"Dont be shy, I’m only trying to make sure you don’t trip, Penguin," he teased, gently pulling her closer. "Let’s go. I promise, you’ll love it."


    She slipped her hand into his, her fingers fitting perfectly against his palm. Together, they entered the auction house, and the atmosphere shifted the second they stepped in.


    All eyes turned to them and murmurs began in the room as everyone wondered who they were and what they were doing here.


    Suddenly, both Osvaldo and Penny became the center of attention.


    Who were they?


    Were they new in town?


    How have no one seen them until now?


    An elegantly dressed man with amanding presence and a woman in a soft blue dress that shimmered like moonlight, curvy, masked, and beautiful in an unconventional way. Some admired. Others sneered. But everyone noticed.


    "Who are those two?"


    "They came in a limousine. Maybe foreign investors?"


    "They’re being led upstairs. To that floor..."


    "But no one ever goes there unless you’re the most powerful one."


    The murmurs only grew louder as Penny and Osvaldo were personally escorted to the executive skybox. A ss-walled suite at the top of the auction house, reserved only for the elite of Owlsgrave.


    And not just any elite, the most powerful families of Owlsgrave.


    Below them, the auction floor bustled with wealthy bidders in sparkling gowns and tailored tuxedos. The wealthiest people of the city have all arrived in their fancy dress ready for their next showoff.


    Penny’s jaw dropped slightly as she took in the view from above. She leaned closer to the ss.


    "Is this even legal?" she whispered.


    "Only if you’re me," Osvaldo said with a smirk, handing her a chilled ss of something fruity. "Rx. We’re not here to buy the moon." He added.


    She gave him a skeptical look. "You sound like we are."


    He didn’t reply. He only clinked his ss against hers.


    <strong>####</strong>


    The auction began. Items rolled across the stage in waves of light and excitement, antique paintings, ancient jewelry, even a yacht.


    They were all priceless possessions acquired by the best archeologist in the world. Some were missing items and others were lost items.


    Penny sipped slowly, enjoying the strange thrill of it all. Her earlier nerves had begun to fade. Being beside Osvaldo made her feel like she belonged in a ce like this, even if this was her first time knowing what a rich auctions felt like.


    Things like these are what she died to watch on TV. She would wait untilte at night to see what her parents had acquired at every auction they went to with Ariana.


    Ariana would purposely unt her bought jewel before Penny, and would even give her some, but their mother would drag it all away, saying Penny didn’t deserve any of it.


    <fn19aa> This text is hosted at find?novel</fn19aa>


    Right now, Penny realized Ariana did all of those on purpose. She did it every time their mother was there and time and time again, Penny kept falling for it.


    She pressed her lips together, trying to brush off the thought.


    Then, the final item was announced.


    The auctioneer, a tall man with a booming voice and a theatrical ir, stepped onto the stage. "And now, for ourst item of the evening... a piece unlike any other."


    Penny leaned forward, curious. She hadn’t seen anything she liked since her arrival and hoped thisst piece would be something she would like.


    "A one-of-a-kind relic, humble in form, yet infamous in legacy." The man gestured dramatically, and the curtains parted to reveal...


    Her car...


    Her Tata Nano....


    The tiny, red car she had driven through rain, heartbreak, and humiliation. The same one her sister had mocked. The one she’d parked in back alleys to avoid drawing attention.


    It sat under the spotlight like a joke someone forgot tough at.


    Penny froze.


    No. No no no...


    "Is this the surprise?" she asked Osvaldo slowly, her heart dropping. "My... my car?"


    Was this his idea of a joke?


    Was he nning to humiliate her?


    She knew he couldn’t think striaght because he was mad and always thought like a child. But this?


    She looked at him, but he gave nothing away. Just watched the stage calmly, sipping his drink.


    The auctioneer cleared his throat. "The opening bid for this... unique piece of automotive history begins at $20,000."


    Gasps rippled through the room.


    Someone scoffed. "Twenty grand for that? That car’s barely worth two chickens and a wheelbarrow."


    "I wouldn’t even buy it for my dog," another man muttered,ughing.


    "What a stupid auction. It’s a glorified tin can."


    Penny shrank into her seat, her cheeks burning. Her fingers curled around the ss, knuckles white. She couldn’t breathe. She was going to cry. She...


    "Twenty million."


    The voice hit the room like thunder.


    Silence followed.


    Everyone froze.


    Heads turned toward the ss box on the top floor.


    Osvaldo had lowered his mask. His golden eyes were glowing beneath the dim lights.


    He looked calm. Deadly. Proud.


    "This car," he said, "belongs to my wife so I’d bid it for twenty million."


    And just like that, the entire auction house fell silent.


    Penny’s eyes widened. "W-What... did you just do?"


    "I bought your car," he said softly, setting down his ss.


    "For twenty million?" she nearly whispered, stunned.


    He turned to her. "That car carried the most precious person in the world. It deserves to be priceless."


    Penny didn’t know what to say. Osvaldo had turned the cheapest car in the world into the most expensive one.