Chapter 180: End of the Auction

Chapter 180: Chapter 180: End of the Auction

After her phone chimed, Sylvia Drake glanced at the text message. She grabbed her purse and rose from her seat, ready to leave.

Felix Faulkner’s eyes widened. He hurried after her, blocking her path.

"Sylvia, why are you leaving so soon?"

Felix wore a fawning smile, clearly eager to please Sylvia, who acted as his financial backer. He knew perfectly well that as long as Sylvia and Julian Faulkner kept bidding against each other tonight, he would be the one reaping the profits. If Sylvia left now, no one would be left to drive up the price against Julian!

"I’m sorry, Mr. Faulkner," Sylvia replied, her mood visibly sour. Her tone was noticeably colder as she looked at him. "Master Drake just texted me. He told me to stop bidding against Julian.

"I wouldn’t dare disobey his orders."

Hearing the title "Master Drake," Felix seemed to recall something that immediately shut him up. Swallowing his frustration, he could only nod.

Sylvia took the opportunity to glare at Finn Drake. "If you knew Master Drake was going to tell me to stand down, why did you take so long to come over?"

Honestly, what a waste of her time!

Finn maintained his nonchalant, playboy attitude. Completely unfazed by Sylvia’s glare, he said lightly, "Wasn’t it all for Mr. Faulkner’s sake?"

Suddenly being brought into the conversation, Felix looked confused.

Finn chuckled. "Sylvia raised the bid twice, and Julian matched it twice. In the end, aren’t you the one who benefits, Mr. Faulkner?

"By showing up late, I was actually doing you a massive favor! Do you understand now, Mr. Faulkner?"

Dawn broke over Felix’s face, and he quickly thanked Finn. "I see. I understand now. Well... do you two have any other plans for tonight?

"I could charter a..."

Felix was about to bring up his idea of chartering a yacht for a night cruise down the Krystan River again.

Finn waved him off, humming a light tune. "No thanks. I’ve got a party lined up with a few gorgeous girls! I appreciate the thought, though, Mr. Faulkner."

Felix nodded. Sylvia shot Finn another dirty look, likely thinking her brother was utterly unreliable. Unbothered, Finn simply shrugged. Having caused their scene in the banquet hall, the siblings prepared to leave.

Before leaving, Sylvia passed by Julian and suddenly stopped in her tracks.

In her high heels, her tall, stunning figure and long legs were on full display. She possessed an incredibly striking aura as she stood beside Julian... Yet, Julian was probably the only man in the room who had absolutely no interest in her. He couldn’t even be bothered to spare her a glance.

"Julian." Refusing to give up, Sylvia stared at him and said, "I think that even though I lost the auction today, we’ll still have plenty of opportunities to see each other in the future.

"The Drake Family will be settling down in Aethelburg. Of course, I know the Faulkner Group has a lot of properties in Valeria as well, and we’ll gradually be expanding our reach there, too.

"I look forward to our future cooperation."

With that, Sylvia extended her hand for a handshake.

"..."

It wasn’t until this moment that Julian finally looked up and gave Sylvia a serious look. His eyes held a complex emotion as he slowly replied, "Cooperation isn’t guaranteed."

He made no move to shake her hand.

A flash of awkwardness crossed Sylvia’s face, but she didn’t lose her temper. Calmly withdrawing her hand, she led her entourage out of the hall.

Vivian Lowell glanced back at her. Sylvia’s presence was undeniably powerful. Even when clashing with Julian, she hadn’t shown the slightest hint of retreating. A strong, independent woman like her was truly formidable. It was just a pity. Julian had a heart of stone; he was completely immune to both carrots and sticks. However, Vivian also knew that once someone managed to find their way into his heart, he would never let them go.

The banquet concluded about ten minutes later.

Julian had successfully won Felix’s shares at a price above market value. Still, overall, Julian considered the final number to be barely acceptable. Furthermore, given the unusual nature of his relationship with Felix, how the money would actually be paid out was still entirely up to him.

"Sign the agreement first. Once this is signed, you and the Faulkner Group will be completely even. With the shares back in my hands, you’ll no longer have the right to interfere in any of the Faulkner Group’s affairs."

