Chapter 124

This time, Rex didn’t follow suit. In the end, Raven won the antique vase for 50 million, attracting admiring glances from everyone in the hall. Once the deal was done, Raven’s heart was still not entirely at ease. Although the Brown family was quite wealthy, and her grandmother loved antiques, spending this much money on a single item still felt like a huge deal. If her family found out about the price, they would definitely be shocked. Moreover, Matteo had essentially agreed to let her go as high as 70 million, but she still felt uneasy about the price. She privately capped her bid at 50 million. Thinking of Matteo’s generosity and wealth, Raven felt a warmth spread through her chest.

Jessica whispered, “Damn! 50 million!” These two items together had already cost 50 million, and she felt the pang of jealousy deep in her bones. Her envy wasn’t just at the money—she felt a sense of physical discomfort, as if every inch of her body was aching. Freya pursed her lips, her expression unreadable. Jessica noticed her reaction and asked softly, “Mag, are you… okay?” Matteo’s generosity toward his mistress, and the fact that she was the daughter of her mother’s mistress, made the situation even more difficult to swallow. Could she handle this? But Freya’s expression wasn’t sour because of that.

“Matteo has money. He can spend it however he likes. It doesn’t bother me,” Freya stated. “What I care about is, if there’s something I want to bid on and Matteo and Raven also want it, with my financial situation, I can’t possibly outbid them.”

Jessica realized the gravity of the situation: “That’s true…. But she’s already bought two items. She probably won’t bid anymore, right?”

Let’s hope so.

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But knowing Matteo’s wealth, he could easily spend another few hundred million without blinking. Just as Freya was thinking this, the next item she had her eye on—a piece of embroidered art—was brought out. The starting price for the embroidery was 700,000 dollars. Someone immediately bid: “900,000.” Freya raised her paddle: “1 million.”

At first, Raven didn’t seem to notice Freya. But as soon as Freya spoke, Raven recognized her voice. She turned and locked eyes with Freya. There was no emotion on Raven’s face, and she quickly turned away, raising her paddle: “2 million.” Freya’s heart sank immediately. Raven had recognized her voice, and she didn’t believe for a second that Matteo hadn’t noticed. But he didn’t even glance at her.

Jessica cursed under her breath: “Damn! She’s really at it again!” Rex also entered the competition: “2.5 million.” Freya pursed her lips and raised her paddle again: “2.8 million.” Raven didn’t turn back but directly raised her bid: “5 million.” She raised the price significantly! Freya’s heart sank even lower. She didn’t have much money at hand. Initially, her budget for the auction was around 8 million. After all, the Miller family’s business was not doing well lately. They didn’t have much spare cash to throw around. But now…

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Rex raised his bid: “7 million.” Freya raised her paddle immediately: “8 million.” Her voice was clear and gentle, carrying a sweet tone that caught everyone’s attention. Rex turned to look at her, a glint of surprise in his eyes. He raised an eyebrow and smiled. Freya smiled back and gave him a polite nod. But just then, Raven raised her paddle again: “10 million.” Freya’s hands clenched into fists, her body tense. Rex raised his bid once more: “12 million.” Freya quickly followed: “15 million.” Raven raised her paddle again: “20 million.”

Boom! Freya’s mind exploded. At first, Freya’s budget had indeed been 8 million. However, as soon as Raven made her move, she silently increased her budget to 20 million. She could afford a higher price than that. In fact, she had even thought about the villa that Matteo had given her recently. If she sold the villa, it would easily be worth 20 or 30 hundred million. Since she had essentially received that money for free, what would it matter if she spent it now? But she knew very well that this embroidered artwork wasn’t worth 20 million. She could spend that money, but… she didn’t have the luxury to act recklessly. If she really sold the villa, she could use that money for something much more meaningful. With this thought, Freya silently lowered her hand.

Jessica whispered, “Why don’t you call Matteo?”

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Freya had thought about it, too. But would Matteo really ask Raven to back down just for her sake? Impossible. Even though she knew it was unlikely, Freya still took out her phone and dialed Matteo’s number. When the phone vibrated, Matteo pulled out his phone from his pocket. Raven happened to glance over, noticing a series of numbers without a name attached. She asked, “A stranger?” Matteo smiled slightly, but didn’t say anything. He simply ended the call. Freya felt her brief hope vanish as she watched the call being ended without hesitation. Her mind went blank for a moment.

Jessica, fuming, muttered, “Damn, he didn’t pick up your call!” Freya didn’t respond. She silently put her phone back into her bag. By this point, the bid had already reached 30 million. Rex rubbed his forehead and turned to Matteo. “President Wilson, do me a favor?” Matteo gave a polite smile. “Next time, I’ll definitely help.”

Rex: “…”

Rex raised his paddle, directly pushing the price to 35 million. Raven raised her paddle immediately: “40 million.”

Rex: “…”

Jessica, seeing this, clenched her teeth and whispered in Freya’s ear: “This is the first time I’ve seen Rex Hardin get outbid.” The Hardin family, just like the Wilson family, was one of the top-tier families. At this moment, Rex’s bid looked almost hesitant, as though he was unsure whether to go further. It seemed like he didn’t want to waste money. But Matteo?

Chapter 124

He didn’t even think twice about outbidding everyone to win. No one else bid, and thus, the embroidered artwork was once again won by Raven. Matteo turned to Rex. “Rex, I owe you one.” Rex sighed and said, “President Wilson is too polite.” Jessica said, “At this point, we can only hope that Raven doesn’t bid on that set of emerald jewelry.” Freya thought the same. But… was that even possible?