Chapter 169 - 168: Love Is Indeed Poison

Alan Knight’s lips twitched a few times. In the end, his curiosity won out over his survival instinct.

He shuffled to the spot furthest from Yvonne Lowell before finally asking, "Master, our Mast— Your boyfriend is here. Aren’t you going to see him? I thought you came here because of him."

Otherwise, why would someone who’s only known for slacking off suddenly decide to "browse" an auction house?

’Wait! Don’t tell me Master is here to check out other men? On the prowl?!’

’Could it be that they only seem loving on the surface, but Master’s initial excitement has faded? Is she already tired of that President Grant? Are they just faking it now, a couple in name only, sharing a bed but dreaming different dreams?’

’Love really is poison... So terrifying.’

The more Alan Knight thought about it, the more uneasy he felt, his expression growing increasingly complicated.

Yvonne Lowell looked up and saw Alan Knight’s expression turn sleazy and contorted. She knew at a glance he wasn’t thinking anything good.

She grabbed the tissue box from the table and threw it directly at him. "Get all that garbage out of your head."

Alan Knight swiftly caught the tissue box and chuckled sheepishly. "I was just curious... Are you not planning on telling him?"

As far as he knew, that man controlled both G Group and The Shadow Pavilion, making him more or less an equal to his own master in terms of status.

However, it seemed the man only knew about Master’s secret identities as the arms dealer LY and the weapons designer Lila. ’What a poor, pitiful soul.’

"No rush. He’s loaded. We’ll see about that later." Yvonne Lowell glanced out the window, speaking nonchalantly. "Besides, if I reveal everything right at the start, where’s the fun in that?"

’Let me make some money first.’

Alan Knight was about to say something else when he was interrupted by a voice from outside.

The auction had begun.

A spotlight hit the auction stage at the very front of the hall, and a middle-aged man in his early forties walked onto it.

"The auction is about to begin. A friendly reminder: The currency for all transactions at this auction is M Yuan. We also provide a currency exchange service."

’Tsk, tsk. The auctioneers at these underground auctions are all about getting straight to the point. He even skipped the welcome and self-introduction.’

’Who has time to exchange pleasantries? To compose an 800-word essay full of eloquent transitions, literary devices, and poignant metaphors.’

’He probably can’t wait to sell everything off and go home.’

And yet, the auctioneer acted as smug as can be, and no one dared to complain.

"The first item is a pair of Doucai Entwined Peony Pattern Bowls from the Yongzheng period of the Qing dynasty. The body of the bowls is fine and white, coated inside and out with a thin, even layer of white glaze. The surface is smooth and lustrous with a strong, glass-like quality, making this a rare masterpiece of Yongzheng doucai porcelain."

As he spoke, a 360-degree, high-definition image of the first item was displayed for everyone to see.

"The starting bid is 400,000 M Yuan, and each increment must be at least 10,000 M Yuan."

"410,000!"

"420,000!"

"450,000!"

"500,000!"

"..."

The smile on Yvonne Lowell’s face grew wider and wider. She decided that from now on, coming to an auction to watch the show would be the perfect cure for a bad mood.

Watching the little streams of money flow into her pockets instantly brightened her day.

It wasn’t that she was short on money, but that didn’t stop her from loving it.

As for collecting for appreciation, she had plenty of things in her vault that were far more valuable. She really didn’t need this.

In the end, the pair of Doucai Entwined Peony Pattern Bowls was sold for 610,000 M Yuan to the Family Head of a local Noble Family.

As time went on, the subsequent items were sold off one by one.

As Yvonne Lowell watched her wallet grow fatter, even the Leogryph lying beside her, furiously devouring raw meat, began to look incredibly handsome, dashing, and elegant.

’But... has the guy surnamed Grant even spent any money yet? What’s up with that? Does he look down on my things?’

"The next item is a 16-carat natural round Purple Diamond named ’Eternal.’ As you can see from the picture, it is a rare and magnificent marvel of nature. I’m sure you all know how rare purple diamonds are, so I won’t elaborate further."

"The starting bid is 18 million M Yuan, with minimum increments of 100,000 M Yuan."

Seeing the image of the purple diamond, Leo Grant couldn’t help but lean forward slightly.

’A diamond this beautiful belongs on Little Marshmallow’s hand.’

The people below were still bidding in increments of one hundred thousand. Leo Grant wasn’t in a hurry; after all, he had to let the others feel like they were participating.

"18.2 million!"

"18.3 million!"

"18.5 million!"

"19 million!"

In the middle of the hall, a man with his arm around a female companion raised his paddle.

Since the starting bid was quite high, most people were bidding in increments of 100,000. His move of jumping the bid by 500,000 M Yuan all at once drew the attention of many people behind him. The female companion by his side also looked at him with a face full of adoration.

The auctioneer picked up his gavel and scanned the room. "19 million, do I have any other bids?"

"20 million." A deep male voice came from upstairs. Everyone looked up to see the light on for Box 3.

Yvonne Lowell raised an eyebrow with great interest. ’Is the big moneybags finally making his move?’

Aaron Keller’s face stiffened. He was about to lose his temper but then remembered this wasn’t his turf.

The other party was in a private box, while he could only sit in the middle of the hall.

’Setting aside status and position, just based on cash flow alone...’

’This is probably someone I can’t afford to offend...’

"Young Master Cole~ I really, really love that diamond~" a sweet, coquettish voice whispered in his ear. "If you buy it for me, I’ll let you do whatever you want with me tonight~"

This was a new flame Aaron Keller had gone to great lengths to win over. He had brought her to Continent N for a vacation this time.

When he happened to hear about an underground auction, he thought he’d bring her along to show off.

Perhaps he couldn’t bear to see a beauty shed tears, or perhaps his male vanity got the better of him. Aaron Keller gritted his teeth and raised his paddle again.

"20.5 million!"

Everyone gasped, but this time it wasn’t out of shock at his financial power. They were just feeling a strong case of "idiot aversion."

’Does this rich brat really have zero awareness of his own position? He’s truly reckless!’

’Losing his head over a pretty face? Hope he doesn’t die in bed for her.’

Nolan Crawford rolled his eyes in disdain. "Who the hell is this guy? He’s got a death wish."

"25 million." Leo Grant nonchalantly lit a cigarette and pressed the button on the armrest of his sofa again.

Aaron Keller’s face twisted for a moment. ’Is this person deliberately trying to humiliate me?!’

"26 million!" Aaron Keller raised his paddle once more.

As a profligate son who burned through his allowance every month, this was the most liquid cash he could currently access.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t ask the head of his family for more, but whether he’d actually get the money was another story. What was certain was that he’d get a beating.

If he hadn’t refrained from bidding on the previous items, he wouldn’t dare—and couldn’t afford—to raise his paddle now.

"36 million." The words had barely left Aaron Keller’s mouth when the male voice from upstairs immediately followed.

Aaron Keller’s face turned ashen. He raised a hand to interrupt the auctioneer, stood up, and looked toward the window of Box 3.

"I wonder if the gentleman in Box 3 would do the Sterling Family of Marisburg a favor? Perhaps you could part with your beloved treasure and let me have the diamond."