Chapter 166 - 165: Listening to Your Girlfriend Will Make You Prosper

"I wasn’t talking to you. What’s all the fuss about? You big baby." Yvonne Lowell gave it an exasperated pat before turning to Leo Grant.

"He’s the only lion. I have a few other little ones, but they aren’t here today. I’ll introduce you to them another time."

The corner of Leo Grant’s mouth twitched. ’They can’t all be three- or four-hundred-pound "little ones," can they?’

He voiced his thoughts aloud.

Yvonne Lowell gave a light cough and rubbed her nose, looking slightly embarrassed. "Well, not all of them. Luna, for instance, only weighs about a hundred pounds."

At the mention of Luna, Yvonne Lowell was reminded of Blondie and his flashy motorcycle, and she couldn’t help but unleash a torrent of complaints on Leo Grant.

Leo Grant was rather shocked. ’So, my girlfriend’s smallest and lightest pet is a wolf? Then what are the others?’

Still, he wore a gentle smile as he watched her chatter on endlessly.

He listened patiently until she was done, then said comfortingly,

"Wolves are extremely loyal to their mates. At least you don’t have to worry about Luna getting pushed around."

Yvonne Lowell pursed her lips. "I’m not worried about Luna getting bullied, and I’m not worried her new mate is some sort of player. It’s just that this is all so sudden. And my Luna is pure white, while that other wolf—the one belonging to Blondie—is gray. I’m worried their mixed-breed pups will be ugly."

’Of course, since they’d be Luna’s pups, I’d happily raise them no matter how ugly they were.’

’But still... people are naturally drawn to beautiful things, you know?’

Leo Grant couldn’t help but press a hand to his forehead. ’Right,’ he thought. ’I almost forgot she’s a total sucker for pretty things.’

"You haven’t even seen the—ahem, the gray wolf, have you? Don’t be so quick to write them off. Besides, with Luna’s good looks in the mix, the pups can’t possibly turn out that bad."

"But of course! My little girl is the prettiest wolf there is!"

’She knew all this, of course. Normally, she’d have worked it out on her own in no time.’

’But this stupid mouth of hers just couldn’t resist sharing everything with him. She knew he would never get impatient, and they were always on the same wavelength anyway.’

’Besides, compliments sounded so much more believable coming from him than from anyone else.’

’It’s over for me,’ she lamented internally. ’I’m officially love-struck.’

Yvonne Lowell’s eyes curved into happy crescents. "When the pups are born in a few months, if they turn out cute, I’ll give you one once they’re weaned."

"Really? In that case, can I put in a request for a male?" Leo Grant’s eyes lit up instantly.

What man didn’t love a powerful, majestic beast? He was no exception.

It wasn’t difficult for people of their standing to acquire such a creature, but if you wanted to raise it as a pet, you had to start from a young age. Adult beasts were wild and nearly impossible to tame.

But cubs were hard to come by, and he’d never had the right opportunity.

It seemed his chance had finally arrived. Sometimes, even a bad stomach had its purpose.

Yvonne Lowell’s eyes narrowed. "President Grant, don’t tell me your fear of women extends to wolves now? Or are you just sexist? We don’t do that old-fashioned feudal stuff here, you know."

Seeing her expression change on a dime, Leo Grant was at a loss for words.

"Of course not. I just think male wolves are larger and look more formidable."

Yvonne Lowell rolled her eyes at him. "Fine. You can pick one out yourself when the time comes. Find one you have a ’mutual connection’ with."

’This guy has no idea,’ she thought. ’My Luna is every bit as fierce as a male. Even the Leogryph doesn’t dare mess with her.’

"I’m fine with picking my own, but let’s skip the ’mutual connection’ part. The only one I’m mutually connected with is you," Leo Grant said with a shameless, fawning grin.

The two chatted casually for a while longer. Seeing that it was nearly dawn in Aurelia, Yvonne Lowell shooed him off to bed.

Just as they were about to hang up, Leo Grant said, "Oh, right. I have to go abroad the day after tomorrow. I’ll probably be at The Shadow Pavilion for a while. Interested in coming to visit?"

Yvonne Lowell raised an eyebrow. "If I came to find you, wouldn’t you be afraid of me stopping by G Group to steal some weapons?"

"If you want them, I wouldn’t be opposed to letting LY absorb G Group," Leo Grant chuckled, his tone nonchalant.

"Don’t even joke. One LY is already enough of a headache for me."

’It wasn’t that she was looking down on the offer, or that she didn’t want it. She was just lazy.’

Leo Grant leaned closer to the screen, his eyes fixed on her.

"Bonnie, you still haven’t answered my question. Are you going to come see me? Or, perhaps, can I come see you?"

Too bad for him, Yvonne Lowell wasn’t swayed by his handsome-man-act this time. She happened to be yawning, her phone aimed at the ceiling.

After her yawn, she raised the phone again. "Sure. But it might have to be in a few days. I’ll let you know beforehand."

Content with her affirmative answer, Leo Grant hung up and went to sleep.

’Can’t be pulling all-nighters,’ he thought. ’They make you age faster. Plus, listening to your girlfriend is the key to a prosperous life.’

...

「The next day.」

Yvonne Lowell took the Leogryph out for an early morning run. When she returned to the main building for breakfast, Alan Knight approached her with a booklet.

He paused when he saw the Leogryph curled up at Yvonne Lowell’s feet, then deliberately circled around her to hand over the booklet.

"Boss, this is the catalog from the underground auction. There’s a sale tomorrow night. Please take a look and see if there’s anything you’d like, so they can hold it for you in advance."

The biggest difference between the underground auction and other auction houses was that the underground auction house owned all of its lots outright. They purchased the items beforehand, rather than taking them on consignment in exchange for a commission.

Another stark difference was that the underground auction didn’t require invitations.

To get in, one simply had to show up at the entrance during the designated time for a verification of funds.

Those who passed were allowed entry, and a receptionist would escort them to a seating area commensurate with their available capital.

The auction items were also kept secret and were not announced in advance.

To put it bluntly, their attitude was: We sell what we’ve got. You buy what’s on offer. Take it or leave it.

And yet, this very arrogance made wealthy merchants flock to it in droves.

And as it happened, the underground auction on Continent N had been acquired by Yvonne Lowell several years prior.

Ever since then, the underground auction on Continent N had become the most peculiar of its kind, because it refused to sell live animals or people.

Every time an auction was held, the management would first send the catalog to Yvonne Lowell for her review, to see if there was anything she wanted to keep for herself.

Yvonne Lowell picked up the catalog and began flipping through it at speed. Perhaps knowing her habits, Alan Knight chimed in,

"I just sent the catalog to the group chat. Nina said to hold onto those two medicinal herbs, and Zion said there was nothing he wanted."

Nothing caught Yvonne Lowell’s eye, so she handed the catalog back to him. "As long as the herbs are set aside, you can sell the rest."

"Understood." Alan Knight took the catalog and turned to leave.

Yvonne Lowell called out to him. "On second thought, since we’ve got nothing better to do, let’s go check it out tomorrow night."

"Of course. Your private box is always kept vacant. I’ll have them prepare it for your arrival."