Chapter 78
The pigeon-blood ruby ring opened at eight hundred thousand dollars, but Heidi's first bid nearly doubled that figure at one million five hundred thousand.
Competing bids followed immediately.
"One million five hundred and ten thousand."
"One million six hundred thousand."
Heidi's expression faltered momentarily as she whispered something to Arthur. Then her face brightened as she raised her paddle again.
"Five million dollars."
Her dramatic increase silenced the room.
No one challenged this bid for two reasons: the price far exceeded the ring's value, and everyone recognized Heidi's determination to acquire it—with Arthur's unlimited financial backing, continuing would be pointless.
While pigeon-blood rubies were undeniably precious, paying five million dollars for a single ring demonstrated Arthur's extravagant wealth and his extraordinary indulgence of Heidi.
Becky watched with mounting frustration. "Why am I not rich? It won't hurt anyone, right?"
She had money too, technically.
But her brother controlled her finances so strictly she couldn't even afford to tip male models at clubs. A cruel fate indeed.
Caroline remained silent, lowering her eyes with a faint smile.
The auction continued with the masterful ink painting Caroline had noticed earlier. The opening bid stood at two million dollars.
Caroline entered the bidding third. "Three million dollars."
The painting's style perfectly matched her grandmother's taste, and she was reluctant to miss this opportunity.
The bidding continued around her.
Heidi appeared uninterested in the artwork, leaning close to whisper something to Arthur that made them both smile.
Just as Caroline was about to secure the painting for four million dollars, Heidi suddenly raised her paddle.
"Eight million dollars."
Her sidelong glance at Caroline came with a subtle, victorious smile.
"Damn it!" Becky swore. "That was deliberate! She ignored the bidding until you almost had it, then suddenly jumped in. Could she be more obvious?"
"Is she just flaunting Arthur's money? The White family barely qualifies as high society in Sovereign City!"
Realizing what she'd said, Becky fell silent. After all, Arthur was still legally Caroline's husband.
Yet here he was, publicly spending fortunes on another woman.
Caroline maintained her serene expression, internally calculating whether to continue pursuing the painting.
Money wasn't Caroline's primary concern. As chief advisor for the neuroscience laboratory, Gavin compensated her generously.
Combined with her pre-marriage awards and research royalties, she had substantial savings.
But spending those funds on a spite-driven acquisition seemed wasteful.
She believed her money had better purposes, so exceeding her predetermined limit wasn't justified.
Caroline decided to withdraw.
Suddenly, a male voice entered the bidding.
"Sixteen million dollars."
Gasps rippled through the audience as people craned their necks to identify who dared challenge Arthur Windsor.
Becky, equally curious, looked toward the voice—then nearly collapsed in horror.
"Jesus, it's my brother! When did he arrive?"
She covered her face, desperate to avoid detection. "Why is he everywhere?"
Caroline glanced toward her. "Your brother?"
Despite seven years of friendship and countless mentions of this infamous sibling, Caroline had never met him.
As she turned to look, Becky yanked her back. "Don't look! He'll spot us."
Caroline nodded, glancing once more at the painting before averting her gaze.
She would wait for the Irish lace shawl and the ginseng root later in the auction.
In the front row, Heidi hesitated, exchanging glances with Arthur before raising her paddle again.
"Twenty-five million dollars."
She hoped Stanley Powell would withdraw.
The Powell family rivaled the Windsors in influence—not someone she wanted as an enemy, nor did she want Arthur antagonizing them on her behalf.
But Stanley showed no intention of backing down.
"Thirty million dollars."
Heidi bit her lip. "Fifty million dollars."
Stanley raised his paddle casually. "Seventy million dollars."
"Mr. Windsor," he called across the room, "a young member of my family admires this painting. I hope you'll consider letting it go."
His glance toward Becky didn't escape Caroline's notice.
Something seemed unusual about Becky's relationship with her brother.
Arthur's expression remained impassive, his dark eyes revealing nothing.
"I cannot. This is also a favorite of someone in my family." He cast a tender look at Heidi as he spoke.
Caroline and Becky overheard his words.
Though Heidi desired the painting, Arthur referred to her as "someone in my family."
Clearly, Arthur already considered Heidi family.
The contrast between his treatment of Heidi versus Caroline couldn't be more evident.
Heidi raised her paddle again. "Eighty-five million dollars."
This time, Stanley didn't counter.
Heidi secured the painting to widespread murmurs of astonishment.
She unconsciously straightened her posture, basking in the attention.
Never had she imagined spending nearly a hundred million dollars on a painting, nor had she anticipated Arthur's limitless generosity toward her desires.
He seemed determined to place anything she wanted directly into her hands, regardless of cost.
Being adored this way felt intoxicating.
Becky nearly hyperventilated behind her hastily donned mask. "Good God! One hundred million dollars!"
Two items, exactly one hundred million dollars.
"Arthur's certainly generous! Watching you work so hard as a housewife, I assumed he was a miser!"
Caroline smiled faintly, apparently unbothered by Arthur's extravagance toward Heidi.
"The money belongs to the Windsor family. How he chooses to spend it is his prerogative."
To Arthur, Caroline had been worth only thirty thousand dollars—less than a servant's annual salary.
Heidi, as his beloved, naturally deserved better in his eyes.
Caroline's concern now was whether Heidi would deliberately outbid her on everything she showed interest in.
She couldn't possibly compete with Arthur's resources.
Soon, the handcrafted Irish lace shawl Caroline had noted appeared on the auction block.
Rather than bidding immediately, she observed Heidi, who appeared engaged in animated conversation with Arthur, seemingly oblivious to the current item.
Caroline hesitated briefly, preparing to bid when Heidi suddenly raised her paddle.
"Seven million dollars."
Her opening offer immediately set the highest price.
With Arthur present, no one dared challenge this bid—everyone understood that whatever caught Heidi's eye, Arthur would acquire.
Caroline calmly abandoned this pursuit as well. If Heidi wanted it, Caroline wouldn't compete.