Chapter 9
1248 Words
Aiden, already intimately familiar with the intricacies of the antique trade, had spent the last few days discreetly maneuvering ten exquisite pieces into this very auction. Today was the day.
As he stepped out of a taxi, a voice called out, "Aiden!"
He turned to see Emily and James hurrying toward him. James, his face contorted with fury, grabbed Aiden by the collar. "Aiden, what the h*ll is going on?"
"What do you mean?" Aiden retorted, his voice laced with a hint of defiance. "I haven't even settled the score with you from last time, and now you're after me again?"
"I'm asking you," James demanded, his voice tight with barely controlled rage, "were you behind what happened with the Harris Group?"
"The Harris Group?" Aiden feigned ignorance. "I don't know anything about that."
"Don't play dumb with me," James snarled. "The Harris Group just ended our partnership and blacklisted us. Are you happy now?"
Aiden's expression shifted subtly. "You mean... they blacklisted you?"
"Drop the act!" James spat, his eyes blazing.
Aiden let out a low chuckle, a sound devoid of humor. "Serves you right. Honestly, this is incredibly satisfying. I never thought I'd see the day."
James, his patience finally snapped, punched Aiden hard in the face.
Thud!
Aiden stumbled back, a sharp noise echoing the impact. He straightened up, spitting blood onto the ground. "James," he said, his voice dangerously low, "you'll regret this."
James scoffed, a cruel smile twisting his lips. "That's funny."
Emily, arms crossed, regarded Aiden with a mixture of disdain and amusement. "Seriously? You think you can just waltz into a high-class auction like this?"
"Why not?" Aiden challenged, wiping the blood from his lip.
Emily smirked, her eyes flashing. "Do you even know who's here? The top one hundred companies in Veridonia. You don't belong here."
"No, I don't belong," Aiden conceded, his voice hardening. "I shouldn't be where you are, Emily," he took a step closer, his teeth gritted, "because I find this whole place...dirty."
"Shut up!" Emily shouted.
"Even if I can't go inside, so what? Can't I stand outside for a bit? Besides," he added with a sardonic grin, "is this your house?"
Emily waved her invitation in the air. "Look at this. An invitation. Aiden, I know you want in. You can have it. Just bend down, and I'll take you inside."
"Really?" Aiden echoed, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"Of course, it's true," Emily purred, a predatory gleam in her eyes.
Aiden shook his head, straightening his back with a defiant air. "It's a shame, though. My back's always been straight, never bent. Keep your invitation. Bought invitations are precious, you know."
Emily's fingers trembled with barely controlled rage. At that moment, a security guard at the entrance called out, "Gentlemen, if you're going in, please hurry. The auction's about to begin."
James pointed a finger at Aiden, his face contorted with fury. "Say that again? Let me tell you, Aiden, we're far from finished. Emily, let's go."
As they reached the entrance, Emily leaned in and whispered something to James. He nodded, then pulled out his phone and sent a quick text.
Just as Aiden was about to enter the auction hall, three or four burly men emerged from Emily's car. They swarmed him, throwing a black sack over his head before bundling him into the vehicle. In an instant, the car sped away.
When the sack was finally removed, Aiden had no idea how far they'd driven. They were by a desolate lake. He was thrown roughly from the car, his hands and feet tightly bound.
"Emily sent you, didn't she?" Aiden asked, his voice strained but steady.
The leader of the group, his arm covered in intricate tattoos, smirked. "So what? So what if she did? Let me tell you something, pal. You messed with our boss, you're gonna pay."
"Let me tell you this," Aiden countered, his voice unwavering, "you messed with me, your boss is gonna pay too."
The tattooed man erupted in laughter. "Hahaha... Did you hear that, boys? The guy's about to die and he's still running his mouth."
He crouched down, his eyes glinting with menace. "Punk, I'm giving you two choices. First, you get to taste our urine, then apologize to our boss. Second..." He stood up, gesturing toward the lake. "See this lake? I hear it's deserted around here. If we toss you in, nobody'll ever know."
Aiden snorted, a sound of pure contempt. "Nobody will know, but you grabbed me at the charity auction entrance. Don't you think anyone saw?"
"So what if they saw?" the tattooed man sneered. "Your worthless life means nothing to anyone."
One of the other men chimed in, "Hey, why don't we let him taste our urine first and then throw him in?"
The tattooed man grinned a cruel, predatory smile. "Good idea. Let's do it, guys."
***
Back at the charity auction, the host's voice boomed across the opulent hall, "And now, the highlight of our evening—a pipe gifted to the Emperor three hundred years ago! A masterpiece by the renowned pipe maker, John Taylor, and..."
He paused for dramatic effect, letting the anticipation build. "The starting bid is one million dollars. Any amount above one million will be generously donated to charity."
The room erupted in a flurry of bids, a cacophony of ambitious voices vying for the coveted piece.
"Two million... three million... five million!"
The bidding escalated rapidly, a dizzying dance of escalating fortunes.
Finally, after a tense silence, the gavel fell. "Fifty million once... fifty million twice... fifty million thrice... Sold!"
This wasn't just an auction. It was a high-stakes power play amongst Veridonia's elite. Wilson Group, eager to break into the upper echelons of Veridonia's business world, needed to make a statement.
Emily, her jaw clenched, raised her hand decisively. "Fifty-five million."
James's voice was sharp with alarm. "Emily, that's our company's entire yearly profit!"
Emily hissed, her eyes blazing with ambition. "You don't understand. If we get to know these bigwigs, we'll make that back in a month."
The host repeated the bid, his voice ringing with excitement. "Fifty-five million once... fifty-five million twice... fifty-five million thrice..." The gavel fell with a resounding bang! "Sold!"
A wave of applause and congratulatory murmurs washed over the room. Emily stood, a triumphant smile playing on her lips, her hands clasped together. "Thank you," she said, her voice ringing with confidence. "Thank you, everyone."
As the auction concluded, the host announced a surprising revelation. "You may not know this, but all ten items in tonight's auction came from a single gentleman—a close friend of the charity auction's president."
A buzz of speculation rippled through the crowd. "Who is it? They must be incredibly wealthy!" one guest whispered.
"Each of those items is priceless. To own ten... they must be incredibly rich and powerful," another chimed in.
Emily turned to James, her eyes gleaming. "James, we absolutely have to meet this collector. Wilson Group's future depends on it."
The host's voice cut through the excited chatter. "Now, let's invite this collector to the stage."
A heavy silence descended. Aiden didn't appear. The host looked around, his expression shifting from polite expectation to concerned confusion. Then, Mandy's voice, sharp with panic, cut through the room.
"What's going on? Where's Aiden? Where is he? Someone said they saw him at the entrance this morning! What are you all doing? Go find him!"
- Writer
