CHAPTER 61: AUCTION EVENT ARC 5

The murmurs in the grand hall suddenly shifted, rippling like a wave of anticipation. Heads began to turn toward the entrance as the Sawyer family’s highest ranking figures made their entrance.

The Sawyer family matriarch, regal as ever in her old age, silver hair swept into a perfect chignon, her presence radiating authority, glided into the room in a deep emerald gown. Flanking her was Victor Sawyer, tall and broad shouldered in a perfectly tailored midnight blue suit, his expression was calm yet intimidating. At his side walked his adoptive son, Vikram, a sharply dressed young man with slicked back hair and a smile that manged to look charming and calculating all at once.

The energy in the room shifted instantly. The crowd of elites, dressed in shimmering fabrics and dripping with jewelry, instinctively drifted toward the newcomers like moths to a flame, eager to offer their greetings.

Standing off to the side, Maximus and Valerie watched the scene unfold, their fingers intertwined. Valerie’s grip tightened slightly, and Maximus glanced at her with a faint smile.

"They always make an entrance," he murmured under his breath.

Valerie’s lips curved faintly. "They have to. It’s what we Sawyers do..."

After the initial rush of greetings, Valerie guided Maximus toward her grandmother. The matriarch’s sharp eyes landed on Maximus the moment they approached. Her gaze was penetrating, the kind that could strip a man down to his bones, but after a long pause, she gave a slow nod.

"A fine young man, looking better than I saw him last time..." she said, her voice smooth but carrying the weight of authority. "I approve."

Maximus inclined his head respectfully, hiding the small flicker of pride in his eyes.

Before Valerie could respond, the crips, formal voice of the announcer bursts through the speakers overhead.

"Ladies and gentleman, the evening’s auction will commence shortly. Please make your way to your seats."

The tension in the air tightened as the crowd began to move, the buzz of conversation resuming. The Sawyer family took their seats at the designated spot, while Maximus and Valerie walked together toward their own.

Maximus was starting to feel excitement bubbling inside of him, it was the feeling he got when he was about to invest into something that the Investment God System would guarantee success.

"Alright, lets begin... its time to feast..." he muttered to himself as a wide grin spread across his face.

"Come Forth..."

Ti-ring!

~The One Who Overcame~

~Level: Level 3~

~XP Percentage: 90%~

It was time to feast indeed.

Valerie took note of the wide grin platered on his gface and smiled to herself before talking, "You know, this is going to be brutal... don’t think because we are here together that I will not clash a bid against yours"

She said before flashing him a seductive smile.

Maximus raised an eyebrow at her, "Don’t get too cocky princess..." he said as he received a gavel from the server that was distributing it around.

Suddenly the lights dimmed, plunging the room into a velvet darkness. A low murmur swept through the audience before a soft bluish colour bathed the surroundings, casting an almost ethtereal glow over the glittering attire and jeweled necklines.

Maximus’s eyes adjusted instantly, his hightened perspectivity scanning the room in sharp detail. He counted roughly seventy of them. Seventy rich as hell indivisuals, each with pockets deep enough to drown in, all ready to spalsh absurd amounts of money without batting an eye.

This wasn’t going to be about who wanted the item most, it was about who could play the timing game like a professional gambler. Maximus knew he’d have to bid at the right moment and with surgical precision if he wanted to come out on top.

But that wasn’t the only issue. Somewhere among these sild draped sharks lurked Joe Hart, the man with a smile as fake as his sincerity. Maximus’s jaw tightened at the thought. He couldn’t afford to focus solely on the auction; he’d have to keep one eye on the prize and other on Joe’s inevitable shenanigans.

The air seemed to hum with quiet anticipation as a small team of sharply dressed staff rolled out a long velvet-draped cart. One by one, under the soft blu glow, they revealed the treasures for tonight’s event.

From the event description that Valerie had sent him, these items were recently unearthed from a discovered tomb in Afrixa, artifacts that have been untouched for centuries. The kind of relics that could set collectors frothing and investors licking their chops. For Maximus, the thought was simple; anything he grabs tonight... the resale will be obscene.

Then the first item was wheeled forward. It was a tall, glass encased relic gleaming under a focused spotlight. In an instant, the chatter, laughter and clinking glasses vanished, as if someone had cut the sound from the room. The elite crowd leaned forward, their gazes locked on and their breaths shallow to no fault.

Maximus felt it too, his pulse slowed, his breathing evened out. His eyes narrowed into a hunter’s focus, brows furrowed, muscles loose and mind sharp.

The item was a metal short staff, polished but still carrying faint traces of age and lost time. It’s carved handle gleamed under the blue hue of the lights, and the gold inlay glinting like it remembered the sun of another century.

The auctioneer, a tall man in a tux with the kind of booming voice that made people open their wallets without thinking, raised a gloved hand.

"Esteemed ladies and gentlemen, our opening piece tonight, recovered from a newly unearthed tomb in West Afrixa. Believed to have belonged to a pharaoh who commanded legions with nothing but his voice... And this staff."

Valerie leaned toward Maximus, her perfume drifting into his nostrils alerting him of her intention to speak to him.

"It’s pretty, but first slot in the lineup? Not the crown jewel or something like that."

Maximus’s eyes stayed on the staff, his expression unreadable. "Exactly. They’re starting light. This is bait for the heavy spenders to loosen up."

The auctioneer’s smile sharpened. "Opening bid is set at six thousand dollars."

A hand gavel shot up from the front row almost immediately, followed by another at the far end. The room, shifted their eyes to and fro, murmurs rose like a tsunami.

"You going in?" Valerie asked, tilting her head.

Maximus smirked faintly, his hands folded in his lap. "Not yet. Let them fight over the appetizer. I’m here for something much more..."

A third bid rang out, numbers climbing in steady leaps. The auctioneer’s voice never lost its rhythm, each "Going once... Going twice..." Slicing through the air like a drum beat.

Valerie’s lips curled. "You’re dangerous when you wait."

"And richer," Maximus replied, eyes locked in the staff as it inched towards its final price.

The auctioneer’s gavel came down. "Sold for twenty two thousand dollars."

Maximus exhaled sharply. "Let them burn their money early. The real game’s still coming."