Julian handed a pre-drafted agreement to Felix, shooting a meaningful glance at President Zane standing nearby.

President Zane had put in quite a bit of effort for Felix this time around. If the Drake Family had won the shares today, they would have been able to dictate terms to the Faulkner Family. Under those circumstances, President Zane could have fished in troubled waters, taking advantage of the chaos to line his own pockets.

But that was impossible now.

Julian could settle the score with Felix whenever he pleased. As for President Zane... Julian decided it was best not to keep a parasite like him in the company.

"P-President Faulkner! What do you mean by looking at me like that?" President Zane suddenly panicked, his voice trembling. Realizing how pathetic he looked, he tried to awkwardly straighten his posture, ending up looking like nothing more than a clown.

Julian completely ignored him.

Instead, Felix took the agreement, read it over carefully, and said, "I don’t understand the legal jargon here, so I have no way of knowing if you’re trying to trick me.

"How about this? I’ll have a lawyer look it over. Once I’m sure there are no hidden traps, I’ll sign it. How does that sound?"

Felix was clearly on high alert. Even when dealing with his own son, he remained overwhelmingly defensive.

Julian let out a cold sneer, looking as though he had seen right through Felix ages ago. Unbothered, he mocked, "Suit yourself. But... make it quick."

"Alright."

Holding the agreement, Felix seemed to have nothing left to say to Julian. He glanced at Grandma Faulkner, hesitating as if he wanted to speak.

Grandma Faulkner was in a terrible mood tonight. Her unfilial son had colluded with outsiders to scheme against his own family, which only deepened her disappointment in him. As the old saying went, she would have been better off raising a sack of potatoes! If she wasn’t absolutely certain that Felix was actually her biological child, she would have dragged him in for a DNA test. She couldn’t fathom how a man as great as Grandpa Faulkner could have produced a son like this!

Grandma Faulkner turned her head away, making it abundantly clear that she had no desire to speak to him. Left with no other choice, Felix awkwardly clutched the agreement, tugged at President Zane’s sleeve, and the two of them hurried away.

With that, the banquet officially drew to a close.

The media personnel began filtering out, already planning how they would write their exposés on the grievances and feuds between the Faulkner Family, the Drake Family, and the Faulkner father-son duo once they got home.

Not to mention, the Drake Family had officially returned to the country.

Back when the Drake Family was still domestic, they were merely a prominent but ordinary local clan. If they hadn’t been framed and forced to flee overseas—where they surprisingly flourished—they might never have achieved such massive influence had they stayed.

Starting from the two generations preceding Master Drake, the members of the Drake Family had proven to be exceptionally formidable. Even now, with their family expanding and internal conflicts arising, they still remained relatively united as a whole.

Their return would undoubtedly have a massive impact on the domestic landscape. The reporters knew they would have to think long and hard about how exactly to cover this monumental shift.

In the penthouse suite of The Solstice Hotel.

Upon returning, Vivian stayed by Grandma Faulkner’s side until the older woman fell asleep before heading back to her own room. When she unlocked her phone, a flurry of unread WhatsApp notifications popped up.

Both Eleanor Rhodes and Leo had messaged to ask if the auction had gone smoothly. In Eleanor’s messages, there was also a photo of a kitten she had rescued from a ventilation shaft.

The poor thing had been trapped for days, and its fur was completely matted. When Eleanor pulled it out, it had put up such a fierce fight that it nearly tore straight through her gloves. What a brave little warrior!

"What a fierce little kitten, with such a strong will to live! Vivian, you should come see it when you visit the clinic. Also, that half-dead kitten you saved last time has grown even bigger!

"It’s so round and chubby now, absolutely adorable! It’s actually a long-haired Lion Cat—it’s practically the cat of your dreams!"

Eleanor followed up with another photo. It was the same near-death kitten Vivian and Julian had rescued back when they bumped into Caleb Quinn at Aethelburg University.

It looked incredibly cute, captured mid-yawn just after waking up.

Seeing the adorable photo instantly washed away Vivian’s exhaustion. She couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.

Right at that moment, Julian set down the documents he had been working on. He walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window, stopped right behind Vivian, and peeked over her shoulder. "What’s making you so happy?"