Chapter 25 – The Wrong Property
Liam was red like cheap boiled wine. The eyes injected with wounded pride and poorly disguised male possessiveness were locked on Kael, who remained impassive, as if the threats of a spoiled little dog weren't worth even the warmth of a breath.
Liam grabbed Victoria's arm tightly, his fingers squeezing as if he wanted to leave a mark. His eyes sparkled with frustration and sick control.
"You're embarrassing me, Victoria." he said, through clenched teeth. "Your father certainly won't be happy to know that you're... flirting with the first bastard who showed up."
Kael, who until that moment had only been watching, took a step forward.
Just one.
But it was enough to freeze the air.
He raised his hand and placed it with lethal calm on Liam's shoulder.
The gesture alone made the spines around the hall shiver.
There was no violence in the touch.
There was warning.
"Mister Liam." Kael said, voice low, calm, cold as the eternal ice plains he ruled. "I recommend you remove your hand from the lady. Now."
Liam turned abruptly to Kael, like a wolf that forgot it was facing a dragon. "Why don't you go court another woman from the gala? This one is promised. She's not yours."
Victoria let out a heavy sigh, eyes sparking. Teeth clenched. Patience... dead and buried.
"Liam." she said in a calm and discreet tone. "Let go of my hand."
Liam hesitated. The grip loosened for a second. But the wounded machismo was still there, latent.
"You are my fiancée, Victoria." he growled. "You're embarrassing me in front of everyone."
"No. You are embarrassing me." she replied, eyes locked on him like blades. "And if you don't let go, I'll do something that'll really shame you."
Her gaze was colder than Kael's.
It was the gaze of someone who had already swallowed many words for family protocol…
Liam let go.
Not just because he feared Victoria.
It was because, for a brief second, he realized that no one else in the hall respected him.
The elite who once fawned over him… now looked at him with disgust.
Some with pity.
And others, like Luna, with pure murderous contempt.
"Suit-wearing idiot," Luna muttered, holding her glass with one foot nearly stomping on the floor in irritation. "One of these needs to be kicked where the sun don't shine."
"Kick?" whispered Nikoly, darkly. "I was thinking diplomatic exile."
"Or slow poisoning," suggested Lumine, calmly sipping champagne.
Victoria adjusted her dress as if wiping off the invisible dirt left by Liam's hands, then turned to Kael.
"Sorry for the scene."
Kael inclined his head, respectful. "You didn't cause the scene. You just removed it."
She smiled, discreetly.
Her eyes and his eyes met for longer than protocol allowed.
But less time than they both wanted.
Meanwhile, Liam backed away, swallowing his own tongue, his ego and maybe a crystal glass of shame. He tried to compose himself, pulling his tie and faking dignity, but his pride was dripping like spilled wine on marble.
Matthew appeared beside Luna and commented, without any effort to lower his voice. "I thought the gala entertainment would be the final event, but this surpassed my expectations."
Luna smirked. "I warned you. Idiots always self-destruct."
People went back to chatting in groups.
—Hours later—
An elegant clink of crystal echoed through the hall.
The lights softly dimmed.
A man discreetly climbed onto the small raised stage in the center.
He didn't need to ask for silence.
The elite already knew what that meant.
He picked up the fine golden microphone and, with a voice polished like rare wine, announced. "Ladies and gentlemen... distinguished members of global nobility, representatives of empires, dynasties, and ancestral families… it is with pleasure that I declare the beginning of the Imperial Auction of the Gala."
A collective shiver ran through the hall.
Laughter ceased.
Conversations were swallowed.
Glasses rested on trays.
Luna raised an eyebrow. Blinked. Then looked around and... yes, even Nikoly, who usually seemed eternally bored with any social event, had her eyes half-closed, attentive.
"Auction?" Luna murmured, leaning on Matthew, who was right beside her with the typical posture of I'm-calmly-powerful-but-discreet.
He looked at her with that half-smile, the same one that could melt political alliances if he wanted.
"The Gala is open to the global high nobility and business elite. But the Imperial Auction is reserved."
"Reserved as in... secrets and blue blood?"
"Reserved as in: silence clauses, no cameras, verbal contracts, and objects or opportunities that will never be listed in any public record."
"Oh." Luna whispered, now clearly more interested. "That's legally... dubious."
"And deliciously exclusive." Matthew completed, with a sly wink. "Only truly selected guests are informed. And even among the nobility, few know what's being auctioned each edition."
On the other side, Lumine and Nikoly exchanged a predatory gleam in their eyes.
"Will they auction off another tech startup this year?" Nikoly whispered, adjusting an earring.
"Or the stock batch of that pharmaceutical company from the Eldoria continent..." replied Lumine, grabbing the tablet beside her and already activating a real-time calculation system.
"Or, who knows..." said Victoria, approaching "...access to state intelligence from some country pretending neutrality."
Luna, on the other hand, swirled her glass as if unimpressed, but the sparkle in her eyes said otherwise.
