In the following days, Greg Jensen continued to live a life of dual cultivation during the day and at night, keeping the girls well fed.
As the year-end approached, Quinton Creed finally became restless and made several phone calls to urge him on, and it was only then that Greg agreed to begin the plan.
He gave that inferior-quality amulet to Max Milton and instructed him to take it to Quinton Creed; afterward, he began to patiently wait at home, waiting for the notification that the auction was about to begin.
After two or three days, Quinton Creedâs call came through, inviting him to attend the auction the following morning.
Trey Holmes was still the driver, but this time there was an extra passenger, Nathan Humphrey, in the back seat.
Nathan Humphrey had also received the notification. However, this time he didnât bring Creed Humphrey with him; instead, he went to Phoenix County with Greg.
On the way, sensing something, Nathan cautiously asked, âBrother Greg, is there something different about this time?â
âSomething different?â
Greg looked at him with a half-smile, saying, âWho told you that?â
A bit nervously, Nathan replied, âNobody told me, itâs just a guess of my own.â
âHeh, youâre quite smart, but if you were really smart, you wouldnât have asked. Understand?â
âYes, I understand!â
Nathan knew Greg was giving him a hint, teaching him the principles of life and how to conduct oneself. A long-missed warmth and security filled his heart.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
He began to smile happily.
Since his fatherâs death, no one had mentored him in this way.
Of course, if Greg knew that he saw him as a father figure, he would definitely have scowled and kicked him out of the car.
Despite having slept with Liliana Grey, he had never considered playing the role of a father to a seventeen-year-old boy.
The location for this auction was still the same estate as last time.
It was apparent that the items sold at the last auction hadnât caused any issues yet; otherwise, Quinton Creed wouldnât dare to host a second one, even if he had ten times the guts.
Joe Locke arrived early this time; by the time Greg got there, he was already chatting with Quinton Creed.
When Joe Locke saw Greg again, his face darkened, and somewhat angrily, he asked, âOld Creed, why did you call this little bastard over again?â
Quinton Creed replied somewhat sheepishly, âIâm holding an auction, I canât just kick a customer out, can I?â
After hearing his explanation, Joe Locke still seemed unhappy, but he didnât say anything else.
âWhat about that amulet you mentioned? Bring it out for me to see, will you?â
âDonât worry, itâs still locked up in the safe.â
Upon hearing this, Joe Locke became even more convinced that Quinton Creed must have acquired a genuine article this time; otherwise, he wouldnât be so anxious.
He raised his eyebrows and said breezily, âOld Creed, why donât you just tell us how much money you spent?
Iâll add some and you can sell it directly to me. It saves us the hassle of bidding back and forth.â
Old Creed laughed and shook his head, then animatedly said, âHarold, Iâm really sorry, but the item doesnât belong to me alone.â
âNot just to you?â
âRight, that amulet is of very high quality, looking as if itâs newly made. How could I afford it with what I have?â
Quinton Creed gestured towards Max Milton, who was sitting on the other side, and said, âMaster Milton and I pooled our money to get it back.
Weâve invested several million into it; how much more could you offer me? I think we better stick to the auction. Itâs fair and square, and no one can complain about paying too much or too little.â
Joe Locke opened his mouth to protest but then thought about it and seemed to agree.
Seeing that most of the attendees had arrived, Quinton Creed announced the start of the auction.
As usual, the items were displayed first, then the bidding began in turn.
Nathan Humphrey was very well-behaved this time, sitting quietly by Greg Jensenâs side, silently watching others bid and occasionally asking Greg some questions.
Luckily, Greg had brushed up on some antiques knowledge the other day; otherwise, he would have really been stumped by Nathanâs questions.
After several rounds of bidding, the highlight of the auction, the Amulet, was brought in.
As everyone saw the Amulet carved from Jade Stone, their eyes lit up, and Joe Lockeâs breathing even quickened a bit.
Quinton Creed looked at the expressions on the faces of the crowd, chuckled to himself, and loudly said, âA fine Amulet is being offered, not very old, itâs said to originate from Daoism.
The opening bid is two million, with each increase by one hundred thousand. Those interested can start bidding now.â
âTwo million two hundred thousand!â
âTwo million three hundred thousand!â
The Amulet, judging from its appearance, truly had a fine quality, at least not like the Eight Forms Mirror that was riddled with cracks all over.
Therefore, a lot of people followed with bids, and in no time, the price rose to three million.
This time, even though Joe Locke had revealed his familyâs identity right from the start, it was no use; the bidding went on incessantly.
Watching as the bid had reached five million, Joe Locke steeled himself and directly said, âSix million!â
Upon hearing the price jump by one million all at once, everyone was stunned and after hesitating for a long while, they all gave up dejectedly.
Seeing this, Joe Locke was overjoyed. With the Amuletâs condition even better than that of the Eight Forms Mirror, spending six million to acquire it would definitely be a huge gain.
Just then, someone suddenly said, âSix million five hundred thousand!â
At this voice, Joe Lockeâs face immediately darkened, and turning his head, he saw that the bidder was indeed Greg Jensen.
âGreg, enough is enough! Are you intentionally opposing me?â
Greg shook his head and said, âSorry, but thatâs really not the case this time. Iâm planning to buy it as a birthday gift for an elder in my family.â
âOh, so you want it, do you? Letâs see if you have the financial strength!â
Joe Locke snorted coldly and shouted, âSeven million!â
Quinton Creed, with a big smile, yelled out, âSeven million! Is there anyone else whoâd like to increase the bid?â
âSeven million five hundred thousand!â
âEight million!â
Next it was time for Joe Locke and Greg Jensenâs showdown, as they fiercely competed against each other, quickly pushing the price up to ten million.
Joe Locke, with a grim face, glared at Greg and said, âGreg, as long as you stop bidding against me, all grudges between you and the Locke family will be settled. How about that?â
Greg pretended to be tempted and asked, âWill you keep your word?â
âIn front of so many people? If I donât keep my word, wouldnât our family be cursed behind our backs afterwards?â
âAlright, then Iâll let you have it!â
As if he would keep his word!
Greg knew he was just being strung along, but he still immediately agreed, and while the others werenât paying attention, he gave Quinton Creed a meaningful glance.
Quinton Creed said with a smile, âAlright, that concludes todayâs auction. I have some matters to attend to, so Iâll not keep you all any longer.â
Upon hearing this, the others began to stand and leave.
Only Joe Locke, while examining the Amulet, casually asked, âHey Quinton, whatâs the hurry? Youâve earned so much commission from this auction, arenât you going to treat us all to a meal?â
Quinton Creed said with a laugh, âIâm really sorry, but Iâve already arranged to play cards with Mr. Jensen and Master Milton. I wanted the auction to end early so I could start sooner.â
Upon hearing about the card game and being eager to rush back with the Amulet, Joe Locke immediately halted, turned around, and said, âCard game? Count me in, will you?â