An Understated Dominance - Chapter 378

Roderick kept bidding. “One billion,” he declared. Jayla wasn’t backing down. She was focused on the red gemstone, and soon the price soared to a billion dollars, far beyond its actual worth. The winner would face a big loss.

“It looks like they’re really going at it,” someone whispered. “I feel like Big Buck Brooks is in trouble for going against Ms. Grant.”

“Why would he challenge such an influential family? He’s just rich,” another person replied.

The crowd watched eagerly, enjoying the spectacle. “1.5 billion dollars,” Roderick said, raising his paddle again, increasing the bid by 500 million dollars.

“1.6 billion dollars,” Jayla countered without hesitation.

“Two billion dollars!” Roderick said calmly. “Ms. Grant, if you raise it again, I’ll let you have it.”

Jayla hesitated. She realized she didn’t want the red gemstone. If she kept raising the price, she might end up with something she didn’t need. It was time to end this.

“Forget it. Since you want the gemstone so much, I’ll be generous and let you have it,” Jayla said with a sly smile. She had pushed the price of a two- to three-hundred million dollar gemstone up to two billion, forcing Roderick to pay ten times more. She felt satisfied.

“Mr. Brooks has placed a bid of 2 billion. Any other bidders? Going once, going twice… sold!” The auctioneer’s hammer came down, declaring Roderick the winner of the red gemstone at an astonishing price of two billion.

After the transaction, Jayla couldn’t help but mock them. “Ha!”

“Just one look and I can tell you’re new money. You clearly don’t know what you’re doing. You paid two billion for something that could have cost you 200 million. What a waste,” she scoffed.

She proudly displayed the box containing the so-called thousand-year green lotus and added, “See this? It’s a real treasure.”

Dustin smirked. “Ms. Grant, you’re very confident. But take a close look. Is your green lotus really a thousand years old?”

She raised her eyebrows. “That’s ridiculous. This item is pure, delicate, and has a distinct smell. Of course, it’s a thousand-year green lotus!”

“A true thousand-year green lotus has ten petals and ten seeds. Count them. Does it have that many?” Dustin asked with a grin.

Jayla immediately started counting. Soon, her expression changed. No matter how many times she counted, she only found nine petals and nine seeds. She couldn’t reach ten!

“Hey! I’m warning you, don’t lie to me! If I find out you are, you won’t be leaving this place!” Jayla said coldly.

Dustin shrugged. “If you don’t believe me, why not ask the experts from Stoneray Order? They know all about herbs and can help you.”

“Hey! You there! Come here!” Jayla yelled at the man in the long-sleeved shirt from earlier. “Look at this. Is this green lotus a thousand years old?”

He studied it closely, and his expression changed. “It’s unfortunate, Ms. Grant. To be honest, this green lotus is only 900 years old. It’s almost mature.”

Her eyes widened in shock. “What? 900 years old? That means it’s still short of a hundred years!”

Even someone with little knowledge would understand how significant that difference was, both in value and effectiveness.

The difference was huge.

“Ms. Grant, even though this item isn’t perfect, it still has great value as a collector’s item,” the man in the long-sleeved shirt said with a polite smile.

“It really is a valuable piece. Just keep it for another hundred years, and you’ll make a fortune,” Dustin added with a playful grin.

“Are you serious?” Jayla’s face turned red with frustration at his comment. It felt like he had just insulted her. A hundred years? By then, she’d be long gone! A fortune? Yeah, right!