Lucas opened the red sports car door without changing his calm composure. The moment his head popped inside the cabin window, Evelyn immediately let out a loud snort, crossing her arms over her chest."Done buying your toy mask?!" Evelyn snapped bitingy, her eyes narrowing in mock disdain. "You claimed we were in a hurry, yet you're wasting time buying ridiculous trash—"Evelyn's sharp words came to an abrupt halt.Lucas didn't argue. He merely gazed at her blankly from behind his sunglasses, then slowly extended his open hand directly in front of her. His long, neatly groomed fingers made a subtle gesture—a clear, firm, and entirely unapologetic demand for money.Seeing the palm suddenly held out in front of her chest, Evelyn's smooth brow furrowed tightly. Her eyes widened in utter disbelief."W-What is this?!" Evelyn exclaimed, her voice jumping an octave higher. "Why are you holding out your hand to me?!""One hundred dollars," Lucas replied tersely. His voice sounded so flat and

Evelyn gasped sharply, her entire body freezing as if struck by thousands of volts of electricity. The warm touch of Lucas's fingers resting intimately on her hip felt like hot iron scorching the skin beneath her lavish dress."L-Lucas...?! What are you—" Evelyn stammered, a deep crimson blush instantly exploding all the way down to the crook of her neck.Her gorgeous eyes widened in shock, never expecting this masked man to act so brazenly and recklessly in public! Instinctively, Evelyn tried to struggle, squirming her elbows and hips to break free from his grasp.However, instead of letting go, the firm grip of Lucas's sturdy arm around her hip wrapped even tighter without mercy. The solid arm encased in the black suit locked her smooth waist with absolute precision—gentle enough not to hurt her, yet powerful enough to leave no room for her to slip away.Lucas even deliberately pulled Evelyn's body closer, pressing their hips together with zero space between them. His handsome face,

Lucas did not answer immediately. Instead, he chuckled softly, a smooth laugh echoing with a tone of warm teasing inside the dimly lit VIP booth. Leaning back comfortably into the luxurious leather chair, he rested his chin on one hand, gazing at Evelyn from behind the slits of his silver mask."Oho... Is Miss Evelyn starting to get curious about me?" Lucas whispered in a flirtatious tone that made Evelyn catch her breath for a moment. "Is it my good looks behind this mask that set your curiosity ablaze, or have you truly fallen for this 'lover' of yours?""Lucas! I'm serious!" Evelyn cut in with a blushing face, nervously clutching her luxurious dress. "This is no time for jokes! Edward Wine just swore to destroy my family, and you still find time to tease me?!"Seeing Evelyn's expression—a mix of panic, anxiety, and annoyance—the smile on Lucas's lips gradually faded, replaced by a cold smile filled with deep bitterness.The red eyes behind the silver mask gazed far off, piercing th

Evelyn snorted in annoyance, glaring sharply at the man beside her. "So you mean I shouldn't bid on it at all?!"Lucas chuckled softly, shaking his head as he looked at the girl's sulking face. He snapped his fingers casually, gesturing toward the digital bidding button floating on their VIP table."Who said you couldn't?" Lucas countered, waving his hand lightly. "Thinking practically doesn't mean forbidding you from having fun, Miss Evelyn. Just be realistic—if it's merely a status-boosting display for your family's living room, there's no need to waste money excessively."He leaned back again, curling a mysterious smile behind his silver mask. "Please, bid as much as you like. After all, you're the one holding the wallet today, not me."Evelyn rolled her eyes lazily at Lucas's banter, but the corner of her lips could not hide her satisfaction. Without wasting time, she reached for the digital control panel beside her seat.On the main stage, the echoing voice of the auctioneer from

Across the room, inside the Wine Family VIP box, Edward Wine was completely incensed. The wine glass he had thrown earlier lay shattered, reflecting a heart broken into pieces by humiliation and overflowing rage. His face was flushed red, the veins in his neck bulged, and his eyes radiated pure malice toward the Vance family box—specifically at the figure of Lucas, who stood calmly beside Evelyn.Fifty million dollars! That number struck like a brutal slap, shattering Edward's pride in front of all Hakward City. But what hurt the most was not the figure itself, but the fact that the masked, mysterious man—Evelyn’s "trash" of a lover—dared to openly challenge him, relentlessly raising the stakes without a single trace of fear.Edward felt disgraced, humiliated, and utterly crushed in his ego."CURSE YOU, EVELYN VANCE!" Edward Wine roared, his voice thundering through the suffocating silence of the auction hall. He stepped toward the glass barrier, pointing a finger at Evelyn that tremb