The people around them sneered when they heard Flynn’s words.
“These two are interesting. They just got a billion-dollar investment and now they’re acting all high and mighty. Rose, the investor’s money doesn’t come easy. You better not listen to Clark’s nonsense and calm down!”
“Your factory has just started, there are many places where you need money. I advise you not to spend money recklessly for your own desires!”
“You spent so much many on buying a location, now you want to buy a painting too? I can see through it all. These two are pretending to start a factory but in reality, they’re just using the investment money for their own extravagance!”
Rose ignored everyone and shook her head.
“This painting is Timothy Houghton’s masterpiece, worth at least 2 million dollars.”
“I’m already satisfied with being able to see an authentic piece of art.”
She said this out loud but deep down she was reluctant.
If it were during the Sharp Group’s glory days, she would have bought it without hesitation. But now that Energence Pharmaceuticals was struggling financially, every penny had to be carefully considered before being spent, let alone spending investors’ money recklessly for personal gain.
Flynn wanted to say something but River mocked him, “Ms. Sharp really wants this painting but Ms. Hussain also likes it so much that no matter how much she spends, she won’t be able to get it.”
“Isn’t that right?”
“A wise man knows when he should act; whether in buying paintings or doing business.”
“Why don’t you just bow down under Ms. Hussain? Only by becoming part of the Hussain family can you survive!”
Flynn looked displeased, “Are you used kneeling so much that you can’t stand up straight anymore? First Braiden’s dog then licking Lilia again?”
“Do their farts smell like roses or something?”
He didn’t like these people very much and tried his best not to engage with them, lest he lowered his own IQ by doing so.
These people were buzzing around like flies; annoying as hell!
“You son of a bitch! Are you looking for trouble?” River immediately became furious at Flynn’s comment.
Kimber couldn’t stand watching anymore and rolled her eyes at Flynn, “You’re vulgar-mouthed! It seems like your upbringing wasn’t very good either.”
Flynn turned his head towards Kimber with annoyance, “Do I know you? Have I ever offended you before?”
“Every day attacking me like an idiot makes you look cultured?”
“You…” Kimber couldn’t help feeling angry.
“That’s enough!” Lilia stood up indifferently, “Don’t bother with this clown any longer; let him keep jumping if he wants.”
“I don’t want waste my time on him anymore; let’s buy this painting and leave!”
After finishing her statement, she turned around and addressed the entire audience, saying, “I’m not hiding anything from you. I came here today for ‘Phoenix Emerges from Vast Sea’.”
“Of course, you can also bid on it, but let me tell you this. I am determined to get this painting!”
Lilia glanced at Rose with a look of endless disdain. She didn’t even consider her as an opponent.
Not only was Rose already down on her luck, even during her peak period she didn’t have enough confidence to take something away from Lilia!
“How domineering! Did you see that? This is the Hussain family’s daughter’s dominance! Who dares to compete with her? Even Orion would shrink away in defeat!”
“Huh? Do you feel it too? The phoenix in this painting looks just like Ms. Hussain and matches her temperament perfectly!”
“Yeah! The phoenix rising from the ashes exudes an overwhelming aura. Look at those eyes and that demeanor. It’s simply a copy of Ms. Hussain.”
Seeing that Lilia wanted to buy ‘Phoenix Emerges from Vast Sea’, everyone knew they couldn’t compete with her financially and instead began flattering her endlessly.
River also nodded his head obsequiously and said, “Ms. Hussain matches the temperament of the phoenix in the painting perfectly. This painting was tailor-made for Ms. Hussain!”
Lilia smiled faintly, sweeping across everyone present with unparalleled confidence as she spoke sharply, “That’s right! I greatly admire Master Houghton. Therefore, this painting belongs to no one else but me!”
“Heh…” Flynn sneered disdainfully while squinting slightly at the camera on the wall with icy eyes.
Micah, owner of Easy Auctions, along with Augustine watched everything through the office camera.
The two exchanged glances before scrambling out of the office together.
Lilia basked under everyone’s admiring gaze as she shouted towards Alfie on stage, “Mr. Russell, the starting price for this piece is 3 million right? Well then, I’ll offer 6 million!”
“Who wants to raise their bid?”
6 million!
It doubled directly!
Everyone was stunned by such an extravagant amount!
Normally auctions would increase by 100, 000 but Lilia had doubled it up into 1 million straightaway!
So grandiose!
The Hussains were truly grandiose indeed.
Some wealthy businessmen who still wanted to fight over it shut up completely after seeing how much money Lilia had offered because they knew even if they raised their bids again, she would follow suit anyway.
After all, 6 million was just a fraction of Lilia’s wealth, and she can earn it back in half a month. They couldn’t compare to her!
The scene was silent as Lilia, the female warrior goddess, looked down on everyone. No one dared to challenge her sharpness.
Kimber shook her head while listening to Lilia’s domineering words.
Although she was slightly inferior to Layla, she was still an extraordinary woman who could easily suppress any man with just a lift of her hand or eyebrow.
Now Layla, Braiden and Lilia – the three legendary figures in Shipmeda State – had gathered in Niarak. Could Rose survive under their shadows for even a month?
“It’s clear that Ms. Sharp also likes this painting,” River said with a smirk towards Rose.
“Unfortunately she doesn’t have the ability to obtain it; she will have to settle for pirated images online,” he added.
Just then, panicked footsteps were heard as Micah and Augustine appeared at the door and quickly made their way up front.
“Mr. Russell, leave this place to me; you can go downstairs!” Micah said with a smile before introducing Timothy Houghton Master, “Ladies and gentlemen guests… sorry for interrupting the auction process.”
Boom!
This statement was like thunder striking from above; it instantly caused an uproar among the crowd, “This is Timothy Houghton Master? Oh my god! I actually saw his true face today! I’m lucky enough for three lifetimes!”
“Houghton Master rarely appears on stage; only few people have seen his true face before now. His appearance here in Niarak is definitely our honor!”
“You see his temperament? His looks? His artistic taste when he moves his hands or feet? He’s simply an art saint descending upon us. We cannot look directly at him!”
The scene erupted into thunderous applause as everyone looked towards Augustine with eager anticipation mixed with fanaticism; some guests even shed tears of excitement.
Augustine saw how excited everyone became after hearing about Houghton Master’s presence there, so he glanced over at Flynn before saying, “Everyone please calm down. I’m only here on stage today because I want to thank someone.”
“Thank someone?”
Someone shouted out loud, “Oh! I know. Mr. Houghton must be here because Ms. Hussain loves him so much that she bought ‘Phoenix Emerges from Vast Sea’ painting at twice its price tag which moved him deeply enough that he wanted meet this kindred spirit!”
“What is this called? This is called heroes appreciating heroes! Master Houghton and Ms. Hussain appreciate each other!”
Even though Lilia had seen countless grand scenes, she was still a little surprised to see “Master Timothy Houghton” come for her.
Her smile grew even more intense.
This was the top-notch artist who shook Ostrad, a guest of honor for countless aristocratic families!