Chapter 34 Chapter 34
Megan gave a small nod and took the card.
“No problem, then,” she said simply.
She turned slightly, ready to leave, but before she could take another step, Liam suddenly cleared his throat.
There was an unfamiliar hesitation in him now.
A trace of nervousness.
“Please forgive the interruption,” he said quickly. “And I am sorry in advance if what I am about to say makes you uncomfortable or if it seems like I am crossing a line.”
He paused, as though choosing his words with great care.
Then he lowered his voice and added, “But I am truly sorry… please, if you can, could you just spare me one minute of your time? I really have something important to say to you.”
At that moment, hearing Liam’s words, Megan paused.
She had been on the verge of leaving, but something in his tone made her stop. Slowly, she turned back to face him.
“What is it you want to talk about?” she asked.
Liam straightened at once, then adjusted himself and cleared his throat, trying to gather his composure.
“Well,” he began, “I know this may sound a little awkward to you, especially because it does not really concern the business between us here. But I just had the feeling that you might be interested in what I am about to say.”
Without wasting another second, he walked back to his desk, opened one of the drawers, and brought out a neatly prepared brochure.
Then he returned and presented it to Megan with both hands.
“There is an auction coming up,” he said. “A very special auction.”
He paused, then offered a polite smile.
“And I should properly introduce myself. My name is Liam, and aside from being the director of this bank, my family is also involved in the world of ancient antiques.”
His tone carried a trace of pride now.
“We collect rare and valuable antiques from all around the globe.”
Then he looked at her more carefully before continuing.
“I do not know why, but I feel that someone like you someone of your pedigree would appreciate seeing a collection like ours.”
He lightly gestured toward the brochure in his hand.
“And tomorrow, we are holding an auction.”
As soon as Liam finished speaking, Megan already knew she was not particularly interested.
Ancient antiques, private collections, exclusive auctions none of it stirred any real curiosity in her at that moment. Still, she did not want to shut him down too harshly with an outright refusal.
Sensing her hesitation, Liam gently extended the brochure toward her.
“It is not by force,” he said quickly. “I would never try to pressure you. I only hoped you might take a proper look at it. Perhaps… perhaps something in it might catch your attention.”
Not wanting to appear rude or unnecessarily proud, Megan accepted it from his hand.
She opened the first page and gave it a brief glance, then the second.
Then the third.
Her expression barely changed.
Nothing she saw seemed particularly useful to her, and nothing truly held her attention.
After a short moment, she lifted her head slightly and said, “I… I would not be able to come.”
Liam immediately understood.
He had already seen enough to know that Megan was not someone he could casually persuade or pressure. She was far beyond the kind of person one pushed, and he had no intention of crossing a boundary with her.
So he simply nodded and stepped back with respectful restraint.
“No problem, then,” he said. “No problem. I totally understand.”
At that moment, Megan was just about to close the brochure and hand it back to Liam.
But as she shifted it in her hand, one of the inner pages flipped open again on its own.
Her gaze dropped almost absentmindedly—And then froze.
There, displayed among the auction pieces, was a ring.
The instant her eyes landed on it, something inside her tightened.
A strange recognition struck her with such force that she went completely still.
"Isn’t this… the Ring of the Queen of the North?"
Her fingers stiffened around the edge of the brochure.
Yes, It had to be.
That ring was no ordinary artifact.
It was said to possess an extremely rare significance something far beyond wealth, beauty, or historical value. According to ancient legend, when the ring was awakened and properly harnessed by someone with exceptionally high spiritual pressure and powerful cultivation, it could reveal its true potential.
More than that, the ring was believed to recognize and choose a successor of its own lineage.
It did not simply belong to anyone.
It chose, Megan stared at the image, her thoughts suddenly in turmoil.
Just moments ago, she had felt nothing for the auction.
No interest, no curiosity, no reason to attend.
But now, for reasons she could not fully explain, it was as though the ring itself was reaching out to her.
Calling her.