THE FINAL BID: FIVE BILLION
1133 Words
Kendrick's Bid
The auctioneer spoke with reverence, voice thick with pride.
"This masterpiece features fifty natural Burmese' pigeon blood' rubies, totaling one hundred thirty carats. Eight stones weigh over five carats each, complemented by one hundred carats of flawless diamonds."
A hush fell.
"Critics hail it," he continued, "as one of the rarest creations in existence."
The room held its breath.
"The starting bid is… five hundred million."
Nerissa clutched Amelia's arm, practically vibrating. "Amelia, look! This Ruby Necklace is exactly what you've been waiting for!"
Amelia nodded eagerly, stretching her neck like an excited child, cheeks flushing with delight as if the necklace had warmed her skin from across the room.
The bidding began immediately — no hesitation, no caution.
"Six hundred million!"
"Six hundred fifty million!"
Numbers flew like blades.
Then Kendrick's voice rang out, calm and commanding.
"One billion."
Amelia froze.
She turned so fast her earrings nearly swung loose. "You!" she hissed, eyes wide. "I only wanted to see it!"
Kendrick didn't flinch.
He pulled her into his embrace as if the world could watch them, and he still wouldn't loosen his claim. His lips brushed her hair in a tender kiss — soft enough to soothe, possessive enough to mark.
"Don't worry," he murmured. "I could buy a hundred more for you."
His words were gentle.
His resolve was unshakable.
Below, whispers erupted like sparks.
"Is he buying it for her?"
"Impossible."
"Who is she to him?"
A new voice cut through the tension — female, crisp, arrogant, sharpened by entitlement.
"One billion and five hundred thousand!"
Kendrick's brows lifted slightly — surprise flickering briefly before pride settled back in.
"Two billion," he replied instantly.
The woman countered without hesitation.
"Two billion and five hundred thousand."
Amelia tugged at his coat, panic trembling through her voice. "Kendrick… don't bid anymore."
But Kendrick's pride was iron. He had never surrendered battle.
Not in business.
Not in war.
And certainly not when it involved someone who mattered to him.
The Final Bid
Kendrick's voice thundered across the hall with a dominance that made even the chandeliers feel smaller.
"Five billion."
The room went dead silent.
Disbelief painted the guests.
Faces turned pale.
Even the auctioneer's hand trembled slightly.
The rival bidder faltered — confidence cracking as shock slammed into her like a wall.
'Is he truly willing to spend this much… for her?'
Rage twisted her expression. Jealousy sharpened into hatred, ugly and hot, the kind that wanted to destroy rather than win.
The bitter thought flashed in her mind.
'I'll make her life miserable. Just wait, bitch.'
The bitter vow burned in her mind like poison.
The auctioneer lifted the gavel as if holding a relic.
"Five billion, going once…"
The pause was suffocating.
"Going twice…"
No one dared counter.
"Sold!"
The gavel struck like a drumbeat of destiny.
Gasps exploded across the hall, murmurs rising in disbelief.
Kendrick Yang's legend was no longer just wealth.
It was madness.
It was power without limits.
In the aftermath of the frenzy, Alu returned discreetly with the necklace. Its brilliance was almost blinding up close, rubies glowing like embers that never cooled.
He leaned in and whispered the details of his investigation.
Kendrick's expression hardened instantly.
His nod was curt.
The temperature around him dropped.
"Let's go," Kendrick commanded.
He rose with Amelia at his side, her hand still held tightly in his.
Faceslapping Encounter
They stepped out—
And were immediately intercepted.
An elegant woman in a shimmering silk gown approached them as if she belonged beside Kendrick. Her smile was polished to perfection, eyes sharp beneath carefully applied warmth.
"Brother Kendrick," she said sweetly, voice dripping with false familiarity. "It's been too long."
Nerissa's face turned scarlet.
Fury erupted so violently in her chest that it nearly stole her breath.
'Brother?
I am the only sister of Kendrick.'
She stepped forward, voice sharp enough to cut glass.
"Who are you to call my brother Kendrick your brother?" Nerissa snapped. "I don't remember you being close to him."
The woman's smile faltered — just barely — but she forced it back. "But… you are not his sister either, are you?"
Nerissa's eyes blazed. "We grew up together. How about you?" Her lip curled. "Don't be so thick-skinned. It's embarrassing."
Then she lifted her chin higher, letting her next words detonate like a bomb.
"And just so you know — Brother Kendrick is married now. So back off!"
Her cheeks puffed with indignation. Possessive loyalty toward Kendrick mingled with a fierce desire to protect his relationship, making her voice tremble with rage.
Gasps echoed around them.
Faces turned.
Eyes widened.
The woman's composure cracked like glass.
"Brother Kendrick…" she demanded, voice trembling with outrage and humiliation. "Is this true?!"
Kendrick's voice was cold, resolute.
"My marital status is not your concern," he said flatly.
Then his eyes sharpened further, voice dropping into a warning.
"And do not call me brother. We are not acquainted, and I don't even know you."
Every word was a slap.
"I will not tolerate misunderstandings," Kendrick continued coldly, "about my relationship with my wife."
His arm tightened around Amelia, pulling her closer — an unmistakable claim.
The woman's smile collapsed completely.
Clara Lin's face twisted, hatred boiling so fiercely it made her eyes look almost feverish. The mask of elegance slipped, revealing raw venom beneath.
Beryl sneered, voice dripping disdain.
"Clara Lin," he said, "have some self-awareness."
Then he followed Kendrick and Amelia out, leaving Clara trembling in the wake of humiliation — her pride shattered, her jealousy ignited, and her revenge already beginning to take shape.
Clara Lin had never been rejected in her life.
Born into one of Y Country's most prestigious families, she had grown up bathed in indulgence. Her parents doted on her as though she were a rare jewel. Her elder brother indulged her every whim. Wherever she went, doors opened, smiles followed, and gifts arrived without asking. Praise had been her lullaby. Obedience, her expectation.
The world had always bent.
Until tonight.
As Kendrick strode away from the auction hall, his arm wrapped protectively around Amelia's waist, Clara stood frozen in place. The image burned into her eyes like acid — the way Amelia leaned into him, how his body subtly shielded her from the crowd, how his gaze never once flickered back.
Clara's entire body trembled.
Her manicured nails dug viciously into the jeweled clutch in her hand, metal biting into flesh until pain finally broke through the haze of fury. Crescent-shaped marks bloomed in her palm, but she didn't feel them. Rage thundered in her ears, drowning out reason.
'Married.
That woman is married to him.'
Her breath came in sharp, uneven gasps as she fumbled for her phone, fingers shaking so badly she nearly dropped it.
- Writer
