Chapter 16 Two Very Important People Arguing Here
The elegant ladies from various families were all seated together, chatting about the latest gossip to pass the time.
When the host mentioned Vera Simmons, Kelly sighed, "At the Williams family's banquet, Mr. Johnson showed up in person, and even Ms. Simmons sent a gift. It really shows how much respect Mr. Williams commands."
Someone who didn’t know much about the Simmons family asked about Vera, prompting Kelly to share, "I heard this from my mom and her friends."
"They say the Simmons family used to be second only to the Brown family in Border Ridge City, but they haven’t had many descendants. Mr. Rodolfo Simmons' first wife, Mrs. Isadora Simmons, and his second wife, Mrs. Natalia Simmons, both only had daughters."
"Ten years ago, Mrs. Isadora Simmons' daughter, Ms. Rosie Simmons, went missing while traveling in Novaria. Later, Mr. Rodolfo Simmons was bedridden with cancer, and now the Simmons family is run by Ms. Vera Simmons."
Kelly sneered, "This Vera, she's an illegitimate child. Her mother didn’t even have a proper status before, but now she's the sole heir of the Simmons family, and everyone has to respectfully call her Ms. Simmons."
"But I heard that Rosie didn’t actually go missing. She committed suicide by jumping into the sea in Novaria."
Seeing the others' surprise, Kelly whispered mysteriously, "I also heard something strange. When someone rescued Rosie from the sea, she was already not breathing."
"But when the rescuer went to get help, Rosie disappeared, and there was no further news. That’s why the Simmons family claimed she went missing."
"A dead person suddenly disappearing?" Grace couldn't help but be astonished. "That's too bizarre."
"Yeah, and it was at night. Besides the man who rescued her, there was no one else on the beach."
"But it’s impossible for a dead Rosie to come back to life and leave on her own, right? The thought of it is just creepy."
Kelly rubbed the goosebumps on her arms as she spoke.
Meanwhile, many guests at the auction had started bidding.
The host wasn't exaggerating. Blood-red ginseng naturally grows in cliff crevices and can't be cultivated. It's rare, and finding one over twenty years old is even harder, making it priceless.
The ginseng in the ornate box, though only half the size of a palm, was deep red in both root and tendrils, indicating its top-notch quality.
Using blood-red ginseng to make wine can have immediate health benefits for the sick, and for the healthy, it can prolong life. At the very least, it's valuable for collection or gifting.
In less than ten minutes, the bid had reached $3.5 million.
Sophie wasn't interested in the ginseng at all. She was attending the auction more as a business obligation. Her bidding paddle remained with her secretary, and she didn’t bother to hold it.
Just then, Sophie's secretary, Briar, suddenly bent down and handed her a phone.
"Ms. Russell, your personal phone received a message. Please take a look."
"My personal phone?"
Sophie had two phones: one for work, with calls and messages filtered by Briar, and another for personal use.
As an orphan from a humble background with deceased parents and no genuine friends, the only person who had her personal number was Rosie, who hadn’t contacted her in over a year.
Taking a deep breath, Sophie quickly unlocked her phone. There was indeed a new message from a hidden number, containing only a few words.
[Sophie, I need that blood-red ginseng. Buy it for me, no matter the cost.]
Sophie's hand trembled, and a wave of emotion surged through her. She instinctively looked around the venue but didn’t see the familiar figure she remembered.
Before she could continue searching, another message came in.
[Sophie, I’m not at the venue. I saw the auction listing elsewhere. You don’t need to look for me.]
[I need the ginseng as a gift. Just buy it and give it directly to the person after the event.]
Sophie wanted to ask a million questions but ended up typing and deleting repeatedly. Finally, she just replied with one word: [Okay.]
It was as if Rosie could sense her thoughts through the screen, as another message quickly followed.
[Don’t worry, Sophie. Living in seclusion suits me well. I’m fine.]
[Take care of yourself and the Bailin Group. After all, I’m jobless and rely on you.]
Sophie couldn’t help but laugh softly, though her eyes grew even more moist.
"Ms. Russell."
Briar, seeing the usually stoic Sophie display such emotion, was surprised.
But as soon as Sophie looked up, her expression returned to that of a composed businesswoman.
"Briar, give me the bidding paddle."
By then, the bid had reached $3.8 million.
Sophie raised her paddle without hesitation, "Five million dollars."
Everyone else had been increasing the bid by $100,000 increments. Who jumps from $3.8 million to $5 million in one go?
When the crowd saw it was Sophie from the Bailin Group, they understood.
Sophie might not be part of River City's aristocratic circle, but she was undeniably a self-made millionaire. The Bailin Group was worth billions, giving her the financial clout to bid confidently.
Seeing Sophie’s determined look, others hesitated to continue. Blood-red ginseng was valuable, but bidding beyond $5 million required serious consideration.
The room fell silent as the host prepared to ask for further bids, only to hear a voice from the back, "Eight million dollars."
Who could that be? First, someone jumped from $3.8 million to $5 million, and now from $5 million to $8 million?
Turning to see, they found it was Eric, Michael's assistant. That made sense.
No one in River City was wealthier than Michael. The Johnson family controlled the city's economic lifeline, with investments in various industries.
Sophie was surprised to see Michael as her competitor.
In a typical auction, if Michael wanted an item, she wouldn’t compete, given the Bailin Group’s business ties with the Johnson family. Maintaining a good relationship was crucial.
But this time, Rosie wanted the ginseng, so Sophie was determined to get it for her.
Sophie raised her paddle again, "Ten million dollars."
Eric followed, "Twelve million dollars."
Sophie gritted her teeth, "Fifteen million dollars."
By now, no one else was bidding, watching the two prominent figures compete.
At $15 million, Eric turned to Michael for guidance, "Mr. Johnson, should we continue?"
"Sophie isn’t one to seek attention without reason. Let her have it," Michael said calmly.
Eric didn't raise the paddle again.
The host called for further bids three times, then declared the sale final.
Sophie finally breathed a sigh of relief and happily texted Rosie.
[Rosie, I got the ginseng. Who should I give it to after the event?]
[I saw, Sophie,] Rosie replied quickly. [Give it to Michael, the one who was bidding against you.]
Sophie was silent.
So what was she competing for?