Chapter 48

“The last auction is ‘Miracle Woman,’ the ultimate diamond called the woman’s guardian stone.”

The last auction item the host brought out was a diamond. So far, all the jewels have come in colorful golden boxes, and the box containing diamonds was a platinum box with a subtle glow.

It was easy for Ezet to see why they put the most critical auction items in a simple shape case because the radiance of the diamond was terrific.

At a glance, the jewel was beautiful. Although it was significant in size, the brilliant color seemed to shine brightly on the auction house itself, even though nothing reflected the light on the stage.

‘Wow…’

She has never seen such a beautiful diamond in her life. Elasticity flowed from place to place; perhaps it wasn’t only Ezet who was mesmerized by the color.

“The auction starts at 3 million pounds. Press the buzzer on your seat if you want.”

Edmond, who saw the diamonds in the platinum box, said quietly.

“It’s your birthstone.”

“What?”

Seeing Edmond’s eyes sharpened, Ezet hurriedly grabbed his hand.

“Edmond, that’s too expensive.”

“You also won 1.6 million Lunds of ruby for me.”

An auction never ends at a starting price. The beginning price of “Ruby in Heaven” was 500,000 won. And that’s a precious gem to put up at the end of the auction. Three, five, maybe even ten times. But still, 30 million pounds for one gem. Just thinking about it made her feel like her blood was cooling down.

“5 million Lunds!”

“6 million Lunds!”

Sure enough, the unit started to jump a million times from the beginning. Ezet looked on Edmond’s countenance, fearing he would tap the buzzer. Edmond was leaning leisurely against the back of the chair.

“30 million Lunds!”

“40 million Lunds!”

Before they knew it, participants began to give up one by one on a diamond bid that jumped more than ten times. No matter how high-end diamonds are, they’re all jewels. You might think it’s better to buy several diamonds slightly smaller than that or build a villa in a place with a good view with that money.

“80 million Lunds!”

“80 million Lund! It’s the highest price among the items at auction this year. Similar records show that the red diamond Heart of Fire was sold for 85 million Lund.”

The host was excited and began to recite a series of jewels that recorded the winning bid of all time. The lighting on the stage became a little more intense.

“Crap, 100 million!”

A middle-aged man huffed and called the price with a completely red face. The audience began to murmur.

“A 100 million!”

“The record for 85 million Lund of Fire Hearts has been broken.”

“That’s great. Surely that transparent color has more scarcity than red or blue diamonds…”

Each of them commented in the audience, adding a word. Perhaps 100 million pounds was above the highest price of jewelry ever sold at auction houses.

“That’s 100 million pounds. Any more?”

It was too much to pay for a diamond. The man called for 100 million won because he wanted to be the winner at the end of the auction rather than the jewel’s value. Those competing for the price began to applaud one by one for the man’s container that cost more than 30 times the starting price.

Ezet sneaked a look at Edmond. He didn’t even put his hands on the buzzer.

‘You’ve given up. Yes, if you have that much money, you’d rather expand your business.’

Relieved, Ezet clapped her hands purely to congratulate the successful bidder. Clap clap. The host smiled brightly and commented on an atmosphere where the winning bidder seemed to be chosen.

“If you don’t have one, I’ll count. 10, 9, 8…….”

Ring.

The moment the host left Count 1, the buzzer rang.

“Oh, there’s a new bidder. We’re going to stop counting.”

When the bidder came out in an atmosphere where the winning bid for “Miracle Woman” was almost confirmed, all the audience’s eyes were in one place. To Edmond, who is smiling leisurely. Don’t say he’s going to raise it up from 100 million. Everyone’s eyes seemed to be saying that.

There is one iron rule in the auction of the aristocracy. That is, the larger the unit, the higher the minimum that must be raised.

For example, 100,000 auction items can be raised by 10,000, including 120,000 and 150,000 won, but if they reach 1 million, they will have to submit the bid by 100,000 to 1.6 million and 1.7 million won.

It is unacceptable in the atmosphere to bid in shabby numbers such as 100 million won since the price has risen to 100 million won. If you didn’t call at least 120 million, 150 million, or 200 million won, you’d rather lose face.

‘A hundred million and over 120 million, that’s too much to pay for a diamond.’

‘There’s a degree of bravado. You’re going to hit the ground later and regret it.’

The conversation between them with only their eyes and mouth continued in the audience.

But Edmond’s face was visible to the host on stage. The sharpness of the red eyes gave him chills. A fundamentally different weight from those who bluff to be the ‘winners’ of the auction’s final bid. He felt eerie energy that even made him feel awe.

Edmond quietly called the bid amid overwhelming silence.

“4.9 billion Lund.”

* * *