The Forgotten Heir's Payback

Chapter 6: The Auction of Humiliation

Lucas stared down at the yellowed bank records inside the black folder. His hands gripped the edges of the desk so tightly that his knuckles turned white. 

His mother had passed away when he was just a young boy. To learn that Julian’s father had stolen her money to start Sterling Enterprises made his blood boil with cold anger.

"So their entire rich family is built on stolen money," Lucas said, his voice quiet like a winter night. "My mother died without knowing her trusted driver robbed her."

Victoria leaned forward, her sharp red dress shining under the bright lights of the boardroom. "Yes, Young Master. Julian's father transferred the money into three fake accounts before buying his first factory. That is the true secret behind Sterling Enterprises."

"Keep these papers safe, Victoria," Lucas said, closing the folder with a quick snap. "I will use this when the time is right. Today, I have another matter to settle with the Vance family."

Later that afternoon, the sun began to set behind the city skyline. At the grand ballroom of the Imperial Hotel, crystal lights brightened up a crowded room. Beatrice Vance was hosting a high-society charity auction. She wanted to prove to everyone that her family was still rich and powerful, even after the bad news about Julian's loan.

Chloe stood near the front stage wearing a bright yellow gown. She was smiling, but her eyes looked tired. Beside her stood Julian, wearing a fresh gray suit and new leather shoes. He was trying hard to act cool, but his face looked pale because his father was still panicking about the bank money.

Beatrice walked onto the stage holding a black velvet box in her hands. She opened the box to show a shining green jade necklace. The smooth green stone caught the light, sparkling like deep water.

"Welcome, dear friends!" Beatrice shouted into the microphone, her voice filled with pride. "Tonight, my family is donating this rare vintage jade necklace for charity! It is a family treasure that has been in my hands for years!"

Chloe smiled and clapped her hands, looking around at the rich guests in the audience.

However, nobody in the room knew the dark truth behind that green necklace. Two years ago, while Lucas was living as their quiet house husband, Beatrice went through his personal suitcase in the dark attic. She found the green jade necklace that Lucas’s late mother had left for him. Beatrice stole it instantly, pretending she had owned it all along.

At the back of the ballroom, the heavy wooden doors swung open silently.

Lucas walked inside, wearing a simple dark suit without any flashy gold pins. He did not bring bodyguards into the room. He just walked silently toward a quiet table in the back row and sat down.

Chloe turned her head and saw him instantly. Her heart jumped in her chest. She quickly leaned over to Julian and whispered in a sharp voice. "Julian! Look at the back row! What is Lucas doing here? Did he come to ruin our event?"

Julian looked back, his eyes narrowing with pure hate. He remembered how he was forced to walk barefoot in the rain yesterday. His jaw clenched tightly.

"That loser thinks he can scare us just because he bought a night club," Julian spat out, shaking his head. "He is wearing a plain suit. He probably used all his fake money yesterday. Today, I will crush him in front of all these billionaires."

On the stage, the auctioneer tapped his small wooden hammer on the podium. "Ladies and gentlemen! We will start the bidding for this magnificent vintage green jade necklace! The starting price is one hundred thousand dollars!"

"Two hundred thousand!" an old rich man called out from the front row.

"Three hundred thousand!" a woman in a purple dress shouted.

Julian raised his white bid card high in the air, shouting loudly for the whole room to hear. "Five hundred thousand dollars!"

The crowd gasped, turning to look at Julian. Beatrice grinned proudly from the stage, nodding at her future son-in-law.

"Five hundred thousand dollars from Mr. Julian Sterling!" the auctioneer announced in an excited voice. "Do I hear six hundred thousand?"

Julian stood up, looking back at Lucas with a smug smile. He wanted to show Chloe that he was still the richest man in the room. He shouted again before anyone else could speak. "I will make it one million dollars! I am buying this necklace back for my sweet Chloe!"

The crowd went wild, clapping their hands and cheering for Julian’s massive bid. Chloe’s face turned red with excitement. She felt like a queen again.

"One million dollars!" the auctioneer yelled, pointing his hammer at Julian. "One million dollars going once! Going twice—"

"Ten million dollars," a calm, clear voice echoed from the back of the room.

The entire ballroom went dead silent. The music stopped, and people turned around in their seats to see who had spoken.

Lucas sat calmly in his chair, holding his black bid card high in the air. His eyes were cold and steady as he looked straight at the stage.

Julian’s face went completely pale. "Ten... ten million? Are you insane, Lucas?"

Beatrice ran to the front of the stage, screaming into her microphone without thinking. "You worthless beggar! Shut your mouth! Where would you ever get ten million dollars? Auctioneer, ignore him! He has no money! He is just a broke guy trying to cause trouble!"

Chloe stood up, her face burning with anger. "Lucas! Stop embarrassing yourself! You cannot just shout big numbers without real cash!"

Lucas did not get angry. He stood up slowly from his seat in the back row. He walked down the center aisle, his quiet footsteps sounding loud against the clean floor.

He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a thick stack of white papers tied with gold ribbons.

Lucas walked straight up to the stage, stopping right in front of the auctioneer's wooden podium. He tossed the stack of white papers onto the table with a firm slap.

"These are ten certified cashier's checks from Grand Dragon Financial," Lucas said, his voice carrying clearly to every corner of the room. "Each check is worth one million dollars in real cash. Verify them right now."

The auctioneer picked up the checks with shaking hands. He checked the official gold seals and scanned the codes on his computer screen. Within five seconds, green lights flashed on his screen.

"They... they are real!" the auctioneer gasped out loud, his eyes wide with shock. "Ten million dollars in cash! The checks are fully approved!"

Gasps of horror broke out among the audience. People began to whisper loudly, pointing at Julian and Beatrice. Julian felt like someone had slapped him hard across the face in front of the entire city. His one million dollar bid looked like pocket change next to Lucas’s ten million in cash.

"The green jade necklace goes to Mr. Lucas Vance for ten million dollars!" the auctioneer shouted, hitting his wooden hammer hard on the desk.

Beatrice held her chest, feeling like she was going to faint right on the stage.

Lucas reached out his hand and picked up the black velvet box containing the green jade necklace. He held the shining green stone up under the bright crystal lights, looking down at Beatrice with a dangerous smile.

"Now that I have bought this necklace, let us talk about who actually owns it," Lucas said coldly.

He turned his body to face the crowd of rich guests and media reporters who were filming everything.

"I demand the auctioneer verify the necklace's true provenance live on stage," Lucas declared in a loud, firm voice. "Because Beatrice Vance’s name is engraved nowhere on the original deed."