All eyes were on Adam at that moment. After a brief pause, he finally concluded that logic outweighed his instincts.

With frustration bubbling over, he exclaimed, “I give up!”

“Ha!”

“Lousy!”

“What a shame!”

“Such an embarrassment!”

The crowd continued to ridicule Adam, their laughter echoing as they scorned him. Feeling humiliated, Adam searched for a place to hide his face, overwhelmed by his regret.

He reflected on his choices, wishing he had stayed home instead of facing this embarrassment.

Anger surged within him as the humiliation deepened. When he noticed Charlie chuckling at him, his frustration intensified.

Without thinking, Adam stormed over to Charlie.

“Wade! Are you doing this on purpose?”

Charlie casually lifted a glass of wine and took a sip. “No one forced you to bid against me. You chose to compete, so why are you upset with me now?”

Jasmine chimed in coldly, “Mr. Quinton, the auction rules have always been clear. If you can’t afford to bid, then you shouldn’t be here.”

Adam seethed but held back from confronting Jasmine.

“Just you wait!” he shouted, pointing a finger at Charlie before retreating to his seat.

Charlie merely shook his head, thinking how challenging it must be for the Quinton family to have someone like Adam among them.

Shortly thereafter, Charlie swiped his black card once more, purchasing the jade as everyone looked on. After all, it was Graham’s money, so he didn’t feel any regret.

He couldn’t help but ponder how Graham would react if he discovered that Adam’s actions had led to such an extravagant expense in the end.

Graham would probably have a few choice words for Adam.

Now that would be amusing…

About an hour later, the auction was nearing its conclusion.

During this time, Adam refrained from bidding on anything else, likely fearing another outbid from Charlie.

Suddenly, a group of helpers struggled to wheel a trolley onto the stage. It appeared to conceal something substantial.

Charlie held his breath, captivated by the stage.

He sensed a powerful and mysterious energy emanating from it!

Mr. Yaleman, seated at the adjacent table, was also intently focused on the trolley.

This must be the final treasure!

However, as Finn Baxendale unveiled the curtain, a collective sigh of disappointment swept through the auction hall.

Inside the trolley lay a large, worn reef, adorned with seaweed and dried seashells.

Whispers filled the room as attendees questioned why Treasure Pavilion would showcase this battered stone as the auction’s grand finale.

Seizing the moment, Finn Baxendale addressed the audience.

“Everyone, please remain calm! This is the last item up for auction tonight!”

“This clam was formed naturally on the ocean floor. Experts have confirmed that this shellfish is hundreds of years old and has been submerged for over a thousand years since its demise. It features a unique ‘卍’ symbol on its shell, making it a one-of-a-kind treasure!”

After his explanation, he instructed an assistant to clean the coral reef for the audience.

Once polished, the exposed area revealed a palm-sized section that gleamed a transparent golden-red, resembling amber, with an exquisite pattern.

The crowd gasped in amazement.

While international prices for clams typically range from thirty to fifty thousand dollars per gram, with lifespans of twenty to a hundred years, this clam was over several hundred years old. Finding another treasure like this was no simple task.

Its rarity was further enhanced by the fact that it had rested on the seabed for thousands of years. The clam’s golden-red transparency and natural shell patterns positioned it as a premier treasure amongst its kind!

The starting bid for this exceptional item was set at nine million dollars.