“Ladies and gentlemen, I assume you all understand the value of this war knife by now. The starting bid is ten million, with a minimum bid increment of one million.”
With a bang, Jimmy Jones struck the gavel, signaling the start of the auction.
“I must have this, twelve million.”
“Heh, just raising it by two million and you’re already claiming it as yours? This is an enemy general’s weapon, with immense collectible value. I bid sixteen million.”
“Heh, twenty million.”
Someone else scoffed, and the price quickly escalated.
Jimmy Jones watched from the side, a hint of a smile in his eyes. A general’s knife did indeed have high collectible value, but this wasn’t an enemy general’s knife; it was their own. He had always known, considering he dug the knife from the grave himself.
Back then, he was just a small-time hoodlum and a neighbor to the Brighton family. After helping an elderly, blind woman retrieve money from the bank one time, his life took a turn. He discovered that there were forty million in the bank account!
A staggering forty million!
It was not a small sum, and greed overtook him. He swallowed it all, and later, with that forty million, he invested in the then-booming Westin Properties.
That move made him a major shareholder.
However, he was still afraid of the past, mainly fearing Pann’s return. He sent someone to investigate and inadvertently discovered a new grave next to Pann’s wife’s grave.
That grave belonged to Pann.
Upon discovering this, Jimmy Jones was overjoyed. He had been afraid of the truth coming out, but now that the person was dead, there would be no such issue. Moreover, the forty million had fueled his greed, leading him to dig up the grave. As he dug, he found the military knife. Judging by its quality, he knew it wasn’t an ordinary knife, and he had always kept it as part of his collection. If it hadn’t been for Westin Properties’ upcoming major project and the urgent need for funds, he wouldn’t have considered auctioning it off.
As for Westin Properties’ grand plan, they had been preparing for several years, and it would be realized in just a few days. Almost everything was ready, and the success rate was as high as 98%. Once successful, Westin Properties’ value would skyrocket, and so would his net worth. By then, he would be a successful man among successful men.
“Everything is going according to my plan. After this real estate project succeeds, I should find a way to get that little beauty, Kelly. She’s getting more and more beautiful. I could make her my lover.” Jimmy Jones had a fiery gleam in his eyes. He had been eyeing Kelly for more than a year or two. He had wanted to take advantage of her when she was sixteen, but had never succeeded. However, now that he was powerful and influential, getting Kelly would be a piece of cake.
At this point, the price at the auction had risen to thirty million.
“Forty million, this knife belongs to us.”
“Heh, forty million? I bid sixty million. My family sure isn’t a pushover either. I’ve set my sights on this knife too.”
“I bid seventy million. I want it.”
In the end, only a few high-ranking individuals were left competing. The price quickly reached one hundred million, which was about the ceiling for the knife’s value. However, Jimmy Jones gave a few people a signal, and suddenly others increased their bids even more aggressively: “One hundred and thirty million!”
“One hundred and fifty million!”
“One hundred and sixty million!”
A few people below shouted, making the bosses and CEOs who were determined to win the knife frown. Just moments ago, they had said they would definitely win, but now a few more people had raised the price. They had no choice but to increase their bids: “One hundred and seventy million!” At this point, the price had reached one hundred and seventy million.
“Very good.” Jimmy Jones laughed upon seeing this. Those people were his plants, not ordinary people, but some economic players he had brought in to create a bidding atmosphere. Selling the knife for one hundred and seventy million was already satisfactory, well within his expected range. Just as he was about to strike the gavel and finalize the price, a voice rang out from below.
“Two hundred million!”
Everyone was startled. Two hundred million was a direct increase of thirty million! It was a bold move. Everyone turned their heads to see that it was Robin, dressed simply but with an extraordinary bearing, sharp eyebrows, and a face chiseled like a knife. No wonder Rosey Upton was so taken with him.
“This guy again? Has he gone mad?” Paul, who was in another corner, was dumbfounded. This was the guy he had tried to pick up before, and this move had completely shocked him. Was it real, or had he gone mad? Two hundred million wasn’t a small sum.
“Esteemed guest, you have a good taste. It seems you’re quite interested in this knife.” Jimmy Jones saw Robin’s bid and could hardly contain his laughter. He had thought he could only sell it for just over one hundred million, but now two hundred million had come. It was a huge profit, and he loved customers like this – the more, the better.
“Ladies and gentlemen, any more bids? Two hundred million going once, two hundred million going twice, two hundred million going thrice…”
Just as Jimmy Jones was about to strike the gavel, another voice sounded from below.
“Five hundred million!”
Everyone was stunned. It was an even bolder move. Who was this mysterious figure? However, when everyone turned their heads to look, they saw that it was a burly man sitting next to Robin who had made the bid. Were they together? The crowd was confused. They seemed to be together, but they were increasing the bids, and quite fiercely at that.
“Five hundred million!”
However, Jimmy Jones was extremely excited. Five billion, a whole five hundred million! He didn’t care about any of the fancy stuff; this was a genuine five hundred million. He immediately struck the gavel.
“Five hundred million going once, five hundred million going twice, five hundred million going three times…”
But before his words had fallen, another voice sounded from below.
“One billion.”
This shocked everyone once again. An increase of five hundred million in one go? Madness!
However, when they saw that it was another man with a limp sitting to Robin’s right who had made the bid, they wondered, were they together? Had they truly gone mad?
“One billion?”
This left Jimmy Jones dumbfounded for a moment. One billion, and it was still someone from the same group making the bid. It was somewhat incomprehensible, but it still excited him. After all, the money was for him. One billion!
However, the next second, his excitement turned into panic.
“I bid a hundred billion.”
It was Robin who said it.