?Chapter 824:


    “Eighty million!” After Moss tossed out that staggering figure, Christina dropped out of the bidding war, her gaze seeming to burn with wrath.


    Moss mistook her silence for defeat and congratted himself, convinced he’d yed his cards perfectly.


    In truth, Christina was practically smirking on the inside. Even a prized stamp collection had its limits, and fifty million was already a gross overestimation of the stamp set’s true value. For all but the most obsessive collectors, splurging eighty million was nothing short of absurd.


    The auctioneer’s voice rang out, marking the moment. “Eighty million, going once.”


    A hush fell over the room as the auctioneer added, “Eighty million, going twice.”


    Silence. Then, the auctioneer announced, “Sold!”


    In the end, Moss acquired the stamps at the exorbitant price of eighty million. He had thrown good money after bad, unaware of it. Still, he smiled with smug self-satisfaction, thinking he could leverage the set against Christina after the auction.


    Murmurs rippled through the crowd, with half-hidden smiles and suppressedughter on nearly every face.


    Oblivious, Moss took their stares as admiration for his nerve and wealth.


    “Amazing—did Moss just get yed by her? There’s no way those stamps are worth eighty million,” someone whispered.


    “Look at how pleased he is,” another said, barely hiding their amusement. “If you didn’t know better, you’d think he scored the deal of the century. That set won’t be worth half that much in a lifetime.”


    A third shrugged. “Maybe he’s just a stamp fanatic. If it makes him happy, perhaps it’s money well spent.”


    In reality, nearly everyone in the room thought Moss was a fool and pitied his ignorance.


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    “Has that foolpletely lost it? He must be out of his mind to blow eighty million on some worthless stamp set!” Katie seethed, her jaw so tight it felt like she might grind her teeth to dust.


    Ynda reached out, giving her hand a gentle squeeze, and whispered with a reassuring smile, “Careful with your words. If the wrong person overhears and rumors start to spread, you could end up on his bad side. That won’t end well.”


    Defiance shed in Katie’s eyes. “Like I’m scared. He may pull strings in Kitaso, but his reach doesn’t extend to Dorfield,” Katie snapped, irritation bubbling up.


    Brendon didn’t let it go unchecked. His icy rended on Katie. “That’s enough. Don’t stir up trouble.”


    Buying Feathers of the Divine was his only objective. Thest thing he needed was Katie provoking Moss and getting in the way. Stirring up conflict might mean missing out on the paintingpletely—or worse, getting banned from the auction altogether.


    A new item appeared on the stage. “Next up is a mini statue, opening at six million.”


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