9%
“Well? Do you like the flowers?” Denver smiled warmly. “You had a rough day–let these brighten your mood. We’re heading to the auction tomorrow. No matter what it takes, I’ll get that land.”
His words dispelled the last bit of my unease. I accepted the flowers with a smile, my mind already consumed by tomorrow’s auction
The auction house was packed. What I hadn’t expected was the arrival of two familiar faces–my father and Kiara. And, of course, Winston trailed behind them.
When his gaze locked onto me, it didn’t waver
Kiara, clearly annoyed by his distraction, elbowed him sharply.
My seat was directly in front of them. Kiara began making petty little gestures to irritate me–whispering, shifting in her seat, nudging my chair!
When she stretched her foot forward and nudged my ankle, I finally had enough. I stomped down hard on her foot.!!
She yelped softly but given the silent tension in the room, she could only grit her teeth and endure it
By the third time she deliberately bid against me, I realized why she and my father were here–they weren’t interested in the land; they were here to provoke me.
When bidding began on the piece I had been eyeing for months, my father immediately raised the price far beyond the land’s actual value. I glanced back at him and saw a smug, taunting expression on his face.!!
Ijdidn’t believe for a second that his company could afford it, so I raised the bid by another ten million.
But then Kiara countered–by a shocking fifty million.
I clenched my fists, anger bolling in my chest. I was about to bid again when Denver gently held me back.
“Bianca, this price is way beyond the actual value of the land,” he said calmly. “There’s no need to let personal grudges drive business decisions. It’s a good property, yes, but it’s not worth that much.“8
His rational voice pulled me back from the brink. I stopped letting those three dictate my emotions.
Just as the gavel was about to fall, Klara kicked my leg again.
Panicked, she hissed under her breath, “Bianca, what are you doing?! Why aren’t you bidding? Are you trying to set us up?!
Even my father began to look uneasy.
“Bianca, what do you think you’re doing?“8
I turned around and smiled coolly
“Well, since you seem to like that plot so much, as your daughter, how could I not let you have it? If I fought you for it, wouldn’t I just look like an ungrateful, backstabbing daughter?”
My father’s face tumed red with fury. He opened his mouth but said nothing.
Kiara, on the verge of tears, snapped at me, “Blanca, you have to keep bidding! We wouldn’t be in this situation if it weren’t for you! This is all your fault!”
“I’m not an idiot,” I replied coldly. “That land is no longer worth bidding for. Since you like it so much, I suggest you start thinking about how you’re going to pay for it”
After the auction ended, Kiara intercepted me.
Without shame, she held out her hand. “Since you’re not taking the land, hand over the money. Help Dad pay the deposit. You wouldn’t just stand by and watch him pay a breach–of–contract penalty, would you?”
“And why not?” I sneered. “You were the ones who won the bid. What does it have to do with me? As you said yourself, I’m no longer part of the Reynolds family. Or have you forgotten, Dad? Those were your exact words.”
My father’s face twisted in rage.
w wouldn’t be
“You ungrateful wretch is this how you talk to your father? If you hadn’t taken half the employees when you left, the company in chaos! Departments are in disarray, and even our partners are cutting ties. Don’t tell me you had nothing to do with this!” “The employees made their own choices, Dad. If your team collapsed the moment I left, that’s on you–not me. You were too greedy. wanted everything. You couldn’t handle the company’s success but still tried to steal from me. Now, this is your reward.”
Smack
He slapped me so hard my head turned. Then, clutching his chest, he stumbled into a chair, breathless.
Winston rushed over, frowning. He looked at my father with concern, then turned to glare at me, eyes full of blame.!!
You
“Blanca, this is too much. You know the company doesn’t have that kind of money, especially for a property this far out in San Francisco. Why are you doing this to your own family?”
I laughed in disbelief.
“Family? Were you thinking about that when you tried to steal this land from me? Now you can’t afford it and somehow it’s my fault?”
“Your father was just trying to get your attention. He wanted to provoke you so you’d come back. Do you really have to be so stubbom? Just pay the deposit. You can still take the land. There’s no need to humiliate everyone like this. T
Denver squeezed my arm gently, a silent show of support. But I was long past the point of being hurt.
“I’m not your scapegoat. You bid it up, you pay. That’s your problem.”
22 400%
7:11 AM ď ď
As I stepped out of the auction hall, fresh air finally filled my lungs.
Anywhere they were felt suffocating.
“They have a limited window to pay the full amount,” I said aloud, a smirk tugging at my lips. “Let’s see how they deal with that.”
7.11 AM
“I need your help with something.” I said to Denver!
He looked at me curiously, waiting for my instructions.