"So this is a kind of... fancy black market?"
Matthew smiled. "Think more of... a parade of power dressed up as philanthropy and exclusivity. Everything is 'for a noble cause'. But deep down, every item or contract auctioned discreetly changes a piece of the world."
"And why isn't this on social media, huh?"
"Because whoever posts is automatically invited to leave... the country, the continent, or public life. Host's choice."
Luna stayed silent for three seconds. "I'm starting to love this event."
The host on stage continued. "As is tradition, bids must be made in person or by an appointed representative present here. Any participant may place offers, as long as they possess..."
He smiled subtly. "...liquid assets above fifty billion dollars."
Several attendees shifted uncomfortably.
Others, the real sharks, merely took a sip of champagne without saying a word.
Luna looked at Ivy, who appeared at her side as a hologram invisible to the eyes of others. "My balance, please?"
"At the moment, miss, we have 2.7 Trillion in liquid assets."
Luna blinked. Smiled. Looked at Matthew.
"I think I can play too."
Matthew, for a second, lost the poker face. He laughed. "You always surprise me."
"Oh darling, I haven't even started yet."
The lights of the hall went out, except for a soft spotlight on the stage.
A different auctioneer stepped up, wearing white gloves, and unveiled the first item covered by a dark velvet cloth.
"First item of the night: a property in the underground of the frozen continent of Cryon. Contains abundant diamonds, legalized under polar laws, and... a secret archaeological database about the Arcane Era."
Luna widened her eyes.
Nikoly whispered, "This is going to rise to indecent values."
The auctioneer didn't wait for the commotion to end and began the bidding, which jumped from millions to billions of dollars in no time.
"One billion"
"..."
"Two billion"
"..."
"Three billion three hundred"
"Three billion nine hundred"
"Five billion dollars!" Victoria's voice cut through the hall with elegance and boldness.
The auctioneer paused for a second and, like an opera conductor, repeated with pleasure. "We have a new bid: five billion dollars!"
A murmur ran through the crowd.
Seated like queens on the throne of their own destiny, the girls turned their faces in unison to Victoria with raised eyebrows like high-fashion question marks.
Lumine was the first to whisper, leaning toward Luna. "Five billion, Vicky?"
Nikoly tilted her chin, eyes analytical like scalpels. "This property is rare... but it's also in Cryon. On the polar continent. No one builds there without knowing what they're doing."
Victoria pretended it wasn't about her, maintaining noble princess posture, but her slightly flushed cheeks gave away more than she would've liked.
"It's for the company," Victoria whispered, composing herself. "The underground is rich in diamonds. We'll need that when we enter the jewelry market... among other things."
Luna, who until then had only been swirling the contents of her champagne glass with aristocratic disdain, murmured with a wink, "Ah, yes. For the company. Of course."
Lumine lightly elbowed her. "Totally for profits. And definitely has nothing to do with a certain white-haired, green-eyed prince, right?"
Nikoly let out a sarcastic "tss" and crossed her legs, still staring at Victoria like an auditor of romantic intentions.
Victoria huffed, finally giving in.
"Okay, okay. Maybe... just maybe... I thought that with this property we'd have an extra argument in case we needed legal, diplomatic, or..." she cleared her throat "...political support in Cryon."
"Or maybe you just want more excuses to see Kael," Luna teased with a mischievous smile.
Victoria hid her face behind the glass, but it was too late.
The friends were already laughing silently like good romantic conspiracy accomplices.
The auction, meanwhile, didn't stop. "We have five billion. Anyone else?"
A magnate from the jewelry sector raised a finger reluctantly. "Five billion and one hundred million."
Victoria narrowed her eyes.
But before she could raise her hand again, Lumine was already lifting the bidding card with a face full of challenge.
"Five billion and two hundred."
Victoria stared at her in shock. "ARE YOU CRAZY?! That was for me—!"
"Relax," Lumine whispered, "we're just helping you conquer the ice kingdom in style."
Nikoly was already typing on her tablet, authorizing the transfer of the corresponding share of funds from the Diamante Tycoon Group.
"We'll split the amount among the four."
Luna sighed dramatically. "How romantic. We founded the company thinking of global investments and now we're buying strategic pieces of the polar continent so our friend has excuses to flirt with princes."
Victoria, despite the sulky expression, was visibly touched and inwardly melting. "You girls are impossible."
Lumine smiled. "But loyal."
The auctioneer struck the ceremonial gavel, his voice echoing through the golden walls of the hall.
"Lot won for five billion and two hundred million dollars by the ladies of the Diamante Tycoon Group!"
The audience applauded with surprise and respect.
Matthew, observing, crossed his arms with a smile.
"Impressive," he murmured to himself.
Kael, from the other side, looked at Victoria with eyes shining like northern lights and murmured, "I think I'll have to prepare a reception worthy of the new owners of one of the most valuable lands in Cryon."
Victoria looked sideways at him and replied with a light smile. "I'll charge you for that."