Chapter 2

Juan also looked over. A striking red figure stood out in the crowd. Debra, clad in a burgundy dress, seemed to captivate hearts with every gesture. Cameras flashed at her as if she were a reigning superstar walking the red carpet.

“Debra?” Juan took a moment to recognize her. In the past, Debra preferred light makeup and simple dresses. This was the first time Juan had seen her like this. Seeing Debra for the first time, Shelia was filled with jealousy. Compared to the alluring Debra, she felt too plain.

“Debra looks stunning,” Shelia said, her tone carrying a subtle envy.

Debra spotted them and walked over. Shelia expected Debra, unaware of her relationship with Juan, to be surprised or awkward, but Debra was poised and smiling.

“Mrs. Nichols is here. Who’s the lady beside Mr. Nichols?” a reporter whispered.

Debra approached, linking her arm with Juan’s, and extended a hand towards Shelia. “You must be Shelia, mentioned by Juan. Nice to meet you! I’m Debra. You can call me Mrs. Nichols.”

Shelia withdrew her hand from Juan’s and shook hands with Debra. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Nichols,” Shelia said awkwardly.

“Juan told me he sponsored you. You’re going to study abroad, right?” Debra said.

Shelia glanced at Juan.

“Shelia excels in her studies. She’s planning to go abroad this year, but she’s a bit timid, so I brought her here today to broaden her horizons,” Juan explained. He had brought Shelia to experience the world of the upper class.

Juan hadn’t completely fallen for Shelia yet. It was only after Shelia returned from abroad that he fell in love with her. Even so, Juan attended all kinds of events with Shelia, to the point where everyone in Seamar City knew he liked a college girl. But none of this mattered to Debra anymore.

Chapter 2

She came to the auction not to compete with Shelia, but for a more important purpose.

“Well then, take good care of Miss Miles. I’m going in,” Debra said, releasing Juan’s arm.

Juan was stunned. He hadn’t expected those words from Debra. By the time he realized it, Debra had already entered the venue. Juan frowned. “When did the unruly Debra become so agreeable?” he wondered.

Debra sat in an inconspicuous corner. The auction venue was filled with influential figures. If she remembered correctly, an abandoned piece of land that nobody wanted was bought by an obscure merchant at a previous auction. Later, because of upscale developments around it, the land became incredibly valuable. The successful investment elevated the merchant’s status, making him a commercial magnate. Since she had decided to leave Juan, Debra wanted to build up her own assets.

After sitting down, Juan searched for Debra. Beside him, Shelia asked, “Mr. Nichols, do you really want me to bid on your behalf?”

Juan’s attention returned, and he said, “Yes, I trust your judgment.” Shelia blushed. She had studied finance for so long, just for this day.

On the second floor, Debra watched them chat happily. Shelia indeed had some talent, which was one of the reasons why Juan would be attracted to her. In her last life, Shelia had once identified a prime piece of land, which impressed Juan. But that piece of land was valuable to begin with; the Nichols Group’s properties were all around it, and Shelia inflated the price with Juan’s money. In the end, the value of the land and the surrounding properties all increased, so Juan couldn’t lose. Even without Shelia, Juan would have secured that piece of land.

As the auction started, Shelia began to bid. She successfully won the first three prime pieces of land. Juan sat beside Shelia like a guardian.

“The price of Crescent Manor starts at one billion dollars.”

“Two billion,” Debra bid, causing a collective gasp.

Juan frowned. What’s gotten into this woman?

Shelia whispered, “This piece of land isn’t worth much. Debra’s going to lose money.”

Chapter 2

Juan texted Debra: [What the hell are you doing?] Debra read the message and ignored it.

“Two billion once!”

“Two billion twice!”

“Is Debra crazy? Two billion for this piece of junk?” On the second floor, Randy was flabbergasted.

“Three billion,” Marion bid. Randy nearly flipped the table. “Marion! Are you insane too?”

Across from them, Debra frowned. She wanted to know who was crazy enough to compete with her for this wasteland, only to see Marion. She vaguely remembered Marion was involved in shady business. When did he start real estate development?

“Four billion!” Debra raised the stakes. Downstairs, Juan furrowed his brow and texted her again: [Debra, shut up!]

Debra simply turned off her phone.

“Five billion,” Marion said. His provocation annoyed Debra. “Alright, you want to play? Let’s play.”

“Ten billion!” she bid.

“Damn! She’s gone mad!” Randy exclaimed.

Juan stood up, losing his composure. He couldn’t quite grasp Debra’s intentions. To him, this piece of land wasn’t even worth one billion dollars. Yet Debra was offering ten billion.

Marion smiled at Debra and made a gesture of concession.

“Ten billion!” The auctioneer exclaimed. “Any further bids? Ten billion, going once, going twice… Sold!”

As the gavel fell, a weight lifted off Debra’s heart. The land was finally hers, but she had unnecessarily spent an extra eight billion dollars—all because of Marion. She glared at him.

Randy nudged Marion. “Hey, Debra’s glaring at you. If I were her, I’d probably be plotting your demise.”

Marion shrugged indifferently.

Chapter 2

Downstairs, Shelia tugged at Juan. “Mr. Nichols, Debra is going to make you bankrupt.”

“She set her own price. No one will help her pay the bills,” Juan said.