Not A Small-Town Girl

Chapter 15-2

David hummed in acknowledgment as he stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, cutting an intimidating figure. The Crimson Lily was said to grow in the depths of volcanoes and was reputable for its ability to cure all sorts of poisons and ailments.

Suddenly, the smart screen lit up, and a voice from the system announced, "The auction will begin now." It started to introduce the first item, a diamond-studded crown with a total of three hundred carats of diamonds. The voice began to announce each bid that was placed.

Danielle had come to the auction solely for the Crimson Lily. She had zero interest in the other items.

Juniper struck up a conversation. "That sister of yours and David are trending online. Did you see it? I didn’t realize they had that kind of relationship," she said as she gazed at Danielle with interest.

"I didn’t know anything about that," came the bored reply of Danielle as she drank from her glass of water.

"You’ve only just reunited with your family, but she’s already playing all these little mind games. You should just kick her out already," Juniper ignored Danielle’s disinterest and continued.

"My parents have a strong bond with Audrey. After all, she’s been with them for over ten years. If I asked them to kick her out, they’d feel guilty. It’s better to just leave things as they are," Danielle explained.

"I guess that’s fine, as long as you’re okay with it," Juniper relented. Then she continued, "I know you don’t usually go to the party after the auction, but I think you should this time. Just to accompany me."

Danielle hummed to signal her agreement.

Just then, the system’s voice crackled to life, announcing the final item of the auction: the Crimson Lily herb. It went on about its rare properties, the health benefits, and how exclusive it was-basically selling it like it was the holy grail.

The system laid down the rules of the bid. The starting price was 3 million dollars, and each subsequent bid had to be at least 300 thousand dollars.

The screen also displayed the information of the bids, including the bid amount and the bidder’s room number. Once the bidding began, it was obvious that many of the attendees were keen to get their hands on the Crimson Lily.

In no time at all, the bids jumped to 5 million dollars, then 6, then 6.5 million dollars.

Juniper watched the number on the screen jump steadily. "How much should we bid?" she asked.

"Add 1.5 million dollars to the top bid," Danielle replied.

The other bidders quickly realized that Auction Room 2 had the highest bid, and sure enough, the offers started to dry up. Everyone understood what a low-numbered auction room meant-it was basically a sign that the big players were already in.

Juniper and Danielle thought they had it in the bag when they saw that the bidding frenzy had died down after their bid.

Suddenly, the number on the monitor changed again. There was an additional increase of 3 million dollars, bringing the highest bid now to 12 million dollars. What’s more, the bid had come from auction room number one.

The two had not seen that coming. They sprang to action, raising the bid by 1.5 million dollars.

The guest in auction room number one reciprocated by bidding an extra 3 million dollars.

The bidding war between auction rooms one and two went back and forth, much to the shock and silence of the other attendees.

Juniper started to get nervous. "Danielle, we can’t keep bidding like this. We’re already way over budget. If we go any further, we’ll have to find something else to replace the Crimson Lily."

"Nothing beats the Crimson Lily. It’s the only option. I have to have it," Danielle said, her fingers flying over the keyboard as she punched in an even higher bid.

"Danielle, don’t be rash," Juniper reasoned as she grabbed Danielle’s hand and held it back.

The screen display changed then, and the voice announced, "Congratulations to Auction Room 1 for successfully bidding on Crimson Lily for 45 million dollars."

Everyone else in the rest of the auction rooms collectively gasped. This singular plant had sold for 45 million dollars just like that. The same thought crossed all of their minds. ’Who the hell are the people in rooms one and two?’