<h4>Chapter 93: Skke District</h4>


    Anna’s POV


    "Anna Shaw?" A familiar voice called out my name, cutting through the stunned silence that had fallen over the auction hall.


    "Yes, it’s me." I nodded in response, keeping my expression deliberately calm despite the storm of emotions raging inside me.


    Murmurs rippled through the crowd.


    "She finally showed up." "Can’t believe she’s reporting George Simpson at a time like this." "That’s either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid."


    These whispers washed over me like a gentle breeze-irrelevantpared to the n upying my mind. The auction had been interrupted at precisely the right moment, and I couldn’t allow anything to distract me from my objective.


    Catherine rushed to my side, her eyes frantically scanning me for injuries.


    "Are you okay? What happened with the ident?"


    I could see the genuine concern in her eyes, but exining everything would have to wait. Right now, the only thing that mattered was ensuring Skke District didn’t end up in George Simpson’s hands.


    "We’ll talk about everythingter," I said, my voice low but firm. "Today, you need to win Skke District.


    That’s all that matters."


    Catherine’s eyes widened in shock.


    "Me? Are you kidding? I can’t do this!


    The bidding is almost at six billions now, you’re going to give me a heart attack!"


    I understood her panic—it was a staggering amount of money. But I trusted her, and more importantly, I needed her to step up in this crucial moment.


    "Don’t be afraid, I know you can do it," I reassured her softly. "I need to go with them now. I’m counting on you here."


    "Wait, you really trust me with this?" Catherine looked at me incredulously.


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    I knew exactly what she was thinking.


    This wasn’t some trivial shopping decision-it was a multi-billion dor property acquisition. She was well aware that I had mortgaged everything for this opportunity, and failure would be catastrophic. But I had to leave the scene and draw George Simpson away.


    I nodded toward Samuel. "Besides, Samuel is here with you. What are you worried about?"


    Samuel shed me an "OK" sign, and I felt a small wave of relief wash over me. The bidding process was in capable hands with him present.


    George Simpson’s face contorted with disbelief as the officers approached him. He clearly hadn’t anticipated I would take such a drastic measure.


    "Anna Shaw, do you understand what you’re saying?" he demanded, his voice tight with barely controlled rage.


    Though my heart hammered against my ribs, I maintained an outwardly calm demeanor. "I know exactly what I’m saying, and I’m willing to take responsibility for my actions today. Mr. Simpson, both of my assistants are in the hospital right now. Do you really want to discuss this matter here?"


    I knew I was gambling everything, but for Skke District-and for my injured assistants—I was willing to take the risk.


    The "officer" nodded gravely. "We should continue this conversation at the precinct."


    George fixed me with an icy stare that could have frozen hell itself. I could feel the heat of his fury and the implicit threat behind his eyes, but instead of cowering, I met his gaze with a slight smile ying at the corners of my lips.


    "Mr. Simpson, shall we? The auction needs to continue, and we shouldn’t waste everyone’s time here."


    Realizing that maintaining the standoff would do him no good, George turned to Jack with a hard expression. "You handle the rest. I won’t ept any failures." He instructed his assistant to stay and help Jack, while Pax Powell received a meaningful nce that clearly ordered him to keep close watch on everything.


    Jack looked at me, his expression aplicated mixture of confusion, concern, and something else I couldn’t quite ce. I deliberately avoided his gaze, silently praying my n would work as we left the auction hall.


    Once inside the car, George immediately noticed it wasn’t a police vehicle. Before he could voice his suspicions, he was firmly guided inside by two men who nked him on either side.


    His phone was confiscated, and I could imagine the confusion and rm blooming across his face as realization dawned. "You’re not real police officers. Who are you people?" he would have demanded.


    The fake officer would have smiled slightly. "Why wouldn’t we be officers, Mr. Simpson? Just wait a moment, we’ll arrive shortly."


    As the car pulled away from the auction house, I knew George would be frantically analyzing the situation.


    Police investigations required evidence; even with my formal report, they would need to establish a case and gather substantial proof before summoning a suspect. He would quickly deduce these weren’t real officers.


    "Who are you? Do you realize impersonating an officer is a federal crime?" "Where’s Anna Shaw? I demand to see her!" I could almost hear George’s furious shouts echoing in my mind.


    The driver would remain calm. "Don’t worry, Mr. Simpson. When we reach our destination, you’ll see Ms. Shaw."


    I imagined George’s shock and outrage —the mighty patriarch of the Simpson family outwitted by a "little girl" like me. But this was exactly my n-to keep him away from the auction long enough for us to secure Skke District.


    Twenty minutester, my phone vibrated. Catherine’s voice burst through the speaker, practically bouncing with excitement. "We won!


    We actually won! Skke District ours!"


    A surge of tion rushed through me, but I fought to keep myposure.


    "That’s fantastic! You both did brilliantly. Dinner’s on me tonight."


    Catherineughed. "No way, Samuel already said he’s treating us."


    Tempering my excitement, I asked, "What was the final bid?"


    "Eight billion million!" Catherine made a whistling sound. "God, I was so nervous my palms are raw from digging my nails into them. Thank goodness Samuel was there, constantly outbidding Jack. It was so intense— you really missed something amazing."


    Eight billion million-close to what I had anticipated. As Catherine described the scene, I could visualize the heated bidding war.


    "It’s a good thing George wasn’t there," she continued excitedly. "The whole thing was terrifying—my adrenaline is through the roof. Jack is still sitting in his chair looking stunned. Samuel says if George had been there-that old fox —we might not have secured Skke District at all."


    The knot in my stomach finally loosened, and I couldn’t help but feel a rush of satisfaction. "That’s exactly why I tricked George into leaving at the perfect moment."


    "Tricked?" Catherine gasped. "What exactly happened?"