Chapter 63
Bella’s almond-shaped eyes narrowed slightly before she rolled them in annoyance.
Her calm expression was at odds with the intensity in the room as Justin’s face darkened.
He couldn’t hide his irritation when he saw Ryan flirting with his ex-wife.
“Bro, how was my performance just now?” Ryan asked, returning to his seat with a grin, nudging Justin with his elbow.
“Good,” Justin muttered, his tone cold, but his glare was sharp.
“If you do that again, I will chop you to pieces.”
Ryan, taken aback, raised his hands defensively.
“Bro, what did I do now? You’re more temperamental than all my girlfriends combined!”
The atmosphere shifted as the first auction item was revealed—a landscape painting from the Renaissance.
Despite being intricately crafted, the painting was by an unknown artist, so the base price started at $1 million.
Justin wasn’t particularly interested in historical relics, but his grandfather’s influence had made him familiar with them.
At a glance, he recognized the piece.
It was a replica, exquisitely crafted, of the original painting hanging in his grandfather’s studio.
The original was with Nigel, and Justin knew that replicas, though of high quality, were usually sold for far less than the original.
The bidding began quickly: “$1.
5 million!” “$2 million!” “$3 million!”
As the auctioneer was about to drop the hammer, a crisp, confident voice rang out, “$5 million.
” Bella raised her paddle slowly, sending ripples of surprise through the crowd.
Everyone looked toward her in curiosity, and Justin couldn’t help but study her.
Something felt off.
This painting wasn’t worth $5 million, and Bella, having spent so much time with Nigel, must know that the original was in his collection.
Why would she pay so much for a replica?
Just as he thought the bidding was over, a new voice called out from the back.
“$6 million!” Rosalind raised her paddle, making sure everyone noticed her.
Bella remained unshaken.
“$7 million,” she said calmly, raising her paddle again.