Chapter 247 Teach Daniel a Lesson
On the way, Grace saw some decent items she was ready to bid on, but every time she did, Madison outbid her.
Grace wasn't desperate for them, so she let Madison have them.
Xavier also placed a few bids and snagged some items at reasonable prices, though they were useless to him.
Later, Xavier bought a painting for a hefty sum.
"Why'd you buy this painting?" Grace asked quietly.
"To put in a museum," Xavier replied.
Grace fell silent.
Xavier's actions felt familiar. She remembered a painting she had placed in a museum and wanted to visit it again.
The auction was wrapping up, and the final item, the evening's highlight, was brought out.
Everyone gasped. It was a beautiful goddess statue, palm-sized but with exquisite details.
The statue shimmered in gold, and the goddess seemed to smile, her eyes following you from any angle. The artist had imbued it with a romantic, mythological spirit, making it seem alive.
Legend said it was Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, a masterpiece by an artist who considered it his finest work. It had remained in pristine condition.
Even Xavier was tempted.
The auctioneer said it was extremely rare and brought good luck.
The starting bid was thirty million dollars.
Bids rose quickly, hitting fifty million, then one hundred million—just numbers to the bidders.
Especially Daniel, who placed the fastest bids, his eyes glowing.
"What do you think of this?" Xavier asked Grace.
Grace's eyes were filled with disbelief.
She pondered, 'Was this the goddess statue? Was it really this valuable? But didn't my mother say...'
Just as Xavier was about to bid, Grace stopped him.
"Don't bid," she said.
"Why not?"
"This isn't the real goddess statue," Grace said.
"Are you saying it's a fake?" Xavier was puzzled.
But Jared wouldn't make a fake item the highlight of the auction.
"Have you seen it before?" Xavier asked.
Grace hesitated, then shook her head. "The goddess statue has been missing for so long. This one suddenly appears and looks fake. Besides, no one has ever seen the real goddess statue. What if it's fake? Spending so much would be a waste."
Grace was sure it wasn't genuine because she had the real one. Her mother had given it to her, saying it was a piece of art.
The craftsmanship of that era wasn't as refined as this one.
But seeing this statue, Grace felt hers was the real one. Her mother wouldn't give her a fake.
She was puzzled. How could her mother have the genuine article if it was so precious?
What other secrets did her mother have that Grace didn't know about?
The bidding hit three hundred million dollars, and the bidder was the guy who had tried to touch Grace earlier.
Right after his bid, Xavier raised his paddle.
Grace had just told Xavier not to bid, but he said, "Five hundred million dollars."
Grace was stunned. She thought, 'Was he nuts?'
Five hundred million dollars, an extra two hundred million on top of three hundred million, could buy a ton of stuff. Even though Xavier made money easily, this was over the top.
Xavier's bid silenced the room, completely outdoing the previous bidder.
The guy saw it was Xavier and backed down.
It seemed like Xavier was showing off his wealth.
But five hundred million was too high. The guy didn't think it was worth it and didn't dare to bid again.
Even though everyone there was rich, spending that much on this item seemed crazy.
Daniel was tempted but didn't act rashly.
"Five hundred million dollars, any other bids? Five hundred million dollars going once, five hundred million dollars going twice..."
Just as the auctioneer was about to call it for the third time, Xavier said, "This item is beautiful. What's the point of making so much money if you can't enjoy it? Who knows how long you'll live? If I could take such a treasure to the grave, wouldn't that be worth it?"
Daniel's expression changed upon hearing Xavier's words.
Xavier's words were harsh but made sense.
Daniel was old and didn't know how much time he had left. The money would just sit there unused. He might as well enjoy it while he could.
After all, he really liked the item.
Before the auctioneer could finish, Daniel raised his paddle. "Six hundred million dollars."
"This gentleman bids six hundred million dollars. Any higher bids?" the auctioneer said.
"One billion dollars," Xavier bid again.
Daniel gritted his teeth. "One point one billion dollars."
Hearing this, Xavier stood up. "Let's go."
He didn't intend to bid any higher and left with Grace.
Outside the auction, Grace asked, "Why didn't you bid higher?"
"You told me not to. Why would I buy a fake?" Xavier said.
"You believe me? What if it's real?" Grace wasn't sure herself, but she was happy Xavier trusted her.
Xavier said, "Even if it's real, it's useless to me. I won't take it to the grave, but somebody will."
Grace understood. "So you said that to make Daniel bid higher?"
"How were you sure he would bid? What if he didn't?" Then Xavier would have bought a fake goddess statue for five hundred million dollars.
If Xavier had really bought it, Grace might have felt worse than Xavier. She had never seen so much money in her life.
Xavier said, "If he didn't bid, it wouldn't matter. It's not that much money. I could use it as a table leg."
Xavier was wealthy, with an annual income that was incalculable.
Grace fell silent.
If others knew that something they couldn't afford was just a table leg to Xavier, they would be furious.
"Why did you target Daniel? Do you have a grudge against him, or did he offend you?" Grace asked.
"No," Xavier said.
Xavier was just vengeful. He remembered the time backstage at the fashion show when that creep Daniel tried to make a move on Grace, so he was just teaching Daniel a lesson.
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