The hall froze. “Three hundred million.” The calm, steady female voice cut through the silence like a blade. For a second, no one reacted. Then— A wave of shock rippled through the entire hall. Everyone turned toward the VIP section at the same time. A graceful woman had risen from her seat. Director Reyes. Mrs. Reyes. The moment her identity was recognized, the atmosphere changed completely. “It’s Director Reyes…” “She actually joined in…” “Three hundred million… just like that…” Even the hostess froze for a brief moment before quickly regaining her composure. Catherine’s breath caught. “Director Reyes…” Adrian slowly turned his head. His eyes met hers across the crowd. Their gazes locked. In that instant, he understood. She’s ending this. Not just the bidding. The confrontation. The silent war between him and Evans Coles. Across the hall, Evans Coles’s smile slowly faded. Then he laughed. A low, slow laugh, filled with meaning. “So that’s how it is,” he sai

Sophia smoothed her dress as she walked through the corridor, her steps careful, her heart beating a little faster than usual. The inner hall was still buzzing with tension from the sealed auction, but she had no interest in watching the rest of it. Tonight, she had something far more important to do. She stopped when she saw him. Evans Coles. He was standing near a group of men, his posture relaxed, his expression indifferent, as if nothing that had happened earlier could truly shake him. The people around him were all smiling, trying to please him, trying to stay on his good side. Sophia took a breath and walked over. “Mr. Coles,” she said with a polite smile. Evans glanced at her, his gaze sweeping over her briefly, then he turned away as if he hadn’t heard her. Sophia’s smile stiffened for a second, but she didn’t give up. “I just wanted to say,” she continued, “your performance earlier was really impressive. Two hundred million without even blinking… not many people in thi

Chapter 117The numbers on the screen jumped again.And then—They froze.At first, no one noticed.The hall was too tense, too focused on the final between Adrian and Evans Coles. Every breath felt heavy. Every second felt like it could decide everything.But then a soft mechanical sound echoed.Beep.The bidding interface in front of Adrian flickered.Once.Twice.Then the screen went dark.At the same time, a ripple of murmurs spread across the hall.“What’s going on?”“My screen isn’t responding.”“The system froze!”Inside his booth, Adrian calmly looked at the black screen.Kai frowned. “The system crashed?”Across the hall, Evans Coles also noticed it.His screen had frozen as well.The hostess’s expression changed immediately. She raised her hand.“Please remain seated. There seems to be a temporary technical issue.”Several attendants rushed toward the control desk.The giant display at the front of the hall began to flicker.Numbers disappeared.Then reappeared.Then disappe

The atmosphere was thick with tension.Elena stood facing Sophia, her eyes red, her chest heaving slightly. The silence after her question felt heavier than any shout.“Where did the money go?” she repeated.Sophia’s lips trembled. She looked at Margaret, then at Lucas, as if searching for rescue.Lucas stepped forward at that moment, placing himself between the two sisters.“Enough,” he said calmly. “What’s done is done. The money is gone.”Elena turned to him sharply. “Gone?”Lucas nodded. “It’s already been used. There’s no point shouting now.”Sophia immediately grabbed onto his words like a lifeline.“Yes! It’s gone!” she said, her voice rising. “Why are you yelling at me like this? Elena, aren’t I your only sister?”Her eyes filled with tears.“You’ve never given me enough money anyway. You always had everything. I just took a little to start something for myself. Is that a crime?”Elena stared at her.“A little?” she repeated in disbelief. “Do you even know how much that was?”

Chapter 122The air around them felt strange.Not loud anymore.Not chaotic.Just… tense.The guards no longer dared to speak loudly. Elowen with complicated expressions.The young man lay on the floor, his breathing still uneven, his face pale, but his eyes were fixed on Elowen.Not with anger.Not with arrogance.But with something closer to shock… and curiosity.For a long moment, no one spoke.Then he finally said, slowly, “You… you really knew.”Elowen looked at him calmly. “I told you.”He swallowed.He had been healthy his whole life—or at least, he thought he was. Doctors had told him before that he had a weak body, that he should rest more, that stress was bad for him. But no one had ever said something so direct.No one had ever looked at him and said: You are going to collapse.And yet… it had happened. Right there. In front of everyone.He took a slow breath, then reached into his jacket pocket with slightly trembling fingers.He pulled out a card.It was black, simple, a