Filed to story: Seventeen Heartbreaks: When Love Has No Voice
At that moment, through the ajar door of the No. 2 private room, Errol’s fianc?e caught sight of Errol exiting the No. 1 private room. Her jaw clenched in frustration. Her eyes blazed with fury, and her voice was icy.
“I knew it. Errol deliberately kept me out of that room since he saved it for that bitch.”
“Have you found the person I asked you to look for?” she asked the butler.
The butler gave a nod, bowing slightly. “Everything is in place. Rest assured, starting today, that woman’s reputation will crumble.”
A sinister smile spread across Errol’s fianc?e’s face, softening her features momentarily.
“Keep up the good work. If you continue to serve me after I marry into the Payne family, you’ll be well rewarded.”
Overjoyed, the butler nodded vigorously.
As the auction commenced, the opening bids of the first few items were modest, and the room lacked enthusiastic bidders, with everyone concealing their true intent.
Errol had strategically placed the Kensington family in the private room directly across from the No. 1 private room. From her position, Leila had a clear view of the No. 4 private room.
The occupant of that room was an acquaintance, none other than Melinda. Leila was surprised that Melinda still stayed with the Kensington family after all these years. Melinda’s attire suggested she was thriving. However, it struck Leila as odd that Dean wasn’t with Melinda.
It wasn’t long before Melinda sensed that something was amiss. She paused and then asked with a frown,
“What’s going on? Didn’t you mention this was the premier auction house in Burmoos? It seems pretty average to me. Are you sure your information is accurate? Is this really the place where the item I’m interested in will be auctioned?”
The man beside her quickly responded,
“I got this tip from the black market in Yaeloth. There’s no way I’m wrong.”
With no other option, Melinda resigned herself to wait, her anxiety barely contained.
At this point, the Kensington family was under Stan’s sole control. Dean had become a shadow of himself, a puppet stripped of any real authority. Melinda needed to validate her worth now more than ever..
Rumors had been circulating about Courtney’s sudden disappearance. Such events were unheard of in a law-abiding society. Deep down, Melinda was aware that Stan was behind Courtney’s vanishing. Yet, Courtney had stood by him through thick and thin for many years. How ruthless he was!
These thoughts made Melinda’s palms clammy and her heart turn cold. She was resolute about acquiring the painting, the one to Charlene’s liking as the rumor had suggested. She surmised eighty million was more than enough.
When the painting finally appeared as the last item of the auction, Melinda didn’t hesitate.
“Fifty million!” she declared, straightening her posture with confidence.
Melinda assumed her extravagant bid was bound to deter others. She doubted anyone would willingly invest as heavily as she did.
However, her smug smile faded quickly.
A bidding war erupted soon after Melinda bid fifty million. More aggressive bids echoed through the auction house, everyone’s passion in securing this painting evident. It didn’t take long before the bidding reached a staggering eighty-five million.
However, Melinda’s budget capped at eighty million. She watched, her hands shaking, as the numbers climbed beyond her reach. Disbelief clouded her face. How had the bidding spiraled so high?
The painting, with a modest starting price of eight million, was now the subject of a frenzied auction. Were the bidders mad?
Unbeknownst to Melinda, her rival in the auction harbored the same intentions as hers for the painting. At Melinda’s side, the servant spoke up, her voice laced with panic,
“Madam, it seems someone has leaked the news about Mrs. Martel’s rumored likeness to the painting. Everyone here today is after this painting.”
“What?” Melinda shot to her feet, a wave of dizziness threatening to topple her.
The servant caught Melinda’s arm, steadying her.
“Maybe someone else bought the news and spread it.”
“Fool!” In a fit of rage, Melinda’s hand flew, striking the servant across the face. “You couldn’t even manage this simple task? Why didn’t you pay some extra money to keep this information to ourselves?”
The servant shielded her face with her hands and explained,
“Madam, the money you gave me couldn’t cover that. The money is all saved up for today. How can I possibly afford to pay someone extra money?”
“Where is that good-for-nothing Dean? Didn’t you get any money from him?”
Her eyes wide with fear, the servant stammered,
“Madam, please, I can’t face Dean again. How could I dare?”
Melinda, struck dumb for a moment by the audacity, quickly found her rage and slapped the servant once more. She sank back into her chair, massaging her throbbing temples as her chest heaved with frustration.
