?Chapter 844:


    He scoffed, letting out a coldugh. “Ha! You think this painting is your golden ticket into Lorbridge’s high society? You seriously believe this one piece qualifies you? In Lorbridge, high society ces stock in pedigree—most only marry within their circle to preserve their standing.”


    He ran his eyes over Christina dismissively before continuing, “Without this painting, you’ve got no foundation. You’re just an orphan with a divorce behind you. Even the least powerful rich families wouldn’t take you seriously, let alone marry you.”


    Brendon’s voice dripped with scorn. To him, Christina’s dreams of breaking into high society were nothing short of delusional.


    “Christina…” Ynda spoke up in her sugary tone, clinging to Brendon’s arm. “Brendon’s right. A painting won’t be enough to marry into wealth, especially not after you’ve already been through a divorce. Rather than letting something this valuable rot in your hands, why not sell it to Brendon? I’m sure he’ll be generous with you if you agree.”


    Brendon was confident that his offer would tempt Christina. Acting all magnanimous, he added, “I’ll even throw in another hundred million if you sell it to me.”


    He figured he could transfer another hundred million to Christina once he returned to Dorfieldter. The painting would be well worth it if it meant impressing Margot—and they’d definitely strike it rich in no time.


    “Even if you tack on another ten billion, I still wouldn’t sell it to you,” Christina replied coolly, a frosty smile ying on her lips.


    She decided to strike him right where it hurt. With a cheerful glint in her eyes, she deliberately added, “If you hadn’t blown ny-nine million on that statue, the painting would’ve been yours. I didn’t have that much money, so I couldn’t go any higher. Lucky for me, you’d splurged earlier. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to beat you to it.”


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    She paused on purpose, pretending to dig through her memory. “If I’m not mistaken, what you paid far overshoots the statue’s original price. It’ll be tough turning a profit on that one. Congrats on owning an heirloom.”


    Brendon, Katie, and Ynda flushed with embarrassment, their faces heating under the sting of her words. It felt like they’d been yed—lured into a trap and humiliated, step by step. They had been so close to getting the painting! How could they possibly stomach this?


    Brendon shot Katie a venomous re, his face dark with irritation. “If it weren’t for you, we would’ve had that painting in our hands. Why did you have to push for that statue?”


    Katie’s lips quivered, her eyes turning ssy with frustration. She had wanted to outy Christina—but instead, she’d ended up being the fool.


    “Brendon! Are you blind? Christina tricked us into overpaying for that statue so we wouldn’t have enough money to outbid her!” Katie snapped, her voice filled with frustration and disbelief.<fn4411> Latest content published on fin?novel</fn4411>


    Brendon clenched his jaw. Of course, he knew it. Christina had baited them perfectly, and they had walked right into her trap. Still, losing his temper now wouldn’t help. If they pushed her too hard, she’d just dig in her heels and refuse to sell them the painting.


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