The married housekeeper Bertha exited the lift and hurried down the corridor with her service trolley. She was headed towards Suite No. 401, the most expensive room in Mayfair Lagoon. The multi-billionaire Derek Shepherd had booked the suite at face value. She heard he was wealthier than even the Triumvirate billionaires combined.As Bertha approached the door, the sight made her turn beet red. She gasped and covered her mouth as her eyes widened. Two designer thongs, black and red, hung on the doorknob. Did they belong to the ladies inside?A DO NOT DISTURB sign hung from the handle. Bertha stopped in her tracks and did not knock. Loud female voices moaned in unison from the inside. What was happening in Suite No. 401?"Ah! Ah! Stop! It hurts!""It won't fit in my mouth!"Bertha realized the truth and blushed even more. Derek Shepherd was having sex with multiple women! Did he have no shame? Customers with families and children could overhear them. Who were those females? Prostitutes
Mayor Gunderson leered at the girls for a few moments before he pitched in. "I've been around for a while in Springfield, Mr. Shepherd. I know the Damone family. Once upon a time, they used to be wealthy and influential. But now they are nobodies, about to be extinct. Old man Edgar is a husk of the man he used to be. His grandson, Victor, is even worse... A hopeless loser... A stubborn stain on the footpath."Derek guffawed and gulped his entire drink. "Oh, then he needs to pay for his arrogance. I'm going to demolish Victor's pride in public. Tonight if he comes to the forefront, I'll annihilate him!"***Victor entered the crowded auction hall silently. He wanted to take an inconspicuous seat without attracting attention. However, his wish was never fulfilled."Victorrr!" Claire called out from the VVIP area. "Come and sit with meee!" Apparently, the beauty had consumed a few glasses of wine and was enjoying herself with friends and acquaintances. Claire Holt was the owner of Mayfa
"A hundred million?" the Chief Auctioneer, Phillips Sotheby, asked in surprise. He took an uncertain step towards the young bidder. "Did I hear a hundred million, mister? Are you sure?"Victor nodded, and the crowd gasped in unison. "What are you doing?" Claire mouthed at him. Even though Victor had revealed himself as an extraordinary, influential man, a hundred million dollars was no joke. Even with a large inheritance, Claire couldn't afford to spend that amount in a random auction. She had won a few middle-tier items worth less than two million through bids."Have you lost your mind?" Rose exclaimed, pulling at Victor's sleeve. "These are serious people who don't take offenses lightly. Derek Shepherd is a powerful man you shouldn't cross!""I know what I am doing," the man replied coldly. His aura had transformed by then into one of authority. His words prompted the beauties to stay silent. At the gallery's other end, Derek Shepherd frowned in annoyance. Not only had he been conf
Derek leaned back and nodded a few times. "Yes, that makes sense. He's just a desperate and arrogant gigolo trying to satisfy his ego! So be it! Losing the Prometheus Dagger is okay because the rest of the exclusive set is still expensive. However, I need the seven-gems royal gown. After Angela Kaufmann's death, the price has skyrocketed. Within five years, it will ascend as a classic, worth over a billion dollars!"The appalling course of events shook Phillips Sotheby, but he got hold of himself in a minute. "The next and final item is the seven-gem royal gown made by the legendary art collector Angela Kauffman! She passed away recently; may God rest her soul in peace…"Carol recalled reading a newspaper headline that broke the news of Angela's demise. The cause of death was an unfortunate boating accident. After the information was leaked, the market value of all her creations ballooned exponentially.The billionaire gathering observed a minute of silence for Angela since she was a
The affluent gathering in Mayfair Lagoon buzzed with animated gossip. It was the first time they had seen such a dramatic confrontation between bidders. A man of Derek Shepherd's standing accused an ordinary bodyguard of being a fraudster.Derek was not to be blamed since the Chief Auctioneer, Phillips Sotheby, himself harbored serious doubts. The way Victor Damone had conducted himself raised a lot of red flags.First of all, Victor was a mere bodyguard. He looked too young to have achieved any level of success in the business world. Finally, his bid of six hundred million dollars for the seven-gems royal gown sounded unrealistic. Not even a trillionaire would spend such an exorbitant amount on an auction.Sotheby's accountant, Miller, stood before Victor's table with an extended hand. He asked for his debit card to confirm his bank balance.Rose turned to Victor and offered him a debit card. "My account has fifty million dollars. I won't mind if you use it."Claire had already fishe
"I'm just a simple bidder," Victor replied. "Now, do your job."Miller seemed like he was in a trance. He turned to the billionaire crowd slowly. "The bidder, Victor Damone's account, is legitimate. His financial credentials are genuine. Mr. Damone can pay for his bid of six hundred and twenty million dollars!"The assembly broke into gasps and squeals. Did Victor really own such inordinate wealth? If so, why did he live the life of a poor bodyguard?Derek and Sotheby's faces looked like bags of rice had hit them squarely.Carol was stumped as well. She could not imagine in her wildest dreams that her ex-husband had over six hundred million dollars! Where did Victor get the wealth from? Clearly, he refused the cards of the lady billionaires and insisted on getting his own card scanned. If the man was indeed affluent, why did he hide such a huge secret from his wife?Everyone else looked at Victor in admiration. Claire was speechless, while Rose and Julia's eyes were wide in shock. What
Haley B and Claire gasped as Derek revealed he had a ticking bomb in his body. "Victor… Is that a real bomb?" Claire stammered. She left her seat and backed away in panic. Haley B's face showed signs of alarm, but she didn't budge from her position. 'I will die one day or another,' she told herself. 'But I'll be lucky if it happens beside the man I love.'Victor didn't respond to Claire's question. He was convinced beyond doubt it was a genuine bomb. His piercing eyes narrowed, analyzing the blinking light on Derek's abdomen. The monolith leader had implanted a nano-bomb under his skin that could take down the entire building in an explosion. Victor was confident their organization had no access to such advanced technology. He figured they purchased it from an underworld broker, perhaps the Blackwells. Angela Kaufmann was working on military applications of nanotechnology, many of which were stolen by the Puppetmaster. The latter sold the advanced tech to the highest bidder. The nan
"He wants to destroy the world, and the Armageddon will start in Springfield. A place where he failed last time…"Victor's eyes peered into Derek's. The defeated villain drooled like a baby in a trance. "I see. So the Puppetmaster has finally changed his ways, making allies in the criminal world. He'll fail all the same as I'm going to stop him. Now tell me what he looks like! Where is he hiding?"Derek snapped out of his reverie for a moment and vomited blood. "It's too late, Victor Damone…" he spat. "He's sending your own blood to destroy you... All your loved ones will be killed… He will have no mercy!" Victor was about to put Derek under hypnosis again, but the Monolith leader started bleeding from his eyes, nose, and ears. He collapsed to the floor and went into a violent seizure. With a last convulsion, he frothed in the mouth and slumped dead.Victor kneeled and parted Derek's dead lips. "There was a suicide pill hidden in his tooth. It was activated remotely. We were being w