The elderly auctioneer’s hands were shaking so violently he could barely hold his wooden gavel. "The... the Grandmaster from the Heavenly Phoenix Clinic has bid eighty million dollars! Eighty million in liquid capital and strategic maritime logistics assets! Do I hear a counter? Going once—""Eighty-five million!!"Julian Sterling’s voice didn't just ring through the amphitheater; it shattered into a cracked, bleeding screech. He lunged over the stone railing of the VIP box, his torso practically hanging over the edge as he slammed both palms onto the cold masonry. His hair was wild, his eyes bloodshot, and a thin thread of dark fluid leaked from the corner of his swollen lip where his internal chest meridian had spatted."Julian, no!" Tiffany Vance screamed, her voice cracking in pure, visceral terror as she grabbed the back of his dark military coat. She dragged him back by a fraction, her face completely translucent beneath her black lace veil. "Eighty-five million?! That is everyt