Wrong Flirt, Right Trouble: His Uncle Pulls Me Close

During the auction, Ivy Sherwood tried to bid on a few nice smaller items, but unexpectedly, every time she raised her paddle, Thea Sherwood, seated behind her, would follow suit and outbid her.

Ivy Sherwood wasn’t desperate for any of the items, so in the end, she never managed to outbid Thea Sherwood.

Quentin Blackwood also raised his paddle a couple of times, acquiring one or two items for a decent price.

Although these items were of little use to Quentin Blackwood—his home certainly wasn’t lacking for them.

Later, Quentin Blackwood also bought a calligraphy painting for a considerable price.

”Why did you buy that painting?” Ivy Sherwood whispered.

Quentin Blackwood said, ”To put in a museum.”

Ivy Sherwood: ”...”

’That move felt strangely familiar.’ She suddenly remembered her own painting that was in a museum. She hadn’t gotten a chance to appreciate it properly last time. ’When I get the chance, I’d like to go to the museum and see it again.’

Soon, the auction drew to a close, and it was time for the final item—tonight’s centerpiece.

When the item was revealed, a collective ”WOW” of amazement rippled through the crowd, as if they’d never seen anything so spectacular.

It was a beautiful statue of a holy maiden, only palm-sized, but the details were exquisite.

The statue’s shimmering gold was dazzling. The holy maiden seemed to be smiling, and no matter which angle you viewed it from, her eyes seemed to be watching you. The creator, filled with romantic mythological ideals, had imbued it with the very soul of a deity descended to the mortal realm. Everyone who saw it was left breathless in amazement.

Legend had it that this was the celestial maiden from the dreams of Augustus. He had paid a fortune to have it created, and it was his most prized masterpiece. To this day, it remained perfectly preserved.

Even Quentin Blackwood’s eyes glinted with admiration upon seeing it.

The piece was truly beautiful. The auctioneer explained that it was exceedingly rare and was even rumored to bring good fortune to its owner.

But as expected, the starting bid for this piece was one hundred million.

Bids rang out one after another, and the price climbed at a visibly staggering rate.

One billion, two billion... To these people, such sums were merely numbers, and they didn’t even blink.

Charlie Rhodes was particularly enthusiastic, his eyes gleaming as he shouted out his bids.

”What do you think of this piece?” Quentin Blackwood turned his head to get Ivy Sherwood’s opinion.

He saw that Ivy Sherwood’s eyes were filled with disbelief; it seemed she, too, was stunned by the item.

’This... is the statue of a holy maiden?’

’So it’s this valuable?’

’But Mom said...’

Just as Quentin Blackwood was about to raise his paddle, Ivy Sherwood stopped his hand.

Ivy Sherwood shook her head and said two words: ”Don’t bid.”

”Why?”

Ivy Sherwood pressed her lips together. ”This isn’t the real statue of a holy maiden.”

”You’re saying it’s a fake?” Quentin Blackwood had no expertise in this area, so he didn’t quite understand.

’But Jason Summers made it the centerpiece of the auction. He wouldn’t feature a fake.’

”You’ve seen it before?”

Ivy Sherwood paused for a moment, then shook her head again. ”The real statue of a holy maiden has been missing for so long. For this to suddenly pop up... it seems fake. Besides, no one has actually seen the real thing, so what if it is a fake? Wouldn’t spending so much money be a complete waste?”

’Ivy Sherwood never imagined this thing was so valuable.’

’The reason she could say with such certainty that this wasn’t the genuine article was because she hadn’t just seen the real one—she owned it...’

’Her mother had given it to her, calling it just a piece of art.’

’Besides, the craftsmanship of the original era wasn’t this fine; it couldn’t even match the level of detail on this one.’

’But for some reason, seeing this one made her feel that hers was the real one. Her mother wouldn’t have given her a fake for no reason.’

’She was also very confused. If this thing was so precious, how did her mother come to possess the real one?’

