Chapter 30

Gasps shot across the room, and Dayna's eyes burned with fury as she fixed her gaze on the second floor.

Meanwhile, the auctioneer on stage couldn't hide his delight, convinced that fortune had favored him tonight.

"Would you like to go higher, miss?" he asked Dayna.

Although Janessa had prepared only five million for her, there was no way she would back down like this.

Silence settled like a heavy cloud over the hall, all eyes locked on Dayna. Her cheeks burned, stung by the scornful glances around her.

Without a word, she turned to Jaxton, desperation flickering in her eyes.

Keen and quick to pick up on the situation, the auctioneer didn't miss a beat. Sensing Dayna's dilemma, he turned to Jaxton. "Sir, do you want to raise your bid?"

Those who had focused on Dayna now shifted their gaze,waiting to see Jaxton's next move.

Displeasure crept over Jaxton's face, both toward the auctioneer's tactics and Dayna's gesture, but he was left with no choice. He had to grit his teeth and lift the offer by another million.

"Ten million!"

As soon as Jaxton set down his paddle, Wyatt shot a signal toward Davin, and Davin raised the bid to a new height.

The bracelet's value had rocketed, far beyond its starting price. But for the wealthy people gathered on the second floor, tossing around ten million barely registered as a loss.

Jaxton was in a tight spot. Conceding now would bring disgrace to the Morrison family. In an instant, the auction transformed into a showdown between Jaxton and Wyatt.

Jaxton kept nudging up the offer by a million each round, while Davin-actingon Wyatt's cue-raised the bid continuously, eventually bumping the price straight to fifty million.

Anger flashed in Jaxton's eyes as he stared up at the second floor, refusing to quit, and pushed the bid up another million.

On the second floor, Davin watched Jaxton with thinly veiled amusement, thinking that he was a fool.No one in Kretol had dared to compete with Wyatt like this before.

Just as Davin prepared to up the bid once more,Amelia's voice rang out. "Stop!"

Looking straight at Wyatt, she said firmly, "A bracelet like this can't possibly be worth more than a few hundred thousand. Even if you have money to burn,why throw it away like this?" For Wyatt, such a sum was like spare change.

Still, he gave Amelia a respectful nod after her words reached him. "Fine. I'll do as you say."

Davin wasted no time setting the microphone down.

The hush that followed from the second floor disappointed the crowd, while Jaxton's expression shifted.

The price of the bracelet-fifty-one million-soared far above the amount Laura had prepared for him.

Dayna, sitting uncomfortably beside Jaxton, found herself at a loss. While it had been Jaxton who had continued to raise the stakes, it had been her actions that ignited the bidding war.

Applause sounded as the auctioneer congratulated Jaxton. Dayna, uncertain, tried to slip her hand into Jaxton's, but he jerked away.

Her injured hand throbbed even worse after his abrupt reaction, prompting a sharp cry of pain.Yet,the auctioneer's next words made her forget about

her pain.

With Dayna as the one who had begun the bidding war,both she and Jaxton now had to bear the weight of the final cost together.

Jaxton's scowl softened just a bit after he heard that.

Dayna instinctively wanted to back out, but seeing Jaxton's gaze, she forced a strained smile. "Jaxton,don't worry. I'll share the cost of the fifty-one million with you. This whole mess was my fault. I'm sorry..."

With teary eyes and a trembling voice, she looked at him, waiting for his response. Seeing her like this, he could only say, "It's alright. You don't have to pay half."

Hope fluttered in Dayna's chest; she was convinced his words came from his love for her. But his next words left her stunned.

"You can only pay twenty-five million. I'll take care of the rest."