Chapter 315
“Three hundred million.”
Jasper stared at Stella in disbelief.
“Is this woman out of her mind?”
He shot Haynes a questioning look-should they keep bidding?
Haynes’s dark eyes were as deep and unreadable as ink, swirling with shadows.
He nodded ever so slightly.
Jasper cleared his throat. “Three hundred and fifty million.”
She couldn’t possibly raise the bid by a hundred million at a time like Stella did.
But Stella didn’t hesitate. “Four hundred million.”
The room, which had been buzzing with excitement, fell into stunned silence.
All eyes were on Stella, as if she’d completely lost her senses.
Even the most extravagant spenders wouldn’t throw money around like this, would they?
Rachel’s expression shifted from shock to disbelief and back again.
It was rare for her to find something she truly wanted, and now Stella was willing to pay a ridiculous sum just to outbid her?
Rachel couldn’t help herself. “Ms. Cameron, I know there’s a bit of history
between us, but is it really worth sabotaging the auction just to settle a personal score?”
Everyone in the room looked at Stella with suspicion.
The price was outrageous, almost absurd.
And honestly, who could just casually put down four hundred million for a necklace?
No one believed Stella had that kind of money.
As for Haynes…
Haynes might, but he wasn’t stupid enough to spend it on something like this.
Even the auctioneer seemed a little lost.
Auctions were serious business; if you bid and couldn’t pay, there would be consequences.
If everyone could just make fake bids and walk away, there’d be no point to the whole event.
At that moment, a staff member approached the auctioneer and whispered something in his ear.
The auctioneer nodded.
Moments later, someone walked over to Stella’s seat.
“Ma’am, if you were joking, we can restart the bidding process from the last legitimate offer.”
Clearly, the staff didn’t believe Stella could actually pay that much for a necklace.
Haynes had that kind of wealth. But this woman in the fourth row? No way.
Before Stella could reply, Jasper jabbed a finger at her and shouted, “She can’t afford it! She’s just here to mess things up and drive up the price!”
The staff member’s face grew serious.
“Ma’am, please, this isn’t the time for games.”
If she hadn’t actually bought a few other things earlier, they wouldn’t have bothered with politeness or even given her a second chance.
Stella gave a calm, faint smile. “I’m not joking. I really do intend to buy this necklace for four hundred million. Is that a problem?
Or do you have some kind of bidding limit and I’ve disrupted your auction?”
The staff member’s brow furrowed. “Ma’am, are you absolutely certain you’re not playing around?”
Then Neville’s rich, languid voice rang out. “Sir, by repeatedly questioning whether my friend can pay, are you doubting us? Or just insulting us outright?
If that’s the case, maybe you should just throw us out and be done with it. That would certainly send a message about the seriousness of your event.”
The staff recognized Neville. At his words, their expression changed.
“Mr. Connolly, I didn’t mean it that way… It’s just, the bid is extremely high. I just need to confirm that the lady is serious.”
“I’m absolutely serious.”
Stella glanced in the direction of Haynes and Rachel, a hint of amusement in her eyes.
“Mr. O’Brien, do you still want the necklace?”
Challenging Haynes-now that took nerve!
But then again, if Haynes couldn’t handle one woman daring to provoke him in
public, wouldn’t that be a real blow to his reputation?