"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back as we open this bidding—who among you will be taking home the Aetherion X1?"
The host's voice boomed through the hall.
"We open the bidding with one million dollars."
The crowd gasped.
"Wow! That much?" someone exclaimed.
Everyone was shocked—everyone except the rich guests seated in the front row. They had expected this. The presence of so many billionaires meant one thing: the bid was going to skyrocket.
"Bidding starts from—one million dollars," the host shouted.
Somewhere in the crowd, a man raised his paddle.
"Two million!"
"Nice!" the host grinned, and just like that, the bidding began to climb. Cameras flashed rapidly as reporters captured every moment. Others were recording live, broadcasting the heated auction to the world.
Fidelia sat quietly, watching—and typing notes on her phone.
"How high do you think the bidding will go?" she asked.
Andrian smirked. "I'd say... thirty million, at least. That should be fair."
The bidding continued—then began to slow. People were growing cautious; they were nearing their limits.
That was when a familiar voice cut through the noise.
"Ten billion dollars!"
The entire hall went silent.
The auctioneer blinked, stunned. "Ten... billion dollars! We have a bidder!"
Fidelia froze, frowning as she turned toward the voice.
Andrian noticed immediately. "What is it?"
She sighed. "That's him."
"Who?"
"The investor I told you about. The one I wanted to partner with. Turns out he was working with my stepsister... to rip me off."
Andrian's eyes glimmered with intrigue. "Now this just got interesting."
"I couldn't agree more," Fidelia replied, raising her paddle.
"Twenty-five million dollars."
The crowd erupted. Heads turned, searching for the daring bidder.
The investor—Sylvester—stiffened in his seat. His friends chuckled around him. The man who prided himself as a billionaire had just been challenged publicly.
"So it's you," he muttered, glaring at her.
Fidelia smiled and waved. "Hi."
"Going once—" the auctioneer began, but Sylvester snapped his paddle up.
"Thirty million!"
Before he could even glance back at her, Fidelia raised her paddle again.
"Forty million!"
The room went wild. Sylvester's heart skipped. Was she really going to challenge him like this?
"Fifty-five million!" he barked.
"Sixty-five!" Fidelia countered.
"Seventy-five!"
The crowd was losing it—cheering, gasping, recording.
"Fidelia I didn't say you should wreck yourself. It's not worth it"
"I know" She smiled "I just want to make him take a big hit"
"Eight Million!"
That's Fidelia my cue."That's enough. Any higher and we're overpaying," she whispered.
"I know," Andrian said.
"Eighty Five million!" Sylvester called out.
Fidelia leaned back and smirked. "Come on, Sylvester. You can do better."
The audience roared with laughter. She was toying with him—and everyone knew it.
She waited a bit having everyone's attention and putting Sylvester in a crazy suspense as her hands were slowing rising up with the paddle.
The manager beside Sylvester whispered frantically, "Stop, sir. For God's sake, pull back."
But pride had already taken over.
"Ninety million!" Sylvester shouted immediately seeing as Fidelia was about to bid without him thinking of the consequences
The crowd exclaimed as loud as ever and then they all went silent. All eyes turned to Fidelia waiting for her to bid higher.
She slowly raised her paddle and then she dropped it quickly. Then she just simply stretched... and took a glass of wine from Andrian as they fist bump each other.
"Going once…" the auctioneer said, hesitating, hoping she'd raise it again.
"Going twice…"
Silence.
"Sold!"
Applause erupted. Fidelia clapped cheerfully, smiling at Sylvester. "Congratulations," she said sweetly.
Andrian joined in, grinning. "That's one expensive lesson."
Sylvester's face drastically changed to something ugly
That was when he realised that she had played him into bidding higher than the value of the motorcycle.
The crowds were exclaiming how high the bid went.
The son of WMC came on stage and Fidelia saw that he was the young doctor who she had met at the Oxford Psychiatric hospital then he directed her to Doctor Thompson's office.
Then Andrian explained to her.
"That's the son of the CEO, he also has the second bike that was created unfortunately he won't sell it. He prides himself as a great rider and lover of bike."
"Hmm I see" Fidelia said and then she stood up.
"Where are you going?"
"I think I just found a way we might be able to get his own bike"