The Son-in-Law They Regretted Losing

Chapter 9: Ten Thousand More(part1)

The host, Alexia Brown, stepped back up to the podium and adjusted her microphone with a smile. 

"Ladies and gentlemen, let us begin with our first lot of the evening. We have a limited-edition luxury watch. The starting bid is ten thousand dollars, with minimum increments of one thousand dollars.”

A businessman in the second row immediately raised his paddle and bid eleven thousand dollars. Moments later, a real estate tycoon pushed it to thirteen thousand dollars. 

Sloane's eyes sparkled as she watched the bidding. She had always loved luxury items like this, and her gaze remained fixed on the display stage as the price climbed to fifteen thousand dollars.

Lysander Croft smiled smugly and raised his paddle without hesitation.

"Twenty thousand dollars."

His bid immediately silenced the other bidders. Without missing a beat, he turned toward me with a mocking smile.

"Some people can't even afford their own mother's surgery, yet they still show up at an auction just to window-shop. Pathetic.”

I simply raised an eyebrow. I had one billion, five hundred million dollars sitting idle in my regular checking account, not to mention the ten-billion-dollar limit black card I had just received. I simply had absolutely no interest in competing for such a trivial item.

After several bidding, Lysander won the watch quickly at twenty thousand dollars. Sloane praised him lavishly, then turned around to mock me.

Sloane praised him lavishly, clapping her hands and leaning against his shoulder. 

Then, she turned her gaze toward the front row to loudly mock me. "Did you see that, Riven? That is what a real man looks like. He can actually buy the things I want."

Several more minor lots passed under the hammer over the next twenty minutes. Then, the assistants brought out a beautiful pink diamond ring. 

The host cleared his throat. 

"Next, we have a flawless pink diamond ring. It is a certified replica created by a world-renowned jeweler, but it is still highly valued at one hundred thousand dollars. The starting bid will be fifty thousand dollars."

Every wealthy woman in the grand room was instantly drawn to the glittering stone, and Sloane was included. 

She gasped, her hands gripping the edge of her seat.

Lysander raised his paddle again, eager to show off his wealth. 

And once again, he took the opportunity to mock me across the rows of seats. 

"Hey, delivery boy! Are you taking notes? Or are the numbers too big for you to count?"

Sloane praised him heavily for his bravery and continued to ridicule my silence to the guests sitting near her. 

Lysander eventually won the diamond ring as well at one hundred thousand dollars, puffing out his chest like a king.

Dozens of different items went under the hammer as the night went on. I did not lift my hand even once. 

Finally, the house lights dimmed slightly, and a deep red spotlight focused on a velvet cushion in the center of the stage.

The host's voice turned incredibly serious. 

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, the moment everyone in this room has been waiting for. "

"We have the exclusive lot of the evening, the ancient ring from the fallen noble family, Sterling family. The legends say this ring is not only connected to the history of Sterling family, but it also holds the sacred secrets of royal bloodlines."

"The rumors claim it contains clues to a hidden treasure vast enough to rival the wealth of an entire nation. The starting bid is one million dollars, with minimum increments of one hundred thousand dollars."

Sitting in the back, Lysander’s face turned completely determined. 

He was determined to win this. He had prepared ten million dollars, a year's worth of his allowance. For the major families, this ring might mean little, but for someone on the fringes of power like him, it was everything. He had to have it.

He raised his paddle and bid three million dollars outright, tripling the starting price. The room gasped loudly.

After all, it was just a ring with a story, holding no modern brand cachet, just an old legend. Winning it could mean losing everything for a smaller household. 

And besides, Lysander had a fearsome reputation in the city, connected to both the underworld and the authorities. It was said the Croft family had risen from the shadows.

No one else raised their paddle against him. Alexia Brown grew anxious, trying to stir interest under the lights. "Is there truly no one else who wishes to uncover the secret behind this ring? This treasure has even caught the attention of overseas collectors!"

The crowd went silent.

Lysander urged her to announce the result, shouting toward the stage, "Just call the bid, Director Brown! No one else here has the guts or the capital!"

Sloane turned around, her voice carrying across the aisle as she taunted me from her seat. "You came to an auction and haven't bid on a single thing, Riven. And you still claim you're not here looking for work? What a joke."

I shot a cold look back at her, then stared at the ring on stage. Something about it felt vacuously familiar. The Sterling family was the exact same family my mother had once belonged to before she was disowned. 

Perhaps the secret had something to do with my own lineage as well. And a few million dollars meant nothing to me now.

Alexia Brown was about to announce the winner, raising her mallet. "Then let us congrat—"

I raised my paddle firmly. "Six million dollars."

I doubled the price outright. Sloane’s face turned bright red with anger as she stood up half-way, pointing at me. "Are you insane, Riven? Shut your mouth! You don't have that kind of money, you can't afford that amount!”

Lysander also turned around, his face twisting in sudden rage as he questioned my bid. "Who the hell allowed you to shout numbers in here? You're playing a dangerous game, delivery boy!"