Wearing an evening gown that draped elegantly over her shoulders, Harper descended the stairs with a shy expression. She still had a faint recollection of what she had done last night while drunk—shamelessly flirting with Marc like a desperate girl starving for affection. Thinking about it now, she bit her lip, feeling too embarrassed to even look the young man in the face.However, when her gaze landed on Marc, who was standing in the living room on the first floor, her embarrassment slowly faded, only to be replaced by a deepening blush.Down below, the young man looked back at her with a smile, forming a gesture with his thumb and index finger, silently praising her appearance. His casual demeanor made it seem as though he wasn’t thinking about what had happened the previous night at all.“You look absolutely stunning tonight,” Marc said, his smile widening as Harper stepped onto the first floor.“The same compliment applies to you. No one would ever guess that the handsome young m

Auctionarium was an extremely strict venue. If you weren’t invited to their events, you had to make a reservation at least a week in advance. And even then, it didn’t guarantee you entry.Not only the staff but also Harper, who stood beside Marc, didn’t understand why the young man had chosen to present his identification card instead. Shouldn’t he be showing the invitation envelope I gave him? she wondered.Even so, the young woman remained silent. She chose to trust Marc completely."Ah, my apologies. I meant this," Marc feigned realization of his mistake, pulling back his ID card and handing over the Winslow family’s invitation envelope instead.Only then did the staff member’s wide smile return."Ah, a representative from the Winslow family! My apologies. Ma’am, Sir, your seats are in the front row."The staff member lifted the barrier and gestured for the two of them to enter the rightmost lane, the most exclusive among the three."Thank you."Nodding, Marc resumed walking, Harpe

Alistair, upon witnessing the situation, curled his lips in satisfaction and pride."You’re just a bunch of fools who know nothing," he sneered internally. "How could you possibly grasp the grandeur of this box?"He was elated because he had successfully flaunted himself as someone who had auctioned an item at the highest price in Wyndham’s history—one of the highest even in Walenstein. Moreover, he was pleased because everything was going according to plan."No one will be able to bid for this ring, right? I’d like to see who in this city has the money to place an offer! Hahaha!"Of course, his assumption did not account for Harper, who had been glaring at him with anger and disgust without his notice."Marc, no matter what, I will get the Golden Nirvana," Harper declared.With determination blazing in her eyes, the young woman was resolved to make amends for her past mistakes by doing whatever it took to return the item to its rightful place. "I want us to take it back to the monaste

The hall suddenly fell silent for a moment before erupting into chaos."Oh my God! I'm not dreaming, am I? Spending half a billion just for a ring? This is absolutely insane! No, this is beyond unreasonable!"The atmosphere in the hall became even more frenzied as people whispered among themselves. Their heartbeats raced, a mix of excitement and shock overwhelming them.Harper was no exception."I-Is this... really what I just heard?"With disbelief written all over her tense face, her eyes locked onto the far end of the row, where the mysterious man sat calmly in his chair."He spent that much money and still looks completely unfazed?" A bead of cold sweat trickled down Harper's forehead without her realizing it.Unlike the young woman, however, the man wore a broad smile—satisfied yet composed, his expression unwavering."Should I give up?"The question echoed in her mind. Of course, she could bid higher, but still—five hundred million was no small sum. Spending such an amount would

"We're leaving now, let's go."Marc rose from his seat hastily, gently pulling Harper's hand, though his urgency was evident.After the Golden Nirvana fell into the hands of the mysterious bidder, there was actually one final auction item—meant to conclude the evening—the marquis' broken sword. It was supposed to be the closing event of this monthly auction. However, Marc clearly had no intention of staying any longer to wait for it."Where to?"Harper furrowed her brows, confused about where the young man was taking her. Even so, she simply let herself be led.As they stepped out of the auction building and into the courtyard, Harper’s gaze locked onto a particular spot—a young man standing there, struggling to speak."Mmmm-mmmm," he mumbled, his words indistinct.Around him, several bodyguards looked perplexed. Some scratched their heads, unable to comprehend what the man was trying to say, while others simply stared at him, slowly realizing that something was seriously wrong."My l