CHAPTER 110: FAMILIAR??

The auction hall shimmered with anticipation as the host raised his hand for silence. The spotlights dimmed and focused on a covered stand being rolled onto the stage. The cloth was pulled away, revealing a framed painting.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the host’s voice echoed, smooth and practiced, "the first item of tonight’s auction—The Final Horizon, the last work of celebrated painter Armand Levieux. This was painted on his final day, from his hospital bed, twenty-five years ago. A token of gratitude to those who supported him through his life. This painting is considered priceless in sentiment and value."

A murmur spread across the crowd. Collectors leaned forward eagerly, whispers flying.

"The bidding will begin at two hundred thousand dollars."

Immediately, paddles rose.

"Two hundred thousand." one said

"Two hundred fifty." another

And then

"Three hundred."

"Three hundred fifty."

The numbers climbed rapidly. Enthusiasts fought for it, their voices almost trembling with desire.

The gavel finally came down. SOLD—for nearly eight hundred thousand dollars. Applause echoed through the room.

Miles leaned back in his chair with a faint smirk. "It’s a good thing I’m not a collector. Who spends that much money on a painting?"

April chuckled softly, her eyes twinkling. "People who see art as an investment, I suppose."

The second item was brought out—a golden ceremonial mask from an old Eastern kingdom. "An artifact used in royal coronations centuries ago," the host declared. The crowd engaged once again, bidding furiously until it disappeared into the possession of a masked buyer in the audience.

The third item followed, a rare violin once played by a famous composer. The hall seemed to hum as the strings were tested briefly for the audience, its resonance echoing like history itself. The violin fetched a staggering price before moving on.

Then came the fourth item.

A small, unassuming velvet box was carried to the stage. The host opened it, revealing a set of ancient, rusted keys laid neatly against red silk.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the host said, his tone shifting to intrigue, "our fourth item tonight. A set of keys discovered sixty years ago in the ruins of an old palace in the southeast. To this day, no record has revealed what they open. They remain an unsolved mystery. Initial bid begins at twenty thousand dollars."

The crowd murmured. Some laughed lightly. Others looked unimpressed.

"Twenty-one thousand," a man muttered lazily.

"Twenty-three thousand," another countered.

And then silence. Nobody seemed particularly eager.

Up in the balcony, Miles’s eyes lit up. His posture straightened as though he recognized something others could not.

April turned toward him, her brow furrowed. "Miles? What is it?"

Miles didn’t answer her directly. He simply raised his paddle.

"Fifty thousand."

Gasps rippled through the hall. Heads turned sharply toward his private balcony. Whispers began to fly.

"Is he a fool?"

"Fifty thousand for useless old keys?"

"They’ve been tested for years—they open nothing."

"But he’s behind Sterling enterprises right... Maybe he has a reason. Maybe he knows something we don’t."

Even Silvey Sterling, seated across the hall, leaned forward with narrowed eyes. Her lips curved faintly. "So... there you are. And what exactly do you want with those keys, cousin?"

The bidding closed quickly. The gavel fell. SOLD—for fifty thousand dollars to Mr. Sterling.

The host smiled politely. "Congratulations to Mr. Sterling."

Miles leaned back with a satisfied smile, the faintest glint in his eyes. April still looked at him curiously.

He simply murmured, almost to himself, "Those keys..."

April leaned closer, her voice low but curious. "What are these exactly, Miles?"

Miles turned the small velvet box in his hand, the metal keys glinting faintly under the balcony light. He smiled, but his answer was evasive. "These keys are of no use to me. But I know someone who will definitely want them."

Across the crowd in the balcony, Antonio VK leaned forward in his seat, one arm draped casually over the velvet armrest, a smirk tugging at his lips. His sharp eyes studied the balcony. "Who is that young man? Why does he look so familiar..." His gaze shifted slightly, catching sight of Silvey Sterling seated to his left balcony "Sterling? Is he... related to her?"

Silvey’s ears caught the whispers of the crowd. She didn’t flinch, but her expression hardened for the briefest moment before she composed herself again. Diane, seated beside her, leaned closer and whispered, "Miss Silvey, people are talking about him already."

Silvey’s fingers tightened slightly around her bidding paddle. "Let them," she murmured softly, her gaze locked on the balcony where Miles sat.

The auction pressed forward. One item after another came onto the stage.

An ancient coin collection, said to belong to a vanished dynasty—sold to a virtual bidder overseas.

A jeweled dagger encrusted with emeralds—Antonio VK raised his paddle without hesitation and secured it, earning admiring gasps from the crowd.

A pearl necklace once belonging to a famous empress—Silvey herself made the final bid and claimed it, her presence commanding the room.

The hall grew tense as the screen on stage shifted once more. The host’s voice carried a new weight, deeper and more dramatic.

