The hall froze in a stunned silence after Miles' bid.
"Ten… thousand dollars," Miles repeated, his voice calm but cutting through the auditorium like a blade.
For a moment no one moved, no one breathed. Then the chaos began.
"Did he just say ten thousand?" "He must be joking—five million on the table and he drops ten thousand?" "Is this some kind of mockery?" "Sterling Enterprises' chairman, playing games at an auction?" "Or… does he know something we don't?"
Laughter began to ripple in scattered corners of the room. Some bidders from the screens were chuckling openly, shaking their heads. Antonio VK's smug expression cracked; his jaw tightened as he leaned forward in disbelief. Silvey Sterling narrowed her eyes, mumbling under her breath, "What are you trying to do, Miles?"
The host cleared his throat, struggling to hold back his own unease. "Mr. Sterling… I'm sorry, but did I mishear you? Did you mean ten million?"
