“Mr. 99 bids one million four hundred thousand!”
“One million five hundred thousand!” A guy in the back row raised his paddle.
Although the number of bidders decreased, the price continued to rise.
“One million six hundred thousand!” Coral raised her paddle, deciding to take the gamble!
Suddenly, the atmosphere quieted down, and Leo noticed hesitation on a few faces.
“Lot 33, the lady, bids one million six hundred thousand. Any higher bids?” The auctioneer scanned the room.
Even though everyone attending the auction was wealthy, their money didn’t come easily. Full-gamble stones carried too much risk-losing meant throwing away over a million dollars, which was heartbreaking for anyone.
“One million seven hundred thousand!” A bald, chubby man gritted his teeth and raised his paddle.
Antony’s eyes focused on Coral’s face, curious about her unusual behavior. She usually played it safe and had never bid on a full-gamble stone before.
When he saw the man beside Coral, a flash of coldness appeared in Antony’s eyes. It must be that guy giving her ideas!
Antony had a mission today, and he wasn’t going to waste money on an uncertain full-gamble stone. His target was the semi-gamble stone.
Many eyes subconsciously turned towards Coral to see if she would raise her bid.
Before the auctioneer could speak, Coral raised her paddle again, “One million eight hundred thousand!”
“Lady 33 bids one million eight hundred thousand. Any higher bids?”
The bald man beside Coral had a lecherous look on his face, no longer raising his paddle.
“One million eight hundred thousand once!”
“One million eight hundred thousand twice!”
“Sold! Congratulations to Lady 33 for acquiring the first full-gamble jade stone!”
As the auctioneer’s voice fell, a hostess pushed the full-gamble stone away, awaiting delivery after the auction.
Everyone’s attention now shifted to the semi-gamble stone.
“The auction continues with this semi-gamble jade stone from the old factory area in Myanmar. Starting price is three million, and each bid must increase by at least ten thousand. The auction begins!”
“Three million one hundred thousand!”
“Three million two hundred thousand!”
…
The bidding this time was much more intense, as everyone wanted to acquire the semi-gamble stone.
Typically, the starting price for semi-gamble stones was higher than that of full-gamble stones. Combined with the excellent quality of the window-opening jade, if over half of the stone’s interior was window-opening jade, its value would be at least five times the starting price.
The price skyrocketed quickly, breaking six million within a few minutes.
“Six million two hundred thousand!”
“Six million three hundred thousand!”
“Mr. 87 bids six million three hundred thousand, and Mr. 78 bids six million four hundred thousand!”
As the price rose, the number of bidders decreased.
Madame K raised her paddle, “Six million five hundred thousand!”
Seated beside Madame K, Keith raised his paddle, “Six million six hundred thousand!”
“Keith, what’s the meaning of this? Weren’t you supposed to let me win?” Madame K was dissatisfied.
“Madame K, it’s not that I don’t want you to win. Look at these guys around you, they’re all eyeing this stone like wolves. Even if I give up, they won’t.”
Madame K gritted her silver teeth, and her price limit for the semi-gamble stone was around six million. Anything beyond that would be too risky.
“Six million seven hundred thousand!” Madame K raised her paddle.
“Six million eight hundred thousand!” Bradley, who was beside Keith, raised his paddle.
“Six million nine hundred thousand!” Martin, also beside Madame K, raised his paddle.
“You guys!” Madame K was both angry and amused.
At this moment, Antony, who had been waiting, spoke up, “Seven million five hundred thousand!”
He raised the price by an astonishing six hundred thousand!
This scared off both the man beside Keith and Martin. Madame K didn’t want to give up, so she looked at Keith and said, “Keith, it seems Starry Gem Jewelry wants this semi-gamble stone. We can’t compete alone. Shall we join forces?”
“You mean a joint bid?” Keith immediately understood her meaning.
“Yes, let’s combine our forces and acquire this semi-gamble stone. If it rises in value, we’ll split the jade we extract evenly. If we lose, we’ll each cover half the loss.”
The suggestion was good, and Keith nodded, “Alright, then you bid.”
Madame K raised her paddle again, “Seven million six hundred thousand!”
“Lady 57 bids seven million six hundred thousand! Any higher bids?” The auctioneer’s gaze turned to Antony, who looked at Madame K with disdain and raised his paddle, “Eight million!”
Hearing this number, Madame K felt uneasy. Starry Gem Jewelry was indeed loaded.
Leo glanced at Antony, and a slight smirk formed at the corner of his mouth. If Antony really managed to win the semi-gamble stone, he would be in for a surprise.
Madame K looked at Keith and asked, “Keith, Antony seems dead set on winning. Should we give up?”
Eight million was indeed quite high, but Keith hesitated and said, “Let’s bid again. If the jade inside the semi-gamble stone can make four sets of bangles, we can still make a profit!”
“Okay.” Madame K nodded and raised her paddle, “Eight million one hundred thousand!”
“Nine million!” Antony displayed complete dominance, feeling the warm gaze of the audience. He was even more proud.
You want to compete with Starry Gem Jewelry in spending money?
You should just step aside!
“Keith, what do we do now?” Madame K was feeling uncertain.
Keith clenched his fist, his gaze fierce, “Add another ten thousand!”
“Nine million one hundred thousand!” Madame K bid again.
The audience’s attention once again focused on her.
“Ten million!”
Gasps filled the room. Antony from Starry Gem Jewelry was going too far. His bidding strategy wasn’t following the usual rules.
“Madame K, give up.” Keith sighed.
Although Madame K was unwilling, she eventually gave in. While the semi-gamble stone had a window, there was still risk involved. Bidding one million wasn’t something she could take lightly. If she lost, she probably wouldn’t be able to eat for days.
“Any higher bids?” The auctioneer scanned the room, receiving no response. “One million once! One million twice! One million three times! Sold!”
The auctioneer struck the gavel, and Antony acquired the semi-gamble stone for ten million.
Leo’s smile grew wider. Now Antony could enjoy showing off; he’d be crying later.
After the semi-gamble stone was pushed away, the last item would be the raw jade.
“To our esteemed guests, we will conclude today’s auction with the last piece, the green-base blue raw jade. Starting price is eighteen million, and each bid must increase by at least one hundred thousand. The auction begins!” The auctioneer felt utterly relaxed, awaiting the end of the auction and his handsome reward.