’What other secrets was her mother hiding?’

The bidding had now reached two and a half billion. The bidder was the same man who had tried to touch Ivy Sherwood’s waist earlier.

The moment he raised his paddle, Quentin Blackwood immediately raised his.

She had just told him not to bid, but Quentin Blackwood opened his mouth and announced, ”Five billion.”

Ivy Sherwood was shocked. ’Is he being a patsy?’

’Five billion! That was double the last bid. You could buy so much with that kind of money. Even if it was easy for Quentin Blackwood to make money, he shouldn’t spend it like this.’

When Quentin Blackwood called out five billion, the room fell silent. It was a bid that completely crushed the previous one.

When the man saw that it was Quentin Blackwood bidding, he lost his nerve.

’He felt Quentin’s bid was a deliberately aggressive move, as if he was being looked down upon for not having enough money.’

But five billion was a price he truly couldn’t afford, so he didn’t dare to bid again.

Even though everyone here was wealthy, paying such a high price for a single item wasn’t exactly a good deal.

Charlie Rhodes was tempted, but he didn’t dare to make a rash move.

”Do I hear more than five billion? Five billion going once... Five billion going twice...”

Just before the auctioneer could say ”third time,” Quentin Blackwood’s voice cut through the silence. ”The piece is certainly beautiful. But what’s the point of earning so much money in one’s lifetime? Who can guarantee how long they’ll live? If you could have a treasure of Augustus accompany you into the coffin, you could die without any regrets, couldn’t you?”

Sure enough, hearing Quentin Blackwood’s words, Charlie Rhodes’s expression flickered.

’The words were harsh, but they seemed to make sense.’

’He was getting old; who knew how much longer he had left? All that money would just sit there. He couldn’t use it all anyway. It was better to live in the moment.’

’And besides, he really did love this piece.’

”Five billion, going for the third—”

Before the auctioneer could finish, Charlie Rhodes raised his paddle. ”Five and a half billion.”

”This gentleman bids five and a half billion! Do I hear any higher bids?”

”Six billion,” Quentin Blackwood raised his paddle again.

Charlie Rhodes gritted his teeth. ”Six and a half billion.”

Hearing that number, Quentin Blackwood stood up. ”Let’s go.”

He had no intention of bidding again and led Ivy Sherwood away.

Once they had left the auction hall, Ivy Sherwood asked curiously, ”Why didn’t you keep bidding?”

”Didn’t you tell me not to bid on it? Why would I buy a fake?”

”You believed me? What if it was real?” ’In truth, Ivy Sherwood wasn’t entirely sure herself, but she was happy that Quentin Blackwood trusted her so completely.’

Quentin Blackwood said, ”Even if it were real, it would be useless to me. I don’t plan on taking it to my coffin. But some people do.”

Ivy Sherwood understood. ”So you said that on purpose just now, to get Charlie Rhodes to bid again?”

”How were you so sure he would bid again? What if he hadn’t?” ’Then wouldn’t you have spent five billion on a fake?’

’If Quentin Blackwood had actually bought it, Ivy Sherwood might have been more upset about the money than he was. She’d never even seen that much money in her entire life.’

Quentin Blackwood said, ”If he hadn’t bid, so be it. It’s not an extraordinary amount of money. I could have just used it to prop up a wobbly table leg.”

’President Blackwood was certainly a big spender. After all, his annual income had countless zeros.’

Ivy Sherwood was speechless.

’If other people knew that the treasure they coveted but couldn’t afford was something Quentin Blackwood would just use to prop up a table leg, how furious would they be?’

”Then why were you targeting Charlie Rhodes? Do you two have a grudge, or has he offended you before?” Ivy Sherwood asked curiously.

”No.”

’It was simply that he held a grudge. He remembered how that old lecher had tried to make a move on Ivy Sherwood backstage at the fashion show. This was just a small lesson for him.’