The moment Marcus finished speaking, disappointment spread through the hall.Many of the guests had been eagerly waiting for the Azura plant. Some had already imagined taking it home, while others had been prepared to spend a considerable amount of money just to secure it for themselves. Now, all of that excitement disappeared in an instant.Faces that had been bright with anticipation fell. Some guests frowned, others exchanged disappointed glances, and a few leaned back in their seats with visible frustration.“The Azura plant is fake?”“Not worth it?”“I can’t believe it.”“I really wanted that plant.”The murmurs spread quickly.The King of Herbs was supposed to be one of the most extraordinary medicinal plants anyone could obtain. Hearing that the specimen on display was not worth buying was a serious disappointment for those who had been hoping to acquire it.Still, most of the guests did not question Marcus's judgment.How could they?He had approved every item that had come be

The laughter continued for several seconds, and soon, people were no longer bothering to hide their amusement.A man near the front shook his head and leaned toward the person beside him. “Oh, just look at this fraud. He actually thought he could outsmart Eagle Eye.”Another guest laughed. “Look at him embarrassing himself, thinking he's almighty.”A woman folded her arms and scoffed. “Just imagine. I almost believed him.”“You're not the only one,” someone beside her replied. “I almost believed him too. I actually thought he was saying something really important. I thought he knew what he was doing.”He glanced at the Azura plant and laughed under his breath. “Look at what he's done.”“Exactly. He doesn't even know what he's doing.”A man farther back shook his head. “What a waste of time.”“He wasted all of our time,” another guest complained.“Our energy too.”“Our efforts,” someone else added. “We've been standing here watching this nonsense.”A few people laughed again.“Wow. Wha

The moment Madeline’s words settled over the hall, absolute silence fell.Not a soul moved. Nobody dared to breathe. The announcement had frozen the entire room solid. The Azura plant, the prize that had whipped the crowd into a feeding frenzy only seconds ago, had just been yanked off the auction block. And instead of going to the deepest pocket in the room, it was being handed away for free.Not to some random VIP.Not to one of the wealthy collectors who had been clawing for it.It was going to Derek.The same Derek who had walked through the doors without even flashing a proper pass. The exact same guy half the room had mocked, sniped at, or dismissed as a fraud who had no business breathing the same air as the diamond table.For several long seconds, the implication refused to compute.Then the low, nervous murmurs started."Wait, who actually is this guy?""Did you hear what she just said?""They're handing him the Azura plant?""So that's why he was sitting at the diamond table

Immediately after Patricia finished speaking, her right-hand security woman slowly lowered the pistol she had been pointing directly at Derek, although she remained standing close to Patricia with her eyes fixed on him, as if she was still prepared to raise the weapon again should anything unexpected happen. The other security guards also relaxed slightly when they noticed that Patricia was no longer interested in turning the situation into a confrontation, but none of them completely lowered their guard because they had already seen how boldly Derek had behaved despite being surrounded by people who were supposed to be feared by everyone around them.Patricia took a slow breath before turning her attention fully towards Derek, who was standing a short distance away with an expression that showed absolutely no interest in whatever she wanted to discuss. She had expected him to be somewhat intimidated by the situation, especially after seeing her security personnel point their weapons

The pistol did not move.Derek stood exactly where he was, the case holding the Azura plant still in his hand, and looked at the officer holding the gun as if the man were simply another stranger who had stopped him on the street. The scent of gun oil reached him first, sharp and metallic. Underneath it, the faint scent of perfume from the woman who had driven Patricia here. And the cold night air coming off the road."Don't move!" the officer shouted again."I am not moving," Derek said."Shut up!""No."Derek had already said everything he needed to say to Patricia, and he was not going to stand in the street with a gun at his head while she decided whether she enjoyed the sight of it."You should think about what you are doing," he said, his voice level. "Not for me. For you."Patricia took a step closer. Her face was still stiff with anger, and her eyes had not left him once since she gave the order."You dare to tell me what to do?" she said. "After everything you just said to me