Olivia appeared shocked. It had never crossed her mind that her mother would engage in such deceit to profit from the guests. She had always believed that Julia was an honest woman.
"I can't believe you two are doing something so disgusting. It's fraud!" muttered Olivia.
Klaus squinted his eyes. "What are you talking about, Olivia? Do you see us selling counterfeit goods to them? We're doing nothing more than heating up the auction."
Although what Klaus said was true, she felt that what they were doing was wrong. But at the same time, there was no indication that her mother was lying to the customers. "Siegfried the Dragon Slayer" wasn't a bad painting. It was a masterpiece by a famous artist. It's just that buying it for $25 million was overpriced.
"Alright! Let's move on to the next item!" Julia shouted energetically.
After Klaus deliberately lost a bid, the auction heated up even more. The subsequent paintings were of high-class art compared to the earlier ones. Klaus continued his work, assisting Julia in enticing the guests to raise their bids. Especially after the guests assumed Klaus had only $25 million, they dared to bid higher for the paintings.
Some guests smiled widely after buying the overpriced paintings. In fact, one or two people laughed at Klaus as they successfully acquired a painting by spending $30 million. They thought Klaus was foolish for spending money at the beginning of the auction.
"Look at that kid. Seems like he can't get the painting he wants," a thick-mustached guest remarked about Klaus.
"Don't say that. He's still young and stupid. It's not surprising if he can't handle his ego."
"Haha. Even my eight-year-old is better than him."
Mocking laughter echoed in his ears, but Klaus wasn't provoked. There was no hint of anger on his face. Instead, it was Olivia. She clenched her hands by her ears, hearing the taunts directed at Klaus.
"You still have plenty of money, right? After this, buy high-priced paintings to shut those idiots up."
"Remember the words of the wise, a lion doesn't heed the words of sheep."
"Goddamn it, Klaus. You're not a lion, you're a human. They'll keep running their mouths until you shut them up."
No response came from his mouth except a sigh. Klaus chose to stay silent. He knew Olivia acted this way because she cared about him. But he couldn't just squander money on unnecessary things.
Moreover, the three most important people in the room hadn't bid yet. Jonathan, Julia, and Liliana; they were eyeing the most valuable painting of the auction. "Coiled Dragon" by Meng Xi.
Time flew by swiftly. Twenty-three paintings had found their new owners.
"Get ready! We're entering the opening price with high value. From now on, you'll only see the world's best paintings!"
Stage lights illuminated the red curtain. Not long after, it opened, revealing a painting of a sunset, mesmerizing the guests who beheld it. Some even stood in awe of its beauty.
"This is 'The Beautiful Red Sunrise' by Aditya Patin. This painting depicts the battlefield conditions during the Kurukshetra War. The red rising sun symbolizes the bloodshed between the Kauravas and the Pandavas."
While Julia explained the meaning of the painting, Olivia couldn't take her eyes off the stage. She even couldn't blink. Then, she turned her gaze towards Klaus with hopeful eyes.
"Hey, Klaus! You still remember your promise, right?"
"Aight, aight. I'll buy that painting, but sit still. You're acting like a kid."
A wide smile blossomed on her face. Olivia quickly sat down like a duck. At the same time, Julia finished explaining the auction item to the guests.
Instantly, the atmosphere became intense.
"Alright! 'The Beautiful Red Sunrise' starts at $100,000!"
As soon as Julia clapped her hands, a buzz filled the room. Guests shouted as they raised their bidding paddles in the air. They were competing to offer the highest bid.
"One hundred and fifty thousand!"
"Three hundred and fifty thousand!"
"Nine hundred thousand!"
The bidding price continued to rise dramatically. They truly wanted that painting. However, Klaus still hadn't placed a bid. He was puzzled by this phenomenon, as it contradicted what Olivia had said earlier.
"You said this painting isn't really something special. But why do so many 'art-ignorant' people want it? You just lied to me, huh?" Klaus asked, squinting his eyes.
