Chapter 468 - 464: Deliberately Making Things Difficult

She spoke those four words with such a casual air that others felt compelled to defer to her. Since she was aiming for an auspicious number, everyone else decided not to compete with her for the two bracelets.

Moreover, the price of eight hundred and eighty-eight dollars was already quite high. Though the two bracelets were of fine quality, they weren’t very large and would only fit a lady with slender wrists.

For collection purposes, jade pendants were more valuable.

However, not everyone was willing to extend that courtesy. Mrs. Lane, in particular, was determined not to let Cecilia Sterling have her way.

"Nine hundred and eight!"

Mrs. Lane slowly raised her paddle, adding another twenty dollars to Cecilia Sterling’s bid.

Walter Lane didn’t even have time to react; he just stared in astonishment when he heard his wife speak. Mrs. Lane pretended not to notice his gaze and said nonchalantly, "I accidentally chipped my other two jade bracelets. I just so happen to need a new pair."

Numerous gazes focused on them, making Walter Lane feel thorns pricking his back. Under the table, he gently patted his wife’s leg, but she just turned her head and said, "Darling, I really like them."

Given the formal setting, Walter Lane couldn’t cause a scene. He could only force a fake smile and shoot his wife a look, signaling her not to deliberately make things difficult for Cecilia Sterling.

"One thousand."

Cecilia Sterling glanced toward Mrs. Lane and raised her paddle once more, jumping the bid by a full hundred dollars.

At her side, Julian Summers couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at Cecilia Sterling’s bold move. An amused smile played on his lips.

Mrs. Lane completely ignored Walter Lane’s warning look. As soon as Cecilia Sterling raised the price, she unhesitatingly raised her paddle again. "One thousand and twenty."

Cecilia: "Eleven hundred!"

Mrs. Lane was only raising the bid by twenty dollars at a time. It was obvious she wanted to annoy Cecilia Sterling without spending too much of her own money.

Cecilia, on the other hand, kept jumping to round numbers, clearly dominating her opponent in sheer presence.

Mrs. Lane added another twenty dollars.

Jasmine Sterling quickly put a hand on her daughter’s arm and shook her head. "Let it go, Cecilia. It’s too expensive!"

’The bracelets are nice, but it’s not worth getting into a bidding war over them. Besides, if the other party is dead set on having them, there’s no need for us to keep driving up the price. It would just give people the wrong impression.’

She didn’t know about the history between her daughter and Mrs. Lane; these were just her instinctive thoughts.

Julian Summers, sitting beside her, also leaned over and whispered, "Miss Sterling, the bidding has already far exceeded the bracelets’ actual value. I know the money all goes to charity, but you don’t want to be a patsy."

Secretary Grant chimed in, "Miss Sterling, our boss really knows his jade. You can’t go wrong listening to him."

’Men just can’t take praise,’ Cecilia thought as a smug look flashed across Julian Summers’s face. ’It goes right to their heads.’

Cecilia raised an eyebrow and nodded slightly.

’Since Mr. Sullivan is an expert,’ she thought, ’if I want to buy some jade jewelry for Mom later, I can just ask for his advice. There’s really no need to overpay here.’

’Besides, I have no intention of seriously competing with Mrs. Lane. They’re just a pair of bracelets. What’s the big deal if I win them?’

So, she slowly lowered the paddle in her hand, withdrawing from the race.

The auctioneer on stage began the countdown. "One thousand one hundred and twenty dollars, going once!"

"One thousand one hundred and twenty dollars, going twice!"

"One thousand one hundred and twenty dollars, going..."

"Eleven hundred and fifty!"

Just when everyone thought the gavel would fall and the bracelets would go to Mrs. Lane, a calm, firm male voice suddenly echoed through the hall.

The crowd was stunned, with everyone craning their necks to see who it was. The price for the bracelets had already hit its ceiling; nobody expected another bid.

Paddle number 5 was slowly raised. It was Director Vance!

The auctioneer announced excitedly, "Number five, Director Vance of the Rion Group, bids eleven hundred and fifty dollars! Do any of our distinguished guests wish to raise the bid?"

Most people were baffled by Director Vance’s move. He didn’t have a wife, so what was he doing buying a pair of jade bracelets?

But a few people read something unusual into it.

Mr. Young glanced over, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

Walter Lane’s brow furrowed. It was hard not to connect Director Vance with Cecilia Sterling’s mother. ’He hasn’t bid at all until now. Is he doing this to stick up for Cecilia?’

Randall Jennings also looked toward Director Vance. From what he knew of the man, Director Vance was always extremely self-controlled. This move was clearly out of character.

Cecilia, however, broke into a knowing smile. ’No matter how you look at it, Mr. Vance raising his paddle right now is definitely pointed. It’s not that I’m getting ahead of myself on Mom’s behalf, but his approach is just so direct and straightforward. He’s not playing any games.’

’I actually quite like his decisive style. You have to be direct when it comes to relationships, especially for people their age. Who has time for all that back-and-forth and testing the waters?’

The moment Director Vance made his move, Mrs. Lane instantly folded.

Her goal hadn’t been to win the bracelets anyway, just to make life difficult for Cecilia Sterling.

In the end, Director Vance won the bracelets for a high price.

"Stop causing trouble," Walter Lane whispered, warning his wife under the cover of the applause.

Mrs. Lane shot him a glare but remained silent. She peered through a gap in the crowd toward Cecilia Sterling, only to find that Cecilia wasn’t even bothering to look in her direction.

The pair of bracelets were delivered to Director Vance, feeling weighty in his hands.

Mr. Young teased from the side, "Director Vance, I’m afraid those bracelets won’t fit over your sturdy wrists!"

The people nearby laughed at his words, but they watched as Director Vance carefully put the bracelets away. He looked at the group and said, "They’re certainly not for me. They’re for my future wife."

"Whoa, listen to you, Director Vance. Is the old iron tree finally going to bloom?"

"If you ask me, it’s long overdue! We’ve all seen how loyal you are, Director Vance, but you still have a long life ahead of you, right?"

The one he lost is gone, but a person can’t live in the past forever.

His friends were all supportive of Director Vance finding love for a second time.

The third item up for auction was a well-preserved, out-of-print set of vinyl records from the last century.

You had to admit, this auction had some interesting items. While they weren’t priceless antiques, they were all things that perfectly suited the status and hobbies of the attendees.

Listening to vinyl was a popular hobby among the elegant upper class, so the bidding for this item was especially fierce.

Cecilia wasn’t particularly interested in the records; she had just planned on watching the show.

When the bidding stalled at one hundred and fifty dollars, Cecilia inadvertently glanced at Mrs. Lane, who was sitting at a table in the front. An idea flashed through her mind.

The corner of her mouth lifted in a slight smile as she raised her paddle. "One hundred and sixty dollars!"

Sure enough, just as she expected, the moment her voice rang out, Mrs. Lane sat bolt upright as if on instinct and immediately raised her paddle. "One hundred and seventy dollars!"

Cecilia: "One hundred and eighty dollars!"

Mrs. Lane: "One hundred and ninety dollars!"

Cecilia: "Two hundred dollars!"

Mrs. Lane was still relentlessly one-upping her. "Two hundred and ten!"