âAnyone else? Fifty-five million going once.â
âSeventy million!â Victor frowned and interrupted in a low voice.
The hostâs hand that held the gavel visibly shook and almost hit the table. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she came to her senses. âSeventy million. Mr. Sullivan has bid seventy million!â
Everyone present held their breath. âItâs just a necklace, and Victor is ready to pay seventy million?! Itâs way more than the value of the necklace! âEighty million!â Roger bid with a calm face. The host swallowed. âEightâ¦â âOne hundred.â The time Victor cut in before the host could say anything.
His eyes were deep, and his tone sounded imposing, âTen more!â Roger continued to bid indifferently. It was as if that amount was nothing to him. The host could clearly sense the tension between Victor and Roger. She couldnât help but glance at the woman sitting next to Victor.
The woman wore a stunning dress which made her look elegant and exquisite. She sat there with her elbow resting on the armrest as her slender fingers thoughtfully caressed her temple. Her head was tilted as she looked at the necklace in the glass box.
The woman looked indifferent as if she didnât notice the tension between the two gentlemen. The host was impressed by Rachelâs calm manner. âIsnât she affected by all this?â If she had been in Rachelâs place, she would have fainted with excitement. However, Rachel couldnât take it anymore as the price soared to a whopping two million dollars. She was interested in the necklace and wondered whether she should buy it.
After all, it was a blue diamond in a unique setting, and since no one had seen it before, she was intrigued by it. Whoever purchased it would be as unique as the necklace. Rachelâs eyes flashed. Since Victor and Roger were bidding against each other, the price soared. There was no way she could buy it now.
Rachel said calmly, âVictor, itâs not worth it. Although this blue diamond is rare, itâs not worth two hundred million. Also, the biggest blue diamond was sold at only one hundred million.
That was three years ago. Although this one is purer than that one, it is much smaller and worth only fifty million at the most.â Victorâs eyes darkened as he heard her analysis. As far as he knew, Rachel had never been interested in diamonds before.
âHow do you know about that?â Victor asked as he looked at suspiciously. Rachel paused for a moment. She knew because she had given it for auction. The money was still in her Swiss