Blood Shadow's Favor.

The Auction

After that day, the dynamic between Sarah and Aungel had undeniably shifted. Initially, Sarah had her suspicions that he might be involved in some underworld activities, but after spending time together, she realized he lacked the cold-blooded ruthlessness typically associated with such individuals. If he were truly dangerous, she figured, she wouldn't still be alive.

As a result, she no longer confined herself to her bedroom to avoid him. Aside from her painting, she occasionally ventured into the living room, though still not often. The biggest change, perhaps, was that Sarah found herself feeling increasingly sympathetic toward him.

Ever since she discovered that even his clothes were borrowed, she assumed his lack of a phone was due to financial hardship—a situation his pride wouldn't allow him to admit. She never asked about the wound he sustained that first night, so she remained in the dark about his true identity. However, his refined demeanor suggested he wasn't always poor. Sarah decided to imagine him as a former member of some wealthy family, now fallen on hard times.

Given his apparent poverty, Sarah was touched when he handed over his bank card, likely his entire life savings.

And so, this became the norm:

"Aungel, this is for you," she'd say, handing him new clothes.

"Aungel, have some more," she'd insist, offering bowls of nourishing soup.

"Aungel, I baked this for you," she'd smile, presenting him with a sweet, homemade cake.

"Aungel…"

At first, Aungel found Sarah's sudden change in behavior perplexing and a bit uncomfortable. But after a while, he grew accustomed to it.

One day, out of curiosity, Sarah checked the balance on his bank card. When she saw the number on the screen, she thought she must be seeing things—five million dollars. But that's a story for another time.

Today, there was a charity auction being held in the city.

Sarah had received her invitation a month earlier.

"I'm heading out for a bit. If you get hungry, there's some ready-to-eat meals in the fridge," Sarah said as she slipped on her shoes.

Aungel looked at her, fully dressed in a sleek black dress, with a mask covering most of her face. "When will you be back?"

"Probably tonight. See you later."

The door clicked shut behind her, and Aungel walked over to the balcony, watching as Sarah appeared below. He kept his gaze on her until she disappeared around the corner of the building, then returned to the living room. It was an overcast day, the kind when bloods could safely roam outside, but he couldn't risk it.

At the auction.

"Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. Welcome to today's charity auction. I am honored to be your host. As always, the auction is conducted under the principles of openness, fairness, and transparency, with a portion of the proceeds going to support families of left-behind children. I encourage you to bid generously and wish you all the best of luck!"

The room filled with applause.

After a few rounds, Sarah sat up straighter, knowing her piece was next.

"Our next item is a painting titled Shadow, generously donated by the artist J..."

Sarah missed the rest of the announcement as the people sitting a seat away from her began a heated discussion.

"Can you believe J is participating in the auction?" A woman's voice, sharp and laced with shock, cut through the air.

"Shh, lower your voice," the man next to her cautioned, smiling apologetically at those around them before turning back to her. "So what if she's here? Calm down."

"Why is she here if I am? Do you think she's doing this on purpose?" The woman's tone was filled with barely suppressed fury.

"Let's just watch, okay?" the man tried to soothe her.

Sarah recognized the woman—Qulin, a well-known painter who had been hailed as a prodigy since childhood. With her sweet looks and undeniable talent, Qulin had amassed a significant following. However, when J's works first emerged, they took the art world by storm, overshadowing Qulin entirely. In every competition they entered together, J consistently took first place.

This led to a wave of online discussion, where one user even compared their works in a viral post, declaring J the true genius, and that Qulin's work lacked the same lively spirit. The internet agreed, dubbing Qulin "The Eternal Second Place." The post remained a stain on Qulin's reputation, and from then on, whenever people mentioned young prodigies, it was J who came to mind first, not Qulin. The bitterness between them—or more accurately, Qulin's bitterness toward J—had only grown since.

Despite J's fame, little was known about her, save that she was young and female. She remained an enigma in the art world.

The bidding for Sarah's painting quickly escalated, with many who had sat out earlier rounds now competing fiercely.

"Going once, going twice—sold! Shadow goes for $3 million."

As the auctioneer's hammer fell, Qulin's face turned an alarming shade of green.

"Calm down, calm down. You're going to beat her, I know it. Your piece is next," the man beside her assured her.

"Hmph! Of course I will!" Qulin huffed, though she still looked displeased.

Noticing Sarah glancing in her direction, Qulin snapped, "What are you looking at?"

"Sorry," Sarah murmured, turning away.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as Qulin had hoped. Despite her confidence, her painting sold for only $2 million, a significant sum, but still a million less than J's. She nearly lost her composure when the results were announced, barely held back by her manager's firm grip.

As the auction concluded and the guests began to file out, Sarah found herself walking just behind Qulin and her manager.

Still fuming, Qulin stomped her high heels against the marble floor with every step. "This is infuriating! How am I supposed to believe she's better than me?"

"To me, you'll always be the best. Let's head back to the office, okay?" Her manager tried to placate her.

"Ugh! I shouldn't have come!"

Just then, a group of collectors walked by, oblivious to Qulin's presence as they chatted excitedly.

"I couldn't beat you to it," one of them lamented.

"Well, I rushed back from out of town as soon as I heard J had a piece in the auction," the man at the center of the group boasted.

"I've been wanting to add one of J's pieces to my collection for ages. I missed out again this time. You have to invite me over to see it sometime."

"Yes, yes, and us too."

"Hahaha, you're all welcome anytime."

"By the way, what do you think J looks like?" someone asked, curiosity piqued.

"Hard to say. All I know is that she's supposed to be young."

Little did they know, the elusive J was walking just two meters behind them.

Qulin, who had been calming down, overheard the conversation and her anger surged anew. Her manager sighed internally, knowing trouble was brewing again.

Sure enough, Qulin stomped her foot so hard the sound echoed off the marble, then stormed ahead, leaving her manager scrambling to catch up, worried about what she might do next.

The collectors exchanged uneasy glances, realizing their conversation had been overheard.

"Oh no…"

"Did we say something wrong?"

"Well, you might not know this, but Qulin's painting was also auctioned today. It sold for $2 million, a third less than J's. She's probably upset about that," one of them explained.

They all nodded in understanding. "That explains it."

"Still, her work does lack a certain liveliness… a bit too stiff…"

But Sarah didn't stick around to hear the rest. She had to get home, wondering if the person waiting for her had eaten yet.