Chapter 1350:


    A voice sliced through the anticipation. “Wait. I’m offering three hundred ten million.”


    Silence crashed over the hall.


    The host, poised to dere the item sold, nearly stumbled over his words. Every head turned, tracking the voice to its source.


    Pattie lifted her paddle, her expression stoic. Sweat dampened her palms. She hadn’t the faintest clue why Maia kept signaling her to raise the paddle.


    Still, as Maia’s closest friend, she chose trust over understanding.


    Seeing Pattie finally raise her paddle, Maia exhaled in relief. She offered the subtlest nod of acknowledgment.


    Maia understood Kiley’s scheme with perfect rity—the trap being set, the exploitation nned. If that was Kiley’s game, then Pattie would bid on every auction item tonight.


    But actual payment? That was impossible. Maia wouldn’t allow Pattie to spend a single cent.


    The conflict with the Cooper Group had already begun.


    In recent weeks, Maia had uncovered troubling information: the Cooper Group’s cash flow was critically low,pounded by a stock price copse that choked their financing options. Several real estate projects remained half-finished, each draining resources. The financial pressure mounted daily, meaning the Cooper Group’s liquidity would soon copse entirely.


    That desperation had spawned this hastily arranged charity g on such an ambitious scale.


    Maia refused to believe the Cooper Group would channel these donations toward genuine phnthropy. This was a profit-making scheme disguised as charity, which exined why Maia had initially declined their invitation firmly.


    Yet here she stood, determined to dig a deep pit for the Cooper Group to fall into.


    More importantly, Maia’s conscience couldn’t bear watching innocent donors be swindled by their borate charade. So she had arranged for trusted friends to bid aggressively throughout the evening.


    She would let Kiley savor the illusion of victory while ensuring actual defeat. Ultimately, the entire endeavor would copse—not a single penny secured.


    When the Cooper Group’s financial crisis became unavoidable, they would hemorrhage assets and stocks in desperation, creating the perfect opportunity to acquire thepany and restore it to Chris’s rightful control.


    Thankfully, Pattie had finally understood her intentions. Now every eye pivoted back toward the man who’d made that audacious open-ended bid moments earlier.


    He remained unnaturallyposed, lifting his paddle with deliberate slowness. “Five hundred million. And if that proves insufficient, I’ll add whatever is necessary.”


    Before his final word faded, astonishment detonated through the crowd.


    “Holy smoke! Is this man actually serious? He just raised the bid by two hundred million?”


    “Wait! Why did Ms. Miller suddenly raise her paddle? Why didn’t she bid earlier?”


    “I understand now! Maia must have signaled Ms. Miller to enter the bidding, deliberately inting the price.”


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