?Chapter 279:


    A bead of sweat trickled down Javier’s forehead as he turned to Elena, his voiceced with concern. “Do you actually have that much money, Elena? Maybe we should call Jeffry for help?”


    They themselves didn’t have the funds, but Jeffry certainly did.


    Elena merely pursed her lips and remained silent, revealing nothing. The auctioneer’s voice echoed through the room. “Thirty-one million once, thirty-one million twice, thirty-one million—”


    Just as the auctioneer was about to finalize the bid with a strike of his gavel, Elena made her move. She stepped confidently out of her seat, shed three fingers at the auctioneer, and gestured emphatically.


    Caught off guard, the auctioneer froze for a moment before his face broke into a broad grin, electrified by the audacity of the bid. The gesture made it clear: Elena would outbid whatever price the other bidders offered.


    No one had attempted this all year.


    A brief look of shock crossed Javier’s face before he furrowed his brows in deep thought. What on earth was Elena thinking? Why was she signaling the auctioneer now? Bribing the auctioneer wouldn’t secure them the etherscent vine.


    He was just about to call Jeffry for the much-needed financial backup when the auctioneer’s voice boomed across the hall. “The bidder in Room 2 will outbid any offer thates in next!”


    The auctioneer’s announcement took everyone in the room by surprise. Who would be bold enough to outbid any offer that came in next? The bidder in Room 2?


    Javier’s heart skipped a beat when he realized that Room 2 was where he and Elena were. His eyes widened in astonishment as he turned to her, his face a picture of sheer disbelief. Her earlier gesture to the auctioneer had not been casual at all—she was signaling her intent to outbid any new offers.


    Javier had heard stories of this kind of bold move, but witnessing it firsthand was something else entirely. Who would dare to do that without immense financial power? It was a clear deration to secure the bid at any cost, prepared to outbid anyone who dared challenge.


    A rush of excitement colored Javier’s cheeks as he gazed at Elena with newfound admiration.


    Around them, murmurs rippled through the crowd; many attendees, having never witnessed such audacity, gasped in realization and awe.


    Your journey begins on g?lnσνe??s


    “No way—someone actually challenged the other bidders!”


    “You’re telling me a woman did this? I want everything on her—three minutes, no excuses!”


    “How does she have the guts to do that?”


    “Since when did the have a powerhouse like this?”


    Elena brushed off the whispered conversations swirling around her and returned to her seat with a dismissive air.


    The atmosphere in Room 5 was thick with silence, as if the upants were momentarily stunned. In truth, they were huddled over a phone, urgently whispering into the receiver.


    Felix, seated within, had never anticipated that an auction for a simple item would pit him against such a formidable adversary. Before Wesley had departed overseas, he had tasked Felix with acquiring the etherscent vine. Felix had considered it a straightforward errand. Little did he know he would face such a tenacious bidder who aggressively escted the stakes.


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