The Hidden Master

Chapter 5

“I’m really sorry for the inconvenience that happened outside. If you need anything, do not hesitate to inform me,” Madam Clara said with a subtle bow.

She sized Twenty up from the corner of her eye. He was good-looking but ordinary. Still, he knew someone as powerful as Victor Jade, and that was exactly what made him dangerous.

After working for years around the rich and powerful, Clara had learned one important lesson. Those who looked ordinary often turned out to be the most dangerous.

From her appraisal, Twenty might even be more powerful than Mr. Jade.

“I won’t be needing anything else. I just need you to tell me where we are headed,” Twenty said.

“Oh.” Clara paused, startled.

“My apologies. I’m taking you to the VVIP section. It is the restricted section behind the curtains, where you get to see the auction items first and enjoy certain privileges before the bidding begins.”

Clara’s lips remained stretched in a professional smile.

“You don’t have to keep a fake smile around me. I’m not that powerful,” Twenty said flatly, but Clara only chuckled.

“I would prefer not to use the VVIP section, as much as I appreciate the gesture. Where I come from, we prefer to earn whatever we have.”

A chill ran down Clara’s spine even though she kept her posture straight and steady.

Her fingers trembled beneath her dress. Whenever powerful people rejected kind gestures, it usually meant they were dissatisfied. If Twenty complained, Victor Jade would be furious with her.

“There is no need to overthink it. My words are exactly as plain as I said them. There is no other meaning.”

Clara chuckled lightly to ease the tension. Victor had warned her that Twenty was not an ordinary powerful man, but nothing had prepared her for him.

“Very well, Mr. Twenty.” She bowed again. “I will take you to the VIP section, where you can participate in the bidding.”

Just outside the auction hall, Fred and Sarah paced while their servants waited behind them. Panic spread across their faces.

“He hasn’t even been in your family for twenty-four hours, and he is already causing trouble,” Fred complained. “Do you know how much we need this auction, Sarah? What could he have done for Madam Clara to attend to him personally and pretend that he was some important guest just to prevent a commotion?”

Sarah ran a hand through her hair and pulled at its edges in a futile attempt to control the anger bubbling inside her.

“That bastard. I told him to stay put, yet he stalked me here and caused trouble.”

A sly smile crept across Fred’s lips, causing Sarah’s brows to rise.

“Whatever you are thinking, I definitely don’t want to hear it.”

“If you ask me, we should let Clara humiliate him and possibly have him arrested. That way, someone else will be doing our dirty work.”

Sarah frowned. “Do you realize that he is my husband?”

“A disgraceful and worthless husband,” Fred retorted.

“He is my husband nonetheless. Whatever happens to him will affect my image, whether I like it or not. Until I convince Grandpa to renounce the marriage, I have to keep that dog on a leash.”

“So you are proposing that we challenge Clara because of him? Which option do you think will end worse for us?”

Sarah pulled harder at her hair and nearly tore out a few strands.

“This will be the only time. Once I get him back to the mansion, I will lock that bastard inside the guest wing until Grandpa ends this madness.”

Fred groaned as they walked into the auction hall.

They scanned the hall and noticed a small crowd gathered ahead of them. Someone appeared to be causing trouble near the VIP section, an area neither Fred nor Sarah could afford to enter.

On an ordinary day, they would never be allowed close to the red-carpet entrance, but the commotion gave everyone an opportunity to watch from a distance.

Sarah could not ignore the chance, especially when she might meet people capable of saving the Young family’s company from collapsing.

As they drew closer, the man at the centre of the commotion became clearer.

When Sarah and Fred finally saw his face, their jaws dropped.

The shock lasted for only a few seconds before anger flared through Fred’s gaze.

He looked at the ladies serving Twenty, the confident manner in which Twenty crossed his legs, and the elegance with which he placed a spoonful of dessert into his mouth.

Fred had never received such respect in the Grand Horizon, yet a common peasant was enjoying all the attention.

He marched forward and grabbed Twenty by the collar, attempting to drag him from the chair.

The attempt failed.

Twenty did not move, not even by an inch. Rage boiled through Fred’s body as Twenty calmly pulled his hand away.

“What are you trying to do?” Twenty asked innocently.

“What am I trying to do?” Fred nearly screeched. “Haven’t you embarrassed us enough? First, you caused so much trouble that Madam Clara had to get involved. Then, when she wasn’t looking, you sneaked into the VIP section.”

Sarah covered her face with both hands.

“Wifey, is that truly what you believe?” Twenty asked, ignoring Fred as though he were not speaking. “Do you honestly believe that I am a common criminal?”

“Have you no shame, Twenty?” Sarah lowered her hands. Her face had already turned red from embarrassment.

Twenty’s expression stiffened. She truly believed that he was a criminal who had been tempted by the glittering appearance of a VIP section that was not even worth his second glance.

“I didn’t sneak in here,” Twenty said.

Murmurs rushed through the crowd.

“What are you claiming?” Fred demanded. “Are you saying that Madam Clara brought you here as a VIP?”

“She offered me the VVIP section, but I turned it down and chose to sit here instead.”

The uproar became almost deafening as insults came from different parts of the crowd.

“Who does he think he is?”

“Does he realize that a person needs a net worth of over a million dollars just to enter this auction?”

Sarah finally lost her patience.

“That is enough, Twenty. I have had enough of this madness. It is time for you to leave.”

“As much as I appreciate your concern, I already told you that I am not here because of you. I will not leave simply because you asked me to.”

Twenty’s expression turned grim, and the air around the table suddenly felt colder.

“So much audacity from a broke and useless man,” someone muttered.

“He must think marrying Miss Sarah has changed him from a peasant into someone important.”

Sarah moved close enough for Twenty to feel her breath against his skin.

“I am going to say this one last time. This is the final opportunity I am giving you to leave peacefully.”

“My answer remains the same, my wife. I am not leaving.”

Sarah’s face burned brighter as Twenty sank deeper into the chair.

Just then, an elegant woman approached them. Her posture was straight, her makeup was perfect, and the silver badge of the auction house rested against her dress.

Even the workers of the Grand Horizon were made to look immaculate.

Her face turned sour when she saw the disturbance around the VIP section.

“Good, you work here,” Sarah said. “Call security and have this man thrown out immediately.”

Several members of the crowd began moving backwards, frightened that they might be implicated for approaching the restricted section.

The auction worker did not move. She looked from Sarah to Twenty before turning her attention to his battered mountain clothes.

“She does not have the authority to order anyone out of the VIP section,” the woman said.

Sarah’s hands tightened until her knuckles popped. It looked like she could swallow Twenty whole.

“But I have the authority to evaluate your eligibility,” the worker continued, her eyes fixed on Twenty. “If you entered this section without an official invitation or an asset worth at least ten million dollars, then you will not like what happens next.”