Chapter 221: Two Parties Fight, Alexander Gains
Two shadows stretched beneath the bright streetlight.
Under the overlapping light, they appeared closely intertwined.
The slightly ambiguous atmosphere, combined with the voice still echoing in Catherine's ears, made her heart skip unexpectedly.
It must be because she hit someone too hard just now—too much exertion had raised her heart rate.
Catherine steadied herself and looked away.
She walked toward the nearby car. "I need to go to the underground auction house."
Alexander followed and opened the driver's side door.
"Then I'll drive you . I heard there are a few pretty good items tonight. If we leave now, we should make it."
His wrist was still wrapped in gauze. Although the injury wasn’t serious, it wasn't wasn’t ideal for driving .
As a doctor, Catherine didn't her patient risking further injury in front of her.
She pressed down on his hand. "Sit on the other side. I'll drive."
"I remember you don’t have a driver's license yet?"
Catherine had already guided him to the passenger seat and taken the driver’s seat herself, fastening her seatbelt smoothly.
"The road there is secluded. It’ll be fine."
The underground auction house hidden deep within the city, operated in a gray area. Rules were loosely enforced there.
Moreover, it was located behind Galactic Aurora Collective’s underground boxing ring, and the surrounding surveillance was controlled by them.
Catherine stepped on the accelerator and drove off.
Alexander watched with a faint smile. She looked unexpectedly serious while driving.
Half an hour later, they arrived at the underground auction house.
Catherine opened the storage compartment, took out two masks, and handed one to Alexander.
She lifted her hand to put hers on, but Alexander took the straps and tied them behind her head with practiced ease.
He checked carefully to ensure her face was fully covered before stepping back.
“Thank you."
"If you want to thank me, then help me with mine."
Catherine didn’t refuse. She took the mask and secured it properly for him.
She took the mask from Alexander's hand and tied the straps for him.
Alexander then took her hand. “Let’s go. I saw a few familiar faces earlier. Tonight, should be interesting.”
“From the Howard family?"
Catherine wore a simple suit, her expression composed. With her hair tied back, she carried a reserved, distant air.
Her hair was tied back with a hair tie, revealing her slender neck, with a powerful presence like a queen.
Even with the mask on her face, she still drew attention.
Alexander subtly shifted to block several lingering gazes. “Yes. They’re probably here for tonight’s items."
It wasn’t unusual for members of the Howard family to attend these auctions. The event had been heavily promoted, invitation had been sent out last month.
Alexander had known Catherine would come. Rather than attending alone, he preferred being beside her.
Every time he saw her, all of Alexander's attention would follow Catherine, unwilling to look away for even a minute.
The staff member in formal attire was extremely respectful toward the two people before them.
After checking their invitations and observing their demeanor, the staff clearly recognized they were not ordinary guests.
Anyone attending this underground auction was either wealthy or influential.
"Please follow me."
Following the staff to a private booth, there was even a curtain on the door to ensure each guest's safety.
The staff handed over an electronic screen.
"For tonight's auction, if you honored guests are interested in anything, just bid directly on the screen."
"All the bids from the booths will be displayed on it, fully protecting your privacy."
Catherine nodded. "Thank you."
After the staff left and the booth curtain was drawn, the light in the room became somewhat dim.
Alexander removed his mask and set it aside, his slender fingers absentmindedly stroking Catherine's hair.
Catherine frowned slightly. "You're messing up my hair."
She had originally tied her hair up, but Alexander's fiddling had loosened some strands, and he still looked completely innocent!
Catherine was speechless. How could Alexander be so childish?
At his age, why did he still like playing with hair!
Alexander glanced at Catherine's hair. "Then let me fix it for you."
He reached up to remove the hair tie from Catherine's head, gently ran his fingers through Catherine's smooth hair, and tied it back up.
But the hair tie now on Catherine's head was clearly not the same one from before.
Alexander looked at his handiwork with satisfaction, his eyes full of tender, gentle smiles.
He had wanted to replace that hair tie for a long time. He knew Catherine was someone who wasn't good at expressing herself but was very devoted.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have kept using the hair tie George gave her without changing to another one!
Catherine cherished her family in her own way.
But he also hoped that what Catherine wore in her hair could be something he made!
Catherine didn't notice that the hair tie on her head had been switched.
She focused on the electronic screen in front of her.
“It seems the incident at the last auction caused trouble. And tonight’s items must be important. They’ve changed the format."
"You mean when someone robbed the auction items outside last time, causing two gangs to be completely wiped out?"
The incident wasn’t confidential within their circles.
Ambushing buyers wasn’t rare, but the scale of that conflict had been unusual.
Alexander loosened his tie and leaned back on the sofa.
One arm rested along the back behind Catherine.
“Do you want to know who ended up with the item?"
"You know?"
"Of course. After all, the information about that auction item was confidential. For those two gangs to get the information and arrive in time wasn't easy."
Seeing the somewhat cold smile at the corner of Alexander's mouth, Catherine caught on.
Catherine caught the implication. “You leaked it?"
“I did. Both gangs were affiliated with the Howard Group. Consider it internal cleanup."
The Howard family’s operations were extensive. To gain full control, Alexander had to remove unstable elements.
Catherine looked at him under the dim light.
The light in the small booth was dim, with only a small lamp lit, casting a warm glow on his handsome face.
“So, two sides fought, and a third party benefited."
Since he was speaking so openly, the item had clearly ended up with him.
Alexander smiled slightly. “Smart. As a reward, whatever you want tonight, I’ll pay."
Catherine looked away.
Why did he keep offering her rewards?
Did he simply have too much money, or was he just bored?