My Wife Let My Mother Die—Now I'm the Billionaire King

Chapter 10

Derek felt deeply humiliated that a live-in son-in-law was looking down on him. He stood up and puffed out his chest, yelling arrogantly, 

"You arrogant parasite! Do you even know who you are dealing with?! My family is the prestigious Jameson clan! We have powerful connections on both sides of the law… you can imagine how easily an extremely wealthy family can crush a beggar like you!"

Determined to crush this pest once and for all, Derek quickly dialed his father’s private number, glaring at Harry.

Ring... ring... click.

The line went dead. 

Harry let out a soft chuckle from the front row, shaking his head, which made Derek’s blood boil even hotter. 

While he dialled for a second attempt, Derek's father was sitting in a high-level board meeting. The old man saw his useless youngest son's name flashing on the screen. 

Having little regard for his gold-digging youngest son who did nothing but waste money, the father immediately hung up the phone.

Derek’s hands began to sweat. He tried a third time, then a fourth time, getting rejected each time and getting more aware that the surrounding guests were starting to whisper and giggle at his desperation. 

Only after the fifth attempt did his call finally go through. A booming, angry voice barked through the speaker. "What do you want, you useless boy? I'm in the middle of an important meeting!"

Derek quickly made up a believable excuse, his voice trembling as he lied. 

"Dad! Please, I need some emergency funds right now! I found an incredible, highly lucrative business investment opportunity at the gala tonight. It will bring our family massive returns… I-I need five million dollars immediately!"

His father let out an irritated sigh. Wanting to get rid of his annoying son, the old man reluctantly agreed. "Fine! But remember! This is the last time I am funding your foolishness. I will have the accountants wire it to your card." 

Derek’s eyes lit up with joy. "Thank you, dad! Can I also get—"

Beep. Beep. Beep!

Before he could even finish his sentence, the call was disconnected. A few seconds later, Derek received a text notification confirming the transfer. 

His confidence instantly surged back, completely erasing his previous embarrassment. He proudly raised his paddle high into the air, shouting at the top of his lungs, "12.1 million dollars!"

The moment the bid left his mouth, the entire audience burst laughter, openly ridiculing and mocking him

"Did he seriously make a dramatic phone call, begging his daddy for money, just to raise the bid by a mere $100 thousand dollars?!" 

"How embarrassing for Jamesons!"

Ignoring the mockery of the crowd, Derek gripped his paddle tightly, instead taunting Harry aggressively. "Laugh all you want, you losers! Hey Harry, can you still afford to bid any higher than this?! Unlike you, I have real family backing!"

Julia also joined in right away, her voice dripping with thick scorn as she ridiculed Harry for the entire hall to hear. "Exactly! Look at him, he’s totally silent now! Harry, you couldn't even afford your own mother's surgery fees yesterday, and yet you still have the audacity to come to an elite auction pretending to be a wealthy tycoon! It’s hilarious! You should open your blind eyes and look at Derek. He is the one with actual power and family wealth, unlike a destitute rat like you who has absolutely nothing! You know you can't fake it forever, right?”

Harry didn't even raise his paddle this time. Instead, he simply raised his index finger, raising it in a spiral motion. 

The gesture was subtle, but the host paused dead in his tracks, eyes widening in shock. 

He hadn't seen that prestigious gesture in years, and raised the microphone with trembling hands. 

"Ladies and gentlemen... The gesture means an absolute unlimited bid! No matter what anyone else in this room bids, this gentleman will automatically raise the stakes higher. There is no upper limit!"

A horrified silence fell over the entire room. Absolutely no one had ever expected a shabbily dressed man to possess such a god-like financial power. 

Julia refused to believe it, her mind breaking down. “No upper limit! How can there be no upper limit, and how can this auction proceed on the words of a beggar–”

Derek was completely silent, frozen in shock. Harry ignored Julia's question and said calmly, "15 million."

The host turned his wide eyes toward the rear section. "15 million, going once! Mr. Derek Jameson, do you wish to continue?"

Derek gritted his teeth so hard they nearly shattered. With sweat pouring down his neck, he raised his paddle one last time, throwing in every single penny he possessed on earth. "16 million dollars!"

Harry didn't even let the host breathe. 

"30 million dollars."

He had almost doubled the price again, and Derek stumbled, his face as white as paper. 

He hesitated for a long moment, but he ultimately chose to give up. The antique ring was worth far less than thirty million dollars, and if his strict father found out he had wasted that much family capital just for an unproven junk treasure, he would be blacklisted from the position of heir. 

Besides, he didn't have that much money anyway, so he could only concede in defeat.

The host let out a breath and raised his gavel high. "Thirty million dollars going once, twice... Congratulations to—"

"Stop this nonsense!"

Julia suddenly stood up screaming, cutting the host off. "I demand an immediate official verification of funds for this man! This fraudster was running around delivering food this very morning, begging strangers for pennies! Now you tell me, how can someone who can't pay 1 million to save his mother's life, suddenly have $30 million to throw on a ring? I highly suspect he has illegally used someone else's identity to gain entry tonight and has absolutely no money at all!"

Derek quickly recovered his confidence and supported her. 

“Even if you don't know this man's reality like us, you can notice the pattern yourselves. He hasn't bid on a single luxury item all night! If a man could actually afford $30 million dollars, why wouldn't he bid on the smaller luxury items worth a tiny fraction of that? He is clearly a total fraud—just shouting out random large numbers to amuse himself, with absolutely nothing but dust in his pockets!"

At those instigating words, the wealthy guests in the grand room turned their heads in amusement and confusion.

The host on stage was the only one who was genuinely alarmed and terrified. 

As the high of the sale began to wear off, he realised that he hadn't actually seen that man before today. 

And he had absolutely no intention of going through a record-breaking auction only to discover at the end that not a single cent could actually be collected from a broke scammer.

The host looked down at Harry, "Sir, I'm sorry but due to the high volume of the bid and the official protest, we can't proceed unless you prove right now that you actually possess the valid funds."

Harry sighed, shaking his head at their tantrums. He slid his hand into his inner pocket, reaching for the VIP card.

But just before his fingers could pull it out, a sound echoed through the hall.

"There is no need for verification! I can personally vouch for this gentleman, he possesses the means to buy this entire building tonight if he so wishes!”