?Chapter 827:


    Katie stared desperately in Christina’s direction, her heart hammering in her chest. But there was nothing—no signal, no twitch of interest. Not a single flicker of intent to raise the paddle.


    The entire room held its breath, silent as stone. Everyone else had already withdrawn once Katie and Davina began battling for the bid.


    “Sold!”


    The crack of the gavel against the desk felt like it had mmed straight into Katie’s chest. She couldn’t breathe. Her face drained of color, and for a moment, she teetered on the brink of fainting from sheer fury. She had just flushed a fortune down the drain for a statue she didn’t even care about. She had walked in, all puffed up and determined to trick Christina. And now, her n had backfired, and she was the one forced to pay a hefty sum.


    Seething, Katie shot Christina a re so sharp that it could cut steel. But what she saw only made her blood boil. The sour expression that had been on Christina’s face just moments ago had vanished, reced by a slow, mocking smile that dripped with provocation.


    In that instant, everything clicked for Katie. Christina had never truly wanted the statue. She had put on a show—pretending to be anxious that someone else might snatch it up—just to bait her. How maddening.


    The realization that she’d been toyed with, manipted so smoothly, made Katie’s temples throbbed with rage, blue veins visibly pulsing beneath her skin. Meanwhile, Brendon wasn’t even looking in Christina’s direction. He missed the sly glint in her eyes entirely, unaware that she had lured them like prey into her snare.


    Even though the price tag made his heart bleed, Brendon’s face remained calm and unreadable, as though the money meant nothing to him.


    “Brendon’s loaded—he didn’t even flinch before spending that much,” someone murmured from the crowd.


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    “I heard he spoils his sister rotten. No wonder he’d shell out that kind of cash for her.”


    “Isn’t that woman his ex-wife? She looked like she wanted the statue badly. Brendon’s sister must’ve outbid her on purpose. I bet she’s fuming right now.”


    “Moss bought something else she had her eye on, too. After being outbid twice in a row, wouldn’t be surprised if she ends up crying. She clearly adored both pieces, but she just couldn’t keep up. If she doesn’t have deep pockets or powerful connections, what business does she have being at an auction like this?”


    Most people missed Christina’s challenging stare entirely. They just assumed she was sulking after being bested twice.


    Once those two items were out of the way, Christina didn’t lift her paddle again. Nothing else on disy really caught her eye.


    That was until a certain piece was unveiled—a brilliant gemstone ne with a vivid emerald gleaming at its center. Its entrance turned every head in the room, and Christina’s was no exception.


    Emeralds were hailed as the monarchs of green gemstones—rare, radiant, and precious beyond measure. This one, in particr, had a natural star-shaped formation that made it breathtakingly unique.


    The ne was famously known as “Starlight,” a medieval relic with legendary value.<fn36bc> Original content can be found at find(?)ovel</fn36bc>


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