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Chapter35 Chapter 35 FromsecuringsponsorshipsforKieran’s firmtocaringforAudrey,evengoingasfaras makingchickensoupforKieranhimself,therewasn)adetailaboutKieran’spreferencesthatslippedpastFreya.ShewishedshecouldmicromanageeverythingdowntohowlongKieranspentintheshower,howmanytripshemadetothebathroominaday,andevenhowmanysquaresoftoiletpaperheused.“Mr.Beckett,Freyasaid,hervoicebrimmingwithconfidence,“watchandsee.You’regoingtocomeoutontoptonight.”Withaneffortlessgesture,sheemptiedherglassofchampagneandplaceditonthetablebesideher. From securing sponsorships for Kieran’s firm to caring for Audrey , even going as far as making chicken soup for Kieran himself , there wasn ) a detail about Kieran’s preferences that slipped past Freya . She wished she could micromanage everything down to how long Kieran spent in the shower , how many trips he made to the bathroom in a day , and even how many squares of toilet paper he used . “ Mr. Beckett , Freya said , her voice brimming with confidence , “ watch and see . You’re going to come out on top tonight . ” With an effortless gesture , she emptied her glass of champagne and placed it on the table beside her . Astheauctioncommenced,theauctioneerfinally introducedthepieceofland inEchoCity.“15acresofsuburbanEchoCityland,startingbidat300milliondollars!” As the auction commenced , the auctioneer finally introduced the piece of land in Echo City . “ 15 acres of suburban Echo City land , starting bid at 300 million dollars ! ” Ronanfurrowedhisbrowuponhearingthestartingbid.ItwasasFreyahadpredicted.Auctionpriceswerekeptunderwrapsuntiltheevent,makingitimpossibleforFreyatohaveknownthestartingbidinadvanceunless… Ronan furrowed his brow upon hearing the starting bid . It was as Freya had predicted . Auction prices were kept under wraps until the event , making it impossible for Freya to have known the starting bid in advance unless … Mas Mas asthisEchoCityauctionatrapsetbyKieran? as this Echo City auction a trap set by Kieran ? “Bidat500million!” “ Bid at 500 million ! ” 800million!” * 800 million ! ” “Onebillion!” “ One billion ! ” / <![CDATA[ / fpm_start( "true" ); / ]]> */ Thebiddingwarforthelandescalatedquickly,fueledbyrumorsofitspotentialtoappreciate,potentiallyreachinguptofivebillion.NoticingRonan’shesitation,Freyaboldlyraised herbiddingpaddleandannounced, “Twobillion!” The bidding war for the land escalated quickly , fueled by rumors of its potential to appreciate , potentially reaching up to five billion . Noticing Ronan’s hesitation , Freya boldly raised her bidding paddle and announced , “ Two billion ! ”

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googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1740746529960-0'); }); RonanglancedatFreyaandremarked,“Easyforyoutosaywhenit’snotyourmoney.” Ronan glanced at Freya and remarked , “ Easy for you to say when it’s not your money . ” “Exactly.” “ Exactly . ” Nottobeoutdone,Kieranraisedhispaddle,“Threebillion.” Not to be outdone , Kieran raised his paddle , “ Three billion . ” ThebidjumptothreebillionsilencedmanyuntilanodfromKierantoabidderinthecrowdpromptedanewoffer,“3.5billion!” The bid jump to three billion silenced many until a nod from Kieran to a bidder in the crowd prompted a new offer, “ 3.5 billion ! ” “Fourbillion,”Ronancounteredfirmly. “ Four billion , ” Ronan countered firmly . Theroomwasabuzzwithspeculationasthepriceapproachedtherumoredmaximumvalueoftheland. The room was abuzz with speculation as the price approached the rumored maximum value of the land . . Then,inadramaticturn,Kieran bid*4.5billion”underthewatchfuleyesoftheauctionattendees. Then , in a dramatic turn , Kieran bid * 4.5 billion ” under the watchful eyes of the auction attendees . TheatmospherewastenseaseveryoneawaitedRonan’snextmove,awareofthehigh–stakesbattlebetweenhimandKieranfortheplotofland. The atmosphere was tense as everyone awaited Ronan’s next move , aware of the high – stakes battle between him and Kieran for the plot of land . Ronansubtlyraisedhishandatthatcriticalmoment,makingagracious‘afteryou‘gesture. Ronan subtly raised his hand at that critical moment , making a gracious ‘ after you ‘ gesture . ThatgestureerasedthesmilefromKieran’sface.Ronan…wasyielding? That gesture erased the smile from Kieran’s face . Ronan … was yielding ? “Mr.Sutton!”Jarrettwasvisiblyshaken. “ Mr. Sutton ! ” Jarrett was visibly shaken . TheEchoCitylandwassupposedtobetheirtrapforRonan.Unexpectedly,Ronanchosenottofallforit. The Echo City land was supposed to be their trap for Ronan . Unexpectedly , Ronan chose not to fall for it . AslightsmilecurvedFreya’slips.Inapastlife,Ronanhadtakenthebait,resultinginamassivefinanciallossforhimasthe EchoCitylandfailedtomeetitsexpectedvalue.Farfromthespeculatedfivebillion,itwasn’tevenworth1.5billion,leading toasignificantlossforRonanandallowingKierantooppresstheBeckettGroup. A slight smile curved Freya’s lips . In a past life , Ronan had taken the bait , resulting in a massive financial loss for him as the Echo City land failed to meet its expected value . Far from the speculated five billion , it wasn’t even worth 1.5 billion , leading to a significant loss for Ronan and allowing Kieran to oppress the Beckett Group . Butthistime,Kieranhadoverplayedhishand. But this time , Kieran had overplayed his hand .

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