A Warm Marriage After Rebirth

Chapter 217: Chapter 217: The Overbearing Mr. Grant (5)

If Leo Jennings knew what Seraphina Sterling was thinking, he would have been angry enough to spit blood! A matter that had been settled long ago suddenly had a new condition tacked on, all because of her.

Thanks to Mina Adler’s efforts, nearly the entire city of Sanford knew about the first auction of the new year. Almost all of Sanford’s wealthy, influential, and respected figures were in attendance. There were even some major players from out of the province, among them several renowned collectors. Previously, you might be lucky to spot one of them at an auction, but today, they had all gathered in one place.

The caliber of the attendees alone was a testament to the auction’s scale. It was truly a grand event of unprecedented proportions. Seraphina Sterling was extremely pleased with Mina Adler’s planning and organization. Being able to grow to this stage despite, for all intents and purposes, being under siege by every other auction house in Sanford, Mina Adler had more than proven his capabilities.

After entering the auction hall, Seraphina Sterling found a random seat and sat down. She had no specific goal today; she was merely a spectator, here to quietly watch it all unfold.

”Seraphina, you’re Mr. Grant’s student. Do you have any idea what he likes? It’s our first time meeting, so I can’t very well show up empty-handed.” This wasn’t Leo Jennings’s first auction. He could feel that this one was different—the sheer number of familiar faces told him that much.

”Terrence Grant? He likes plenty of things! But I’m afraid their prices are just as ’beautiful’! Are you sure you want to buy something for him?” Seraphina leaned back into the comfortable sofa as the memory of her first visit to Grant Manor surfaced. ’He’d probably like decor with a sense of historical character.’

”Nothing ventured, nothing gained! Besides, I’m not trying to buy a mountain of things, just one item! It’s just a token of my sincerity!” Leo Jennings still hadn’t given up on giving a gift.

”Then go for that Red Coral. It would be a perfect match for his manor! But you’d better brace your wallet!” Seraphina offered a warm smile, the dimples at the corners of her mouth appearing faintly and lending her a mysterious air.

Momentarily stunned, Leo Jennings tore his gaze away from Seraphina’s face and fixed it on the auction item. This stalk of Red Coral was only the size of a medium vase, but its color was exquisitely vibrant. It was perfectly preserved, considered an upper-mid-tier piece, with a price to match—the auction would start at 100,000.

Seraphina kept her eyes on the crowd. Besides the genuine bidders, there were also many competitors. ’They won’t cause trouble here,’ she thought. ’Their purpose is probably the same as mine: to witness this first auction of the year firsthand.’ For a fledgling auction house to orchestrate such a large-scale event for its debut was a first in Sanford!

Even the Galloway Family’s auction house, which had once been the largest in Sanford, only dared to operate on such a scale after reaching a certain point in its development. Yet Apex Auction House, a brand-new company, had the audacity to put on such a massive event right out of the gate! These competitors were here to see what kind of power Apex Auction House actually possessed to be able to back an auction of this caliber.

The competitors stared, their eyes wide, as they spotted one CEO after another, great collectors they usually only saw on TV, and even some titans of the industry who rarely made public appearances. When they finally saw Sanford’s top official take the stage to personally give a speech, the competitors were completely and utterly convinced.

How could a company capable of quietly taking down the Galloway Family’s auction house possibly be some minor-league player? In that moment, the truth finally dawned on the competitors.

Apex Auction House had powerful backers! It had deep connections! It wasn’t an entity that small-fry companies like theirs could afford to oppose. The businesses that had previously caused trouble for Apex Auction House were now shaking in their boots, terrified of retaliation from Mina Adler. Meanwhile, those who had stayed on the sidelines were immensely relieved they hadn’t given in to a hot-headed impulse to attack. ’Surely,’ they hoped, ’no matter how powerful Apex Auction House’s backers are, they won’t go out of their way to trouble us.’

As Seraphina Sterling and Leo Jennings waited for the proceedings to begin, a staff member dressed as a waiter walked over. ”Miss,” he said, ”someone upstairs requests your presence.”