Chapter 282 The Auction Begins

Chapter 282 The Auction Begins

The moment Wendy finished speaking, someone stepped forward from beside Ivy—it was Philip's assistant, Derek.

His face was cold, completely unlike his usual approachable demeanor. With an icy attitude, he addressed the arrogant Wendy before him. "Miss, I don't know about the rest, but if you're talking about the dress Ms. Cooper is wearing, I absolutely must set the record straight."

The instant Derek spoke up, several gossip-loving socialites nearby craned their necks to get a better look at Ivy's dress.

Someone gasped. "Oh my God, I think I've seen this dress before!"

"What do you mean 'seen it before'? This is clearly one of Mr. Michelle's limited-edition pieces! Oh, you're Ivy, right? There was already buzz about Mr. Michelle's designs being in your possession. You've already worn two limited-edition outfits before, so this must be the third!

My God, you're incredible! Are you close with Mr. Michelle? Could you connect me so I can buy one of his limited pieces too? I've got the money—I just don't have the connections!"

Ivy tilted her head, glancing at the surrounding society ladies. Before she could respond, someone else chimed in. "Oh my God, I'm a huge fan of Mr. Michelle! I don't even want to buy his clothes—I just want his autograph! Miss, could you help me out?"

Ivy never expected to draw this much attention. Meanwhile, Wendy's face had turned an ugly shade of fury. She sneered bitterly. "Ha! It's just a dress. What's the big deal? At most, it's worth some money. Today's main event is the auction items. I'd like to see what kind of auction piece you can produce, Ivy."

Wendy threw out her challenge, expecting Ivy to cower. But before Ivy could even respond, the discerning society ladies jumped in. "What exactly are you trying to say? If you don't know quality when you see it, why even come to an auction? Don't you know that one of Mr. Michelle's limited-edition pieces is worth more than several of tonight's auction items combined?"

Wendy froze, not quite understanding. She stammered, "What... what do you mean?"

"Isn't it obvious? I mean that the dress this young lady is wearing, if auctioned tonight, would be worth at least tens of millions."

"Exactly! I'm guessing this lady's auction item tonight is probably this very outfit. As a collector's piece, plenty of collectors would fight to buy it! Mr. Michelle is an internationally renowned top-tier fashion designer, and most importantly, he hasn't released any new designs in years. This one dress alone, put up at tonight's auction, would have plenty of bidders."

Wendy paused, momentarily stunned. The Mason family weren't true aristocrats, so she knew very little about these things. She pressed her lips together, processing the information, but then remembered the family heirloom in her possession.

Immediately, she straightened her spine again. "Auctioning off a dress? What's the point of that? The auction item I'm bringing tonight is definitely worth far more than her little outfit!"

"We'll just see about that, Ivy. Don't think that just because you used Mr. Green's connections to get in here, you can stand by his side. Hmph."

Wendy lifted her chin haughtily and turned to leave, leaving Ivy standing there helplessly rolling her eyes. All she'd wanted was to wait for the auction to start, yet somehow she'd gotten caught up in this nonsense. How utterly ridiculous.

The society ladies still wanted to pump Ivy for information, but just then, the auction officially began.

Everyone took their seats. Once seated, Ivy realized that Philip held paddle number one and was sitting in the VIP section at the very center of the auction floor. Instantly, she and Philip became the focal point of the entire venue.

"Oh my God, isn't that young lady the date Mr. Green brought tonight?"

"I heard she's Ivy from the Cooper family. What she's auctioning tonight is that limited-edition Mr. Michelle dress she's wearing. Honestly, it's gorgeous."

"I'm guessing it'll fetch at least tens of millions. But that definitely matches Mr. Green's taste and status."

"You know, I have to say—Ivy in that limited-edition dress, sitting next to Mr. Green... don't they look kind of perfect together?"

"Stop it, you're breaking my heart all over again. Mr. Green is practically the most elite man in high society, and now that he's sitting with Ivy, I actually think they match really well. We never had a chance anyway."

...

As the society ladies gossiped, Wendy sat in a corner, her face darkening by the second. She'd had no idea who Ivy was before—she'd just thought Ivy looked plain, average height, average everything.

But now she realized Ivy was apparently someone in high society too.

She pressed her lips together, then overheard more conversation from nearby socialites.

"If the person standing next to Mr. Green is Ivy, I wouldn't feel so bitter about it. After all, Ivy is the head of the Cooper family, and she's so beautiful. I heard she has connections with many top-tier aristocrats. In just six months, she's already multiplied the Cooper family's net worth several times over. She's got the entire Cooper family running smoothly under her management."

"What's even more terrifying is that Ms. Cooper just turned eighteen and is only a college freshman. My God, talk about a winner in life."

"Absolutely. Plus, Ms. Cooper is a genius. I heard she's exceptionally talented in many fields and has partnerships with Silver Bay Pharmaceuticals and First General Hospital. That level of intelligence is something I couldn't achieve in several lifetimes.

So the fact that Mr. Green's first female companion in all these years is Ivy? I'm not jealous at all. Because it makes sense."

...

The more people talked, the darker Wendy's expression became. Head of an aristocratic family, high-IQ college student, so young, and from such a wealthy background.

The more Wendy thought about it, the more jealous she became.

No matter what, the auction item she brought tonight would shock everyone. It would definitely outshine that Ivy person. A dress? What was that compared to her family's heirloom? There was no comparison!

"Welcome, everyone, to tonight's auction. We will now officially begin!"

The auctioneer on stage wore a sharp black suit, looking both dignified and striking.

Standing under the lights, he explained tonight's auction rules.