Chapter 202 Take the Shot
Nolan squinted and turned towards the voice, but all he saw was a well-manicured hand.
'Who the heck is trying to outbid me?' he wondered.
The auctioneer on stage looked eagerly at Nolan. "Sixty million dollars! Any other bids?"
"Sixty-five million dollars!" Nolan raised his paddle again.
"Seventy million dollars," the other bidder countered.
Claire squinted in that direction and finally recognized the guy.
It was Mike from Dawn Innovations Group, the guy they met yesterday.
"Seventy-five million dollars," Nolan said, raising his paddle again.
Claire tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "That's Mike from Dawn Innovations Group."
Nolan's face changed. 'Seriously? Is Celestria so small that we run into him at a last-minute auction?'
Mike seemed determined to outbid him and raised the bid again. "Eighty million dollars."
The crowd buzzed. No matter how fancy this necklace was, eighty million was nuts.
"This gentleman has bid eighty million dollars. Any other bids?" The auctioneer was practically glowing, thinking about her commission.
"Mr. Smith, does Charles really want this? It's not worth it," Claire said, more anxious than Nolan.
Nolan ignored her and raised his paddle again. "Ninety million dollars."
Mike finally looked over. When he saw it was Nolan, he raised an eyebrow but didn't bid again.
After three knocks of the gavel, the "Eternal" necklace was Nolan's for ninety million dollars.
Nolan exhaled, relieved to have completed Charles's task.
With the "Eternal" necklace sold, the auction was wrapping up.
Nolan coordinated with the staff and was about to leave with Claire when Mike called out to them.
"Mr. Smith, Ms. Murphy. Fancy seeing you here." He was wearing a white sweater and, despite being in a wheelchair, looked quite refined.
He glanced around, confirming Charles wasn't there. "Mr. Percy didn't come?"
"Mr. Percy is busy, so he sent me," Nolan said, making up an excuse.
Mike rested his chin on his hand and said, "Seems like Mr. Percy wanted the 'Eternal' necklace. If he likes that style, our Dawn Innovations Group has plenty of options. Spending ninety million on that necklace is quite steep."
His tone was so fake that Nolan almost believed he wasn't the one who had just been bidding against him.
But Nolan kept his cool and smiled. "I just do what Mr. Percy asks. I don't know about other stuff. Mr. Bennett, I need to report back. If there's nothing else, I'll be going."
Sunlight streamed through the glass, lighting up half of Mike's face while the other half stayed in shadow. He smirked and said, "If we meet again, call me Brayden."
After emphasizing his name, he adjusted his wheelchair and rolled away.
Nolan and Claire exchanged puzzled looks.
They stood there for a moment before heading out.
Claire was more curious about who the "Eternal" necklace was for. "Mr. Smith, who is Charles giving the 'Eternal' necklace to? I don't see any women around him. Is it for his collection?"
She questioned it but secretly hoped.
The women around Charles were either her or Diana.
Since Charles couldn't stand Diana, it seemed unlikely he'd gift her anything. So, the "Eternal" necklace's recipient was a real mystery.
Nolan kept a straight face, but he was just as puzzled.
Charles wasn't into collecting jewelry, so who was this necklace for?
Not wanting to guess, Nolan cleared his throat and said softly, "I don't know Mr. Percy's intentions either. Ms. Murphy, if you're curious, maybe you should ask him directly."
Claire felt a bit stung by his words. If she could ask, she wouldn't be trying to find out secretly.
As they were talking, Nolan's phone buzzed.
He pulled it out and saw Charles's name on the screen.
"Mr. Percy, I've successfully bid for the 'Eternal' necklace. Anything else you need?" Nolan answered quickly, reporting the task's result.
Charles's voice was cold on the other end, "Book a flight back home immediately."
Before Nolan could respond, the call ended.
He checked his phone and saw a bunch of messages from Abigail.
They were all about the deal with Dawn Innovations Group, which had the board members excited about a potential opportunity.
Zachary had been abroad for a while as an overseas rep.
And the brand they were creating with Dawn Innovations Group was meant to go international. So, Zachary seemed like the perfect guy to lead the project.
That was the board's thinking. If they were just chatting about it, no big deal.
But they had taken action. Zachary was already on a plane back home.
Nolan was stunned. 'These guys are really asking for it, pulling a fast one on Charles. They're in for it when he gets back.'
"What's wrong, Mr. Smith?" Claire asked, confused.
Nolan put his phone away, looking serious. "Ms. Murphy, Mr. Percy needs to get back home ASAP. This is sudden, so you probably can't come with us. I'll arrange for someone to make sure you're safe and get you home."
"You're leaving me here? Alone?" Claire quickly caught the key point.
"Not alone, someone will look after you. This came up out of nowhere, so I can't promise you can come with us. I'm not even sure if I can go back with Mr. Percy."
Nolan looked a bit helpless. This trip to Celestria was really rushed.
Seeing him like this, Claire's expression softened.
It seemed there really was an urgent matter. Asking more questions wouldn't help. "Alright, I can manage here."
Seeing her agree, Nolan sighed in relief and went to book tickets back to the Rainbow Federation.
That night, at 1 a.m. Celestria time, Charles and Nolan boarded a plane back to the Rainbow Federation.
Seven hours later, they landed. They barely rested and went straight to the Percy Group for a board meeting.
The senior board members were either just waking up or enjoying breakfast.
Getting a sudden call to the Percy Group, they were all grumbling.
But the moment they saw Charles in the conference room, the older board members straightened up like mice seeing a cat, and no one dared to speak first.
The room fell into dead silence.
Charles rubbed his temples, his eyes cold.
He glanced at the time. In two hours, Zachary would probably land.
He wouldn't let Zachary set foot here again!
"How come no one told me Zachary was coming back while I was in Celestria?"
Charles's voice was icy, his gaze sharp as a blade, sweeping over the board members one by one.
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