Chapter 27 Auction

Chapter 27 Auction
Gabriel found himself standing quietly in a large ballroom. He had no idea what occasion he had just crashed, and he knew no one else here aside from Zina, who brought him.

New to the Arclight political and business scene, he was still very much an outlier.

"Mrs Freeman?" Gabriel called in a low questioning tone.

"I'm Mrs Freeman now?" Zina replied, her brows twitching and jaw clenched. For some reason, since he showed up this morning, he had been referring to her as 'Mrs Freeman', and for some reason, she did not understand; it annoyed her.

Gabriel was just being cautious. Although Andrea had checked many times, he did not dare to underestimate Adam.

Sensing that she was upset, he did not continue to ask why they were here. He had just arrived at the office when Zina pulled him out and brought him here.

"It's an auction, there's a piece I really want, I got the news too late, and it would have been rude to leave you waiting for me at the Office," Zina explained.

Gabriel nodded in understanding and took a moment to look around.

"Who's hosting?" he asked looking around.

Zina frowned and glanced up at him. She never bothered herself with that kind of information. Only people who had too much money could be obsessed with auctions. She was wealthy but just enough to run her businesses.

"Show off," she muttered and started towards their seat.

The auction was a single-floor ballroom. While it was elite, it was also very formal and legal so everyone socialized freely.

"Senator," a figure approached Zina with a warm smile.

"Mrs Freeman, it's been too long," the Senator greeted. She was a middle-aged woman with beautiful sideburns. Zina glanced subtly at them and smiled. Senator Vera was well-known for her beauty and elegance more so than her political skills. All because of how gorgeous she looked with sideburns which most other women would squirm about.

"It's a breath of fresh air meeting you here. This is Gabriel Auralis of Auralis Innovations," Zina introduced.

"Oh, I know who he is," the Senator turned to Gabriel with a professional smile.

Gabriel shrugged and reached out for a handshake, "Hello," he greeted.

"Nice to finally meet you. You and your lawyer have been a thorn to many of my colleagues."

"Simply fighting for the less privileged and unarmed," Gabriel replied.

"Like we're holding a gun to them, huh?" the Senator chuckled.

"Home invaders are armed with surprise" Gabriel returned with a smile.

Zina quietly looked between the two as they exchanged words with a smile on her lips. With her, Gabriel had been straight as a board, watching him play the political game was oddly pleasing.

"Shouldn't we find our seats?" She hated to interrupt, but it was necessary; the two of them looked like they could go on forever.

"I like this one, you should keep him," Senator Vera said to Zina and left.

"She likes you" Zina teased.

"She resorted to an insult. I like her too" Gabriel smirked.

Zina immediately felt peeved. What does he mean insult? Was being with her such a bad idea?

Gabriel watched the Senator go. Her last compliment and belittlement made him feel at ease. A person who could be unravelled was not a threat. Thinking about this, he turned to Zina, his gaze deep.

Zina was just feeling annoyed. Gabriel seemed to have woken up today with the sole intention of annoying her. She narrowed her eyes and turned to him only to catch his stare.

His eyes deep and thoughtful, Gabriel observed her intently. His thoughts started incredibly complex but he was soon carried away by her side profile. His gaze moved from her defined jaw to her ears. A whiff of strawberry greeted him and he smiled.

Seeing that smile on Gabriel's face, Zina felt all her annoyance wash away. It was the first time he smiled at her like that. Before now, it always felt like there was weight on his lips that made his smiles feel genuine but also distant.

"We should sit," Zina blushed and looked away.

Gabriel followed as she led the way to their seats, a moment later, a young man in a tux approached and offered them two placards.

"What do you need one for?" Zina frowned at Gabriel.

Gabriel shrugged but did not respond. His love for auctions was one of the few things he did not inherit from either Adam or Andrea. In a way, it grounded him.

Leaning closer to Zina so he could whisper, as the crowd had fallen silent with the appearance of the host."What are you hoping to get? he asked.

Startled by the voice in her ear, Zina turned sharply not expecting him to be so close. Their faces, barely two inches apart.

She quickly turned back to the platform and whispered, "You'll see."

Gabriel also felt his breath hitch in that moment. The last time Zina had kissed him so suddenly and with his memory triggered and his consciousness seemingly trapped he hadn't felt anything.

The ambiguous atmosphere also brought memories, Cici and their wild moment in the restroom quickly came to mind, then he thought about Fiona and Andrea.

As soon as his mind went in that direction, he refocused on the man on the platform.

"Welcome, Ladies and Gents, to the forty-second Variety Auction. I am Gerald Henshaw and I will be your host. A few friends have put up some exciting items and offers, I hope everyone can leave here today with something.

"The rules are simple, bid respectfully! We'll begin today with the LeVert Estate, going for four hundred and seventy million dollars; each bid must have an increment of ten million. I have 470, can I get a 480?"

"480! Can we do a 490? The LeVert Estate, though still under development, is neighbors to Hallow Bay, 490! Can I get a 500?!"

Gabriel watched the auction proceed through the early stages without participating.

"Next up is Bluevine Botanical Gardens, with the collapse of Bluevine Group, their farms have been under the care of Variety. All facilities, equipment, and fields have been well-maintained. Bidding starts at $720 million, each bid will be $30 million and above."

Gabriel squinted as he realized what Zina wanted. The Bluevine Botanical Gardens was not really a garden but a very large farm where many medicinal plants were grown for cosmetics. Lynch Cosmetics grew their own herbs so it was understandable that they would want it.

Arclight was a business hub, but more than 80% were into the Tech business. Lynch Cosmetics was an outlier, thus Zina was easily able to secure the farm.

Gabriel nearly laughed at the pained expression Zina tried to hide but knowing it would be insensitive. She wasn't even spending her own money, the Lynch family could certainly afford it.

"We're now at the finale of the auction, the next item on the list is a license to mine Brown-Steel"

A low hum passed through the crowd, and even Gabriel sat up.