?Chapter 832:


    Brendon gave a slow shake of his head. He’d let his emotions get the better of him, and backing out now, after everything, was a humiliation he refused to stomach. He had already caught Christina smirking at him earlier, clearly mocking him. If he pulled out of the bidding now, it would only give her another reason to sneer at him.


    “No way,” Brendon said icily, brushing off Ynda’s suggestion, his jaw taut as he raised the paddle with unflinching resolve. “One hundred and sixty million!”


    The crowd snapped to attention, every pair of eyes locking onto him, minds buzzing with spection.<fn9e24> For original chapters go to find?novel</fn9e24>


    “Brendon’s got the guts to challenge two heavyweights upstairs. Must mean his fiancée holds serious weight in his heart since he’s willing to spend a fortune on her, even at the risk of offending people he can’t afford to.”


    “If the VIPs up in those private rooms are serious about getting this emerald ne, he doesn’t stand a chance. Even if the whole Dawson family fortune went into it, he’d still be crushed.”


    “Losing the bid wouldn’t be the worst of it. If those big shots decide to take offense, the Dawson Group might face ruin. The people in those private rooms aren’t ones to mess with.”


    The whispers floated through the venue like smoke, tinged with sarcasm, full of amusement. Quite a few in the crowd were clearly enjoying Brendon’s bold yet reckless move. Taking on such powerful yers? It was like tossing a pebble at a mountain.


    Everyone held their breath, the air thick with anticipation, as they stole nces up toward the private rooms. Even though they couldn’t see the figures behind the tinted ss, curiosity had them craning their necks over and over again. Everyone wondered the same thing—would the elites above counter Brendon’s bid?


    At the same time, they were all puzzling over what exactly made this particr emerald ne such a hotmodity. What they didn’t realize was that both Terrence and Dn had set their sights on it simply because they intended to gift it to Christina.


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    Dn’s voice rang out cool and clear. “One hundred and ny million.”


    Gasps rippled through the whole ce like a sudden gust of wind. Heads whipped around in unison, expressions frozen in astonishment. The bid had increased by…


    Thirty million in a heartbeat, showcasing an astonishing level of wealth. How deep were this person’s pockets, tossing thirty million into the air without blinking?


    Brendon’s face drained of color, his hands suddenly mmy.


    “Brendon, let’s just stop,” Katie murmured, her voice tight with unease. Even she, normally so obstinate, was rattled. She had hoped the Dawson family could walk away with the ne, but now that these titans had entered the ring, winning seemed out of the question.


    “Yes, Brendon, we should let it go. Going up against those influential figures is far too dangerous,” Ynda whispered urgently, her voice trembling.


    But Brendon didn’t seem to hear a word they said. He couldn’t help but look intently in Christina’s direction. She was sitting beside Davina, the two of them bent together in some secret exchange, a soft smile curving her lips. She looked delighted—too delighted. Were theyughing at him again?


    His jaw tightened as he clenched his fists, then thrust the paddle upward once more with grim determination. “Two hundred million!”


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