Chapter 67 THE AUCTION II
The auctioneer slammed down his gravel, signaling the start of the bidding for a rare flawless diamond necklace. The room was electric with the Yakuza's Oyabun Takeshi and an Italian mafia, Don Marco locking eyes in a fierce stare-down.
“Five hundred thousand,” Oyabun Takeshi said calmly, his voice dropping with confidence.
Don Marco smirked, his gold pinky ring glinting in the light as he played with it. It was evident that he also wanted the item on the bidding tray for himself— the flawless diamond necklace, so he had to raise a higher bid at once.
“One million dollars!” Don Marco called, his voice low and even.
Another Italian mafia seated close by to Santiano who showed no interest in the current item on the bidding list raised an eyebrow, intrigued by the sudden escalation, but he also has an eye for the item, ready to snatch it and give it as a present to his lovely wife.
His intentions was to purchase the valuable item and give his wife to have her consider as a push gift as she had just given a stretch to his bloodline by giving birth to a son who would beat the scared name of their family and when the time was right, he would lead the entire family— just like his father.
“Three million!” Salvatore Ferragamo said, raising the bid to a more exorbitant price without breaking a sweat, causing some whispering and gasp of unbelief to float in the air in an instant.
Oyabun Takeshi groaned in his seat, clearing the hitch in his throat as he forced himself as he forced himself to call the next bidding price. He was determined to claim the diamond necklace and he was aware of the fact that he would have to go head to head with the Italian mafia— Salvatore Ferragamo.
The bidding game would only be worse for him if Don Marco was also still interested in bidding for the diamond necklace. The flawless piece was so pristine and delicate and it would make a good investment for return in the future for the Japanese family and this was an important criteria during bidding selections for the Japanese Yakuzas.
Ornaments and precious stones in forms of jewels were paramount to the family and losing such a precious jewel would cost Oyabun Takeshi more than the bid he would be calling on it.
“Five million dollars!” Oyabun Takeshi said, raising his bidding price, his eyes still flashing with brute determination as he waved his bidding flag.
He gave a slight grunt, hoping no one would make any bid after he had made his call. He wasn't going to leave Pedro's lair or Italy with only a diamond necklace as there were still more valuable items to bid on which he had received secret Intel on above the items that would be wheeled to the stage that night.
So, he— Oyabun Takeshi -- had to be calculative enough and plan his biddings strategically to avoid taking bigger risks for the most priced item yet to come.
“Six million dollars!” Salvatore Ferragamo retorted again, his face set with a still calm stubborn expression like he had no intention of backing down to let Oyabun Takeshi win the bid for the diamond necklace against him.
The room was on the edge of their seats, the tension palpable as some guests who had not bothered to raise their bids had begun to wonder who would win the prized necklace.
“Seven million dollars,” Oyabun Takeshi called again, hurling his fists tight as he began to give the auctioneer a signal to close the bid fast before Salvatore Ferragamo made another call.
The auctioneer paused for a while, his eyes briefly scanning the room for any more bidding call. After all, the higher the price for bidding, the better it would be for the family. At his corner, Pedro was grinning from ear to ear as the prices for his first collection for bidding were being spelt out like free game.
The auctioneer scanned the room again for the second time as the silence from the other bidders lingered, the tension between the trio who had been raising the bid for the diamond necklace rising.
Oyabun Takeshi was anxious as the auctioneer delayed closing the bid despite his low range signals at him.
Finally, the auctioneer slammed down his gavel, his eyes darting to Don Marco and Salvatore Ferragamo in case they would like to make the final move and call a bid to counter Oyabun Takeshi.
“Going once… going—”
“Ten million dollars!” Salvatore Ferragamo called at once before the auctioneer's final pronouncement.
“Ten million dollars from Salvatore Ferragamo. Anyone ready to raise the next bid?” The auctioneer asked with a brilliant smile gleaming on his lips.
Pedro smiled foolishly in his seat, rubbing his hands against each other as the leverage on the price for just a simple diamond necklace got raised higher. He was starting to wonder how much richer he would be at the end of the auction.
“Going once…” He called, scanning the room again and his eyes landed on Oyabun Takeshi, hoping he would make the next bid to counter Salvatore Ferragamo's price.
“Going twice… the item has been sold to Salvatore Ferragamo for ten million dollars!”
The room erupted into a flurry of whispers and gasps with Salvatore Ferragamo smiling triumphantly as he had claimed the necklace.
But Oyabun Takeshi's eyes narrowed, his face darkening with a sinister intent. This wasn't over yet and in the end, he would probably pay Salvatore Ferragamo a daring visit.
In this high stakes game of cat and mouse, only the strongest and the most cunning and the richest man who was ready to flaunt his wealth would emerge victorious.
The auction was about to get a whole lot more interesting as the next item for bidding was wheeled into the stage as the auctioneer presented the name to the ears of the guests.
“The next item— La Perla Nera, the black pearl.”