Something was wrong
Henry was supposed to be here. He promised. But now, his number was unreachable.
My fingers clenched around my phone, heart hammering against my ribs.
Breathe, Drielle.
Breathe.
The host took the stage, his voice echoing through the grand hall, but his words blurred into background noise.
My eyes darted across the room, scanning every entrance. Where the hell was Henry?
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the annual auction of Boston. We are honored by your interest in charity for the poor and needy.”
He shed light on the uniqueness of sale items, thanking the sponsors, but it wasn’t of my concern.
Henry’s disappearance tightened my throat.
I noticed the signature, cold smile toying on Felix’s lips as he talked to his table fellows.
He was back to his old self to openly celebrate his approaching victory.
Meanwhile, the auction started with vintage jewelry, fucking my brain. So, as a last resort, I texted Henry’s assistant.
“Where’s Henry, Brad? Why are you here alone?”
Luckily, Brad was in his right mind, he messaged me swiftly.
“Boss is on his way, ma’am. Please enjoy.”
Enjoy?
My foot!
My erratic heartbeat was aching my chest, running me out of patience with every passing second. I hardly composed myself during the first three item sales. But when the host announced the ceramic’s auction, I lost it and got up.
“Excuse me.”
I turned to flee to the bathroom for a moment of relief, Henry’s delay was getting on my nerves. However, experienced sudden showers of serenity and peace as I turned and saw Henry entering through the doors.
He made the first offer for the bidding. “Fifty thousand dollars!”
His firm tone reverberated in the surroundings, bringing a joyous smile to my face. I sat down and raised my board.
“One million dollars!”
The sudden jump in prize excited others, they actively participated in bidding.
“Two million dollars!”
“Three million dollars!”
“Four million dollars!”
But when I raised the offer to ten million dollars, the pin–drop silence prevailed in the hall, none of the bidders spoke up after that.
This was the plan, a trap to make me the focal point of the bidding process.
23:13
Bye Bye Lovesick Puppy: No Longer Chasing Your Glow, I Became My Own Sun
68.7%
Chapter 69
Felix joked lightheartedly. “Come on, guys. This is half of the market price. Add some millions and still, you won’t be wasting money.”
Standing tall in his glory, he walked towards me and spoke mysteriously,
“Or wait?
No one will bid now because of the former agreement.”
His suspicious statement stirred up chaos in the hall, the guests were offended by this allegation.
“This is open bidding, no one can force us to buy anything.”
Felix chuckled at that businessman’s claim, “This is business dealing, Mr. Richmond. You and I both know how wannabes try to manipulate the results every year.”
Well, Felix had finally revealed the darkness of his heart, devising a scheme to thrust me into a whirlwind of criticism. He was about to flash his fabricated evidence to ruin my name, but Henry changed the narrative in one shot.
“No one knows it better than you, Mr. Felix aka a desperate wannabe!
You have a history of using such devious methods for your company.”
Brad appeared on the stage, playing the video of the documents Henry collected through investigation. The storm of truth immediately cleared the thick fog of lies and deceit.
Henry’s icy gaze fell on dumbfounded Felix, he handed him the file, “These are the sales records from the previous five years annual auction, Mr. Felix.
Would you like to explain how you manage to buy the most desired aerospace–related article every year so easily?”
Despite irrefutable proof, Felix didn’t even budge, he replied to him confidently,
“It’s simple, Mr. Henry. With money!”
Crossing his arms over his chest, he appeared nonchalant, unaffected by Henry’s question. So, my brother showed him the mirror of reality ASAP.
Brad played the CCTV footage of a secret meeting in a room, where different men were planning to cheat for today’s bidding.
“Fourteen million dollars for the Tiara, sixty million dollars for the diamond necklace, and Felix, what was your call for that aesthetic ceramic bowl?”
Other people’s faces were blurred for privacy, we could only see Felix, speaking with a smug face.
“Ten million dollars. Drielle Marlowe from LB corporation will buy it.”
Then he laughed at my pea brain to trust him, mocking me with his buddies. The wave of rage burning every cell of my body stole the very breath from my mouth. I was shaking with fury, barely stopping myself from exploding.
Soon, all my grievances turned into the fresh breeze of spring as Felix’s blanched face sang songs of desolation. He didn’t even suspect it from my acting that we would catch him in the act.
Smiling proudly, Bright wrapped his arm around my shoulder protectively as Felix spoke hurriedly.
“This is a fake video. I never indulge in illegal practices, my profession is aerospace engineering. I am unaware of such scams.”
He tried to blame Henry for the fraud, throwing dirt at him. But no one believed him. The management called the police and asked security to lock doors.
The police officers came promptly and checked the evidence, cuffing Felix in front of the cream of the city.
The doors slammed shut. Uniformed officers strode in, their presence swallowing the last remnants of Felix’s false confidence.
“Mr. Felix,” the lead officer announced, snapping open a pair of handcuffs,
“you are under arrest for illegal dealings and behind–the–scenes manipulation.” Felix took a step back.
“This–this is ridiculous! I demand a lawyer-”
Chapter 69
Click
The cuffs locked around his wrists, cutting off his last attempt at escape. The hall erupted. Some gasped. Some whispered. Some cheered
Chapter 70