"Ladies and gentlemen, our final item for tonight’s grand auction..."

The velvet curtains at the side drew open. Two guards wheeled in a secure glass case, bright lights catching the dazzling brilliance inside. Gasps and whispers spread instantly across the room.

"The legendary diamond," the host declared, his voice rising, "the Heart of the Frost Queen."

The hall fell into a hush as the diamond’s icy-blue glow shimmered, captivating every pair of eyes in the room.

"Believed to have been discovered deep in Antarctica by explorers decades ago, safeguarded for years in the Brightvale Museum... Tonight, for the first time, this masterpiece is open for bidding."

The atmosphere shifted—tense, electric. Wealthy tycoons, foreign dignitaries, collectors, and power players straightened in their seats.

Even Miles leaned forward slightly in his balcony chair, his eyes narrowing as the diamond refracted cold light across the room.

The host lifted his gavel. "The bidding will begin at one million dollars."

The room erupted.

The velvet curtains parted wider, and the case carrying the legendary diamond stopped under the spotlight at the center of the stage. Gasps rose across the auction hall, spreading like a ripple.

There it was—the Heart of the Frost Queen.

A diamond unlike any other. The gem shimmered with an icy brilliance, each facet reflecting not just white light, but hues of pale blue and faint silver, as if the stone itself had trapped the essence of the Antarctic skies where it was discovered. It was cut to perfection, shaped into a teardrop form, its edges crisp and sharp, but the surface smooth like frozen glass. When the lights above shifted, it refracted in countless directions, scattering cold fire across the auditorium walls.

Whispers filled the hall.

"That’s the Heart of the Frost Queen..."

"Look at that shine, it almost doesn’t seem real."

"They say the explorers who found it didn’t live long after—they called it cursed."

"Cursed or not, it’s priceless."

In the private balcony, April leaned forward, her eyes sparkling almost as much as the gem itself. "It’s beautiful..." she whispered, nearly breathless.

Miles sat back, his gaze sharp and calculating. He studied not just the diamond but the reactions of the room—the hunger in Antonio VK’s eyes, the poised calm in Silvey Sterling’s expression, the stiff determination from the virtual bidders on the screen.

"There’s something about that diamond," Miles finally said, his voice low and steady. His fingers tapped the armrest of his chair. "If we place it in our stores—exhibit it from one location to another—it will turn heads. That kind of attraction alone will skyrocket the profile of our jewellery brand."

April turned to him quickly, nodding. "Yes. That would boost our sales a lot. People would pour in just to catch a glimpse of it."

Miles’ lips curved into a faint smile. His eyes didn’t leave the gem as he spoke. "Then we’re getting it. Anyhow."

On stage, the host raised his gavel, his tone deep and solemn. "Ladies and gentlemen, the bidding for the Heart of the Frost Queen begins now. The starting price is one million dollars."

Hands shot up immediately.

"Two million dollars." Antonio VK’s voice cut through the crowd like a blade. He didn’t hesitate, didn’t blink. The tycoon lounged back in his seat, surrounded by his women and guards, exuding the confidence of a man who expected no resistance.

"Two point one million dollars." The number came from one of the large screens to the side, a virtual bidder overseas, his voice echoing into the hall.

"Three million dollars." The voice was crisp, feminine, and commanding. All heads turned as Silvey Sterling lifted her paddle with elegance, her assistant Diane by her side. Murmurs filled the air again. Is she bidding against VK?

"Three point five million dollars," another bidder announced from the floor, his tone a little strained but full of determination.

Antonio VK’s smirk widened, unbothered. He lifted his paddle lazily. "Five million dollars." His voice was like a hammer striking the hall, casual yet domineering. The crowd erupted with gasps and chatter. Five million at once—it silenced the smaller players instantly.

People whispered frantically.

"That’s Antonio VK for you..."

"Five million like it’s pocket change."

"No one can beat that."

Even the host blinked in surprise before regaining composure. "We have five million dollars. Five million dollars from Mr. VK. Do we have any higher?"

The room quieted. Many glanced toward the private balcony where Miles sat, wondering if he would even attempt to step into this battlefield of wealth.

April glanced sideways at him, nervous but expectant. "Miles... five million is already..."

But Miles didn’t move immediately. He let the silence stretch. He watched VK’s smug confidence, Silvey’s quiet calculation, the restless shuffle of the bidders who had already withdrawn. His expression didn’t shift from calm to tense, not even once.

Then, slowly, he raised his paddle.

The host’s eyes widened as he read the number. The entire hall shifted, a wave of murmurs rolling through the crowd. Heads turned sharply to the balcony.

April gasped softly, stunned.

Miles Sterling had just placed a bid that made everyone freeze in disbelief.