of the big corporations, it would be a truly gratifying sight!
Cecilia Sterling had no idea that in the eyes of the representatives from the small and medium-sized companies, she had become a heroic figure, an avatar of rebellion against the corporate behemoths.
Though they were complete strangers, in that moment, they were all rooting for Cecilia Sterling. They didn’t care about her background; as long as she could make the major corporations stumble and fall flat on their faces today, they would be thrilled.
The representatives from the Jennings, Myers, and Lane Groups all furrowed their brows in unison. They were all wearing earpieces, their phones already connected to voice calls.
On the other end of the lines were their companies’ senior executives, who had been monitoring the auction remotely from the start.
The representative from the Myers Group held a hand to his earpiece and reported in a low voice, "The bidding has reached our limit. Do we have any room to go higher?"
"Ten thousand is the max. Any more than that, and you pull out."
A Myers Group executive had issued the command over the call, and the representative immediately raised his paddle. "Add two thousand!"
Meanwhile, the representative from the Lane Group was also on the phone. On the other end of the line was none other than Walter Lane himself.
Walter Lane was monitoring the auction personally because this plot of land was crucial for the Lane Group. The company had already designed a new development for the site. If they could secure the land, a dedicated project team would be immediately formed to finalize and implement the plans.
The Myers Group’s decision to bid again showed they were willing to push past their initial price ceiling.
Walter Lane was prepared for this. He gave the instruction over the phone, "We can raise the limit by another twenty thousand."
Upon receiving the instruction, the representative raised his paddle. "Add two thousand!"
"Bidder number 16 bids two hundred and four thousand dollars! Any other bids?" The auctioneer’s gaze swept across the room, lingering for a moment on the Jennings Group representative and Cecilia Sterling.
He knew perfectly well that the final showdown would be between these few bidders.
The representative from the Jennings Group appeared to be holding back, pressing his earpiece and murmuring into the microphone.
Cecilia Sterling, her expression unchanging, once again raised her paddle. "Two hundred and ten thousand dollars!"
With a single bid, she knocked the Myers Group out of the running.
The Myers Group representative, sitting in the front row, could only shake his head in silence. The person on the other end of the line had obviously heard the bid as well. "Pull out," the voice said, and the call ended.
With the Myers Group now out of the picture, many in the audience couldn’t suppress a smile. An inexplicable fire of excitement was kindling within them.
They didn’t quite know what they were so fired up about, but they found themselves silently cheering for the young woman.
’That’s it, just like that. Knock these big corporations out one by one.’
"Two hundred and twelve thousand dollars!" The representative from the Lane Group raised his paddle again.
"Looks like the Lane Group raised their limit again."
Just then, the person next to Cecilia Sterling couldn’t help but mutter the words under their breath, but Cecilia heard them clearly.
She raised an eyebrow slightly, a faint, almost imperceptible smile touching her lips.
’So, bidder number 16 is the representative for the Lane Group.’
On the other end of the line, Walter Lane could hardly conceal his anxiety. He held his breath, listening intently. This land was crucial for the Lane Group, and he had to win it, but only within a controllable cash flow limit that wouldn’t disrupt company operations.
"Two hundred and twelve thousand dollars, going once!"
"Two hundred and twelve thousand dollars, going twice!"
"Two hundred and twelve thousand..."
The auctioneer’s gavel was raised. Listening to the count, Walter Lane could feel a smile starting to form on his face. But just as he thought it was all over, Cecilia Sterling’s unhurried voice cut in once again.
"Two hundred and fourteen thousand dollars!"
Her last-second bid made everyone in the room hold their breath. Walter Lane nearly choked, a gasp catching in his throat.
The Jennings Group representative, who had been about to make his own last-second bid, quietly lowered his paddle, deciding to continue observing.
The Lane Group representative immediately countered with another two thousand dollars. "Two hundred and sixteen thousand dollars!"
But in an exact repeat of before, just as the auctioneer was calling for the third and final time and the gavel was about to fall—just as Walter Lane thought the Lane Group had finally secured the land—Cecilia Sterling bid again.
"Two hundred and eighteen thousand dollars!"
Hearing the bid, Walter Lane almost coughed up blood.
But looking over at Cecilia Sterling, she was still sitting casually, her expression placid. Even the way she called her bids had an air of nonchalance, giving no hint as to what her limit might be.
But Cecilia Sterling knew her own cards. It wasn’t that she didn’t have a limit; her real trump card was simply not letting the Lane Group get what they wanted.
There were sharp minds in the room. The Jennings Group representative had noticed something unusual and reported it into his microphone. "It seems this woman is deliberately targeting the Lane Group."
The executive on the other end of the line for the Jennings Group was Kael Jennings, Randall Jennings’s own nephew.
He couldn’t help but chuckle. "In that case," he said, "let’s just sit back and watch the tigers fight. My guess is the Lane Group is about to be knocked out."