“Five million.”
The price had just leapt by a staggering amount.
Niamh stared at Peter in disbelief.
“Gentleman with number forty–nine bids five million dollars. Five million, first call…”
Peter flashed Niamh a wide, almost mischievous grin, his hand holding the number forty–nine sign high in the air.
Niamh never would have guessed that Peter would join the bidding–let alone throw out a five–million–dollar offer.
But before the auctioneer could call a second time, Prince William, seated at the same table as Peter, raised the stakes again.
“Six million.”
Peter frowned.
“Six–point–one million,” he countered.
Unwilling to back down, Prince William pressed on.
“Six–point–two million.”
“Six–point–three million.”
Neither of them was giving an inch. The two volleyed bids back and forth, round after round.
At the adjacent table, Carlotta watched the escalating rivalry with undisguised curiosity. She leaned over, whispering into Hayes Quinn’s ear, “Do you think both of them have their eyes on Rina?”
Hayes didn’t answer.
Prince William was younger than Niamh, noticeably immature in both manner and bearing.
Peter, on the other hand, was the executive director of FY–suave, accomplished, the picture of success.
Yet Hayes could tell from Niamh’s reactions that she wasn’t interested in Peter, at least not in the way the others might have hoped.
1/3
08:56
Chapter 434
Hayes’s gaze drifted almost unconsciously toward Jonathan Thomas.
Among the rising stars in politics and business, Jonathan was in a league of his
own.
The Quinn family had always placed great importance on ties with the Thomas family–there had even been talk of marriage between the families.
But Hayes could never have imagined that the carefully chosen candidate for his adopted daughter had turned out to be the ex–husband of his own biological daughter.
By any measure, Jonathan was more than qualified.
So why had Rina divorced him?
Was it Jonathan who had ended things with Rina?
Or…
Hayes’s frown deepened, lines creasing his forehead. No matter how he tried to reason it through, he couldn’t unravel what had happened between Niamh and Jonathan.
Given his position, he couldn’t very well ask Jonathan, nor could he approach Niamh about it.
Meanwhile, at Peter and Prince William’s table, the bidding had soared to ten million dollars.
The sum eclipsed every other piece of jewelry or art auctioned that evening.
“Ten million, first call…”
Prince William shot Peter a lopsided, smug grin–one that was almost begging for a slap.
Niamh was shocked; she’d never imagined the price would climb so high. She felt certain Peter was about to bow out. When it came to financial clout, Peter couldn’t compete with Prince William.
But just as Prince William sat back, waiting for the gavel to fall, a cool, detached voice echoed across the Grand Primus Ballroom:
“Fifty million.”
The room fell silent for a split second. Then, with a muttered curse in his native tongue, Prince William broke the tension.
08:56
Chapter 434
The auctioneer needed a moment to recover before announcing, “Gentleman with number twenty–five bids fifty million dollars. Fifty million, first call…”
No one–least of all the auctioneer–had expected Niamh’s item to fetch such a
price.
Niamh herself was stunned. She couldn’t help but glance to her side.
All around the table, others mirrored her reaction. Sprague, Marigold, Hayes, Carlotta, Ramona Quinn, and Carlisle all turned in unison to stare at Jonathan, seated quietly among them.
A moment earlier, Jonathan had calmly lifted his paddle–number twenty–five–and made the fifty–million–dollar bid.
“Jonathan, are you out of your mind?” Marigold couldn’t help but whisper.
If Jonathan had placed that bid for her, she would have been overjoyed. But she knew perfectly well he wouldn’t spend that kind of money on a gift for her.
“Oh, I see now… Jonathan, really…” Marigold put on an exaggerated look of sudden realization. “He wants to buy the comb for Miss Ramona!”
