The King Of Crystal Diamond Is Back

007-The Masterpiece Of Arrogance

The big auction hall smelled of old wood, cigar smoke, and rich people's money.

Crystal lights hung from the high ceiling, shining over rows of soft chairs filled with the richest businessmen, art collectors, and important people.

Tonight was a very important private auction before the wedding, where rare old things, land papers, and historic company papers were sold to men who measured their value in billions.

Sitting near the front in the VIP area, wearing a red dress that made everyone look at her, was Paris Pentagon.

Next to her sat Richard Harrison, his arm around her chair, playing with an expensive gold pen.

A few rows behind them, hidden in the shadow of a big pillar, sat Chay Patrick.

He wore his plain dark driver suit, hands quietly on his knees, blending into the background like a nobody.

On the stage at the front was the item everyone came to see: the Royal Winemaking Ledger of the First Dynasty, a priceless, old leather book over 300 years old, with secret wine recipes and original land papers that gave total control over the oldest vineyards in the region.

For Richard and Paris, owning the ledger wasn't just about history; it was about status. It was the final trophy that would prove they owned every drop of wine in the province.

The auctioneer banged his hammer on the wood.

"The starting bid for the First Dynasty Book is twenty million dollars. Do I hear twenty-five?"

Richard raised his paddle immediately, with a proud smile.

"Thirty million," Richard said smoothly, leaning back to see the reaction of the room.

A murmur of impressed whispers rippled through the lower tiers.

Across the hall, in a private box with a clear view, Kimberly Shelton raised her slender hand.

"Thirty-five million," Kim's clear voice echoed.

Richard's smile became tighter.

He turned, saw Kimberly across the room, and snorted. He raised his paddle again.

"Forty million."

Kimberly didn't even look bothered.

"Forty-five million."

From the back row, Chay watched everything with a completely calm face.

He didn't move, but his left hand was inside his coat pocket, his thumb tapping slowly on his secret phone, a silent signal telling Kim to push the price higher.

The bidding war kept going. The price went past fifty million dollars, drawing gasps from the surrounding spectators.

Richard's face flushed with a mixture of excitement and wounded pride.

He didn't plan to spend this much tonight, but seeing Kimberly, the face of Crystal Diamond, bidding against him hurt his ego.

Next to him, Paris leaned in, gripping his arm with greedy eyes.

"Don't let her beat us, Richard," Paris whispered sharply. "Money doesn't matter; if Crystal Diamond wins this historical ledger, our wedding power is ruined. Show them who owns this province."

Driven by pride and the need to crush his rival in public, Richard's jaw tightened.

The auctioneer raised his hammer. "Fifty-five million once... fifty-five million—"

"Sixty million!" Richard shouted, standing up a little to ensure the entire room witnessed his dominance.

The whole hall gasped.

Sixty million dollars in cash was a huge amount, enough to hurt normal company savings, though Richard and Paris still had billions in credit, oil, and wine stocks.

Kimberly paused, lowering her paddle for three long seconds like she was hesitating.

Richard's chest swelled with victory. He turned around and looked straight at Chay sitting quietly in the back row.

Richard gave him a cruel, mocking smile, lifting his chin like he was saying: Look at you, servant. You couldn't even afford the tax on the page I just bought.

Chay stared back at him in the dim light, eyes completely dead, with no reaction at all, which made Richard even angrier.

The auctioneer looked at Kimberly's box.

"Sixty million going once... going twice..."

Kimberly raised her hand coolly.

"Sixty-five million."

Richard's blood boiled.

Without asking his father, driven only by the need to destroy Kimberly's challenge, Richard slammed his paddle on the armrest.

"Seventy million! Cash wire transfer right now!" Richard roared.

The auctioneer's eyes went wide. He slammed the hammer down with a sharp crack.

"Sold! To Mr. Richard Harrison for seventy million dollars!"

Applause exploded in the hall.

Paris squealed with joy, throwing her arms around Richard's neck and kissing his cheek as cameras flashed.

"You did it, Richard! You're a king!" Paris cheered.

Richard soaked up all the praise, leaning back like a man who just spent a huge part of his money to win a trophy.

He looked back toward the cheap seats for Chay, but the back row was empty.

The driver was gone.

***

Down in the main lobby near the security exit, Chay walked smoothly through the glass doors into the cool night air, his phone buzzing softly.

On his screen, a green notification blinked.

It was a receipt confirming that seventy million dollars had just been transferred from the Harrison-Pentagon accounts to pay for the auction.

At that exact moment, back inside the hall, the doors at the back opened with a loud bang.

Three men in dark blue uniforms of the International Cultural Heritage and Compliance Directorate marched down the center aisle, with two armed federal guards.

At the front was Chief Inspector Roland, holding a thick federal injunction folder with a red seal.

The music stopped.

The applause died instantly in heavy confusion. Chief Inspector Roland walked up to the stage, climbed the steps, and showed his gold badge to the confused auctioneer.

"Stop the transfer," Roland's cold, merciless voice rang across the silent hall. "By order of the Federal Ministry of Cultural Assets and the Sovereign Dictatorate, the First Dynasty Winemaking Ledger is hereby seized under emergency code 704."

Richard's victorious smile faded for a second. He swallowed and stepped forward toward the stage, his voice tight with irritation.

"What is this nonsense?" Richard demanded, trying to sound powerful. "I just bought that book! I wired seventy million dollars a minute ago!"

Chief Inspector Roland turned slowly and looked down at Richard.

"An anonymous complaint filed twenty minutes before the auction showed a problem with the Ledger's ownership history from thirty years ago," Vance announced loudly so all the press could hear. "Until a federal review is done, which could take several months, this artifact is sealed and cannot be opened or used for business."

Paris gasped sharply, stumbling a little against her chair before fixing her posture with a proud toss of her head.

"Months?!" Paris protested shrilly. "We paid seventy million in cash for a Ledger review delay?!"

Richard shook his head and gave a loud, confident laugh to hide the worry in the room. He turned to the journalists and spread his hands like a master businessman.

"Relax, everyone. It's just standard bureaucratic red tape," Richard declared with arrogant confidence. "A small paperwork problem over history. Our lawyers will clear it up by Monday morning. Seventy million is pocket change for the Harrison-Pentagon alliance, our credit is open, our oil business is booming, and a temporary audit can't scratch an empire like ours."

Paris looped her arm through Richard's and flashed a bright smile at the flashing cameras.

"Exactly. People love to make a big deal out of nothing when they see true power," Paris purred arrogantly. "Our wedding tomorrow is fully funded, our stocks hit record highs this morning, and a dusty old book won't change the fact that we run this entire province."

The rich people around them nodded eagerly, praising Richard and Paris for their strong money and cool leadership.

In their own minds, they were untouchable. The merger was still soaring, their money was still huge, and their dream of supreme power was still intact.

Outside, standing under the yellow streetlights near the curb, Chay slid his phone back into his coat pocket.

Unknown to the Pentagons and Harrisons, Chay had typed the complaint into the secure government portal three hours before the auction even started.

The glass tower was climbing higher, and Richard and Paris were still smiling, unaware that the ground under them had already started to turn to dust.