Olivia rubbed the back of her head. "Hehe, sorry. I don't think they're foolish, I guess."
Taking a deep breath, Klaus tried to hold back his frustration with Olivia.
As Klaus stood up, ready to place a bid, a sudden loud voice from a woman startled everyone in the room.
"Two million dollars!" A woman in a white dress made a bid.I think you should take a look at
"Aw! $2,000,000 from number 2! Anyone want to bid higher!?" Julia exclaimed enthusiastically.
Klaus raised an eyebrow as he realized Isabella was interested in the painting. However, the commotion didn't stop there. A man in an extravagant suit placed an outrageous bid.
"Ten million!"
Instantly, the room fell silent. Jonathan had made a high bid at the opening, causing jaws to drop among the guests. Of course, the bidding wouldn't stop there.
"Number 91 bids $10,000,000! Does anyone want to bid higher!"
"Twelve million!" Isabella made another bid. She seemed really keen on this painting.
A few guests also joined in, slightly outbidding each other, but they fell quiet as the painting's price reached $30 million.
Fifty million… sixty million… eighty million… the numbers kept rising as the tension in the room escalated. Jonathan and Isabella; neither of them was willing to back down, bidding with high prices. Even the guests were shaking their heads.
As everyone was astonished, Olivia bit her nails in frustration.
"What's wrong?" Klaus asked.
"It's fine. I don't expect you to buy that painting for me anymore." Olivia realized the bidding had soared too high. She wouldn't ask Klaus to spend tens of millions of dollars on her.
And what she thought was not wrong.
"Sorry, Olivia. But I can't buy things you want. Those two are at war. They'll spend as much money as possible to get that painting. I don't have a chance."
"Yeah, I know." Olivia crossed her arms. Her tone sounded unpleasant.
When Jonathan made a bid of $100 million, Isabella fell silent.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
"Sold! Number 91 wins 'The Beautiful Red Sunrise'!"
Jonathan grinned in victory, but Isabella looked sour. Meanwhile, the guests were left speechless.
Klaus smirked. "Well, looks like those two are quite competitive."
Perhaps Jonathan and Isabella puzzled Klaus. However, his attention was truly on Liliana. She hadn't bid at all since the auction began. Klaus was convinced that Liliana was saving her money to buy the painting 'Coiled Dragon'.
"So, you really care about that foolish bet, huh?" Klaus muttered. His eyes were fixed on the woman sitting in the back row.
Klaus wondered what if Liliana won the bet. What request would she make of him?????????????????????????????????.????????????
'The Beautiful Red Sunrise' didn't end Jonathan and Isabella's competition in this auction. They continued to compete for the following paintings with fantastic bids. As a result, the guests merely became spectators to their competition.
If the total amount spent was calculated, each of them had already spent $2 billion.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The sound of the hammer echoed throughout the room.
"Phew! It doesn't feel like we've been standing here for two hours. And coincidentally, we've reached the last item. To wrap it up, I present to you a masterpiece from the greatest artist on the Chinese mainland."
The red curtain opened, revealing a scroll on a stand. Two staff members stepped onto the stage and unfurled the scroll. Suddenly, a gleaming golden light shone into the guests' eyes as the scroll was unveiled. It was a painting of a coiled golden dragon.
"I'm sure some of you recognize this painting at a glance. It's the finest work from an artist and intellectual of the Ming Dynasty—Meng Xi. And this is his best work. 'Coiled Dragon'!"
Instantly, a murmur filled the room.
"The bidding starts at $200,000!"
Just as Julia announced the starting price, a woman shouted out with a bid.
"Fifty million!"
In an instant, the guests who were about to bid retracted their intentions. Not only were they surprised, but Klaus also was. He turned to the source of the voice at the back and found a woman with a birthmark beneath her eye raising paddle number 20.
Yes, it was Liliana.