“Now, go out and tell those bidders that I am a member of the Kensington family. Ask them to cease the bidding. They should back off for the sake of the Kensington family’s reputation. I want to see who has the nerve to challenge the Kensington family.”
The servant bit her lip and hesitated. Yet, under Melinda’s gaze, she walked out of the private room.
This tactic seemed to work. Most backed down from the bidding upon hearing the Kensington family’s determination to secure the painting. Though the Kensington dynasty was fading, it was still formidable. The Kensington family hadn’t collapsed yet.
Just as Melinda was convinced of her imminent victory, a crisp, assertive female voice cut through the tension.
“The Kensington family? So? What if I refuse to back down?”
Melinda turned toward the mocking voice, spotting the No. 1 private room. So, the occupants of the No. 1 private room were also eager to purchase the painting. Melinda cursed under her breath. It seemed Charlee’s rumored likeness for this painting had somehow become known to many.
Melinda had frequented this auction house and knew well about the privileges the No. 1 private room held. Even though Melinda was a member of the Kensington family, the director of this auction house, Errol, would never allow her access to the No. 1 private room.
The reason was quite simple. The Kensington family was lacking, not qualified enough to take that room. Despite the Kensington family’s discontent, they knew the owner of this auction house, along with Errol, had formidable connections that no one dared to challenge.
The servant, filled with indignation, immediately said to Melinda, “How could that woman say such words? Was that a challenge to the Kensington family? Madam, let’s go and confront that arrogant woman.”
“Enough!” Melinda’s frustration was evident, yet she felt powerless. “We can’t afford to offend the occupants of the No. 1 private room. Yet, no matter what, people should at least show some respect to the Kensington family, given we’re all in Avalon.”
As soon as Melinda stepped out of the No. 4 private room, her demeanor changed instantly. Melinda approached the No. 1 private room and said politely, “Hello there, I’m Melinda from the Kensington family. May I know your name? I have no intention of competing for anything with you. It’s just that the painting holds some significance to me. I hope you can allow me to have it. Once I have this painting, I’ll personally visit your home to express my gratitude. Although the Kensington family isn’t in the best shape right now, name your terms, and I’ll manage to fulfill them.”
Only silence in the No. 1 private room answered Melinda. Onlookers began to murmur among themselves. “Seriously? The Kensington family was this courteous to someone?”
“Could the occupants in the No. 1 private room be from the Hayes family? Or maybe the Simpson family?”
“Are you kidding? Even if the Simpson and Hayes families joined forces, they wouldn’t command this kind of respect from the Kensington family. These must be people with even more power.”
The No. 1 private room remained silent as if the previous comments hadn’t been uttered. Yet, the bidding was still on.
Melinda’s palms grew sweaty, her irritation intensifying. The servant hesitantly asked, “Madam, it seems they aren’t backing off. Should we continue to raise the price?”
“What are you even suggesting?” Melinda snapped, her frustration spilling over. “How on earth could I get that much money? If I spend too much on this painting, it might cause me trouble.”
As soon as Melinda finished speaking, a bid echoed from the No. 1 private room, “One hundred million!”
Melinda’s knees weakened, and she nearly collapsed. “Nuts! It’s just a painting, and it’s being sold for nearly one hundred million!” she commented inwardly.
Now, Melinda was certain the occupants of the No. 1 private room would never let her have the painting. She even felt they were making things difficult for her on purpose. Melinda considered her own situation and felt the urge to back out.
Just as Melinda was about to give up, the door to the No. 2 private room swung open. A woman suddenly rushed to Melinda and grabbed her hand.
“Don’t give up just yet! There is a bitch in that room who only got in by seducing my fianc?. She’s definitely bluffing. I doubt she has that much money.”
Melinda eyed the woman suspiciously. “Sarah? What are you doing here?”
Sarah lifted her chin slightly and replied, “As I mentioned, the director here is my fianc?, and the woman in the No. 1 private room is a temptress seducing him. She has no right to be in the No. 1 private room. She simply tricked her way into the room, fooling my fianc?.”
The crowd erupted in an uproar. Sarah’s statement seemed to make sense. No wonder the No. 1 private room was taken all of a sudden after months of lack of reservations. Typically, only those big shots were qualified to reserve this room.
Melinda’s face was filled with suspicion. “Sarah, some jokes shouldn’t be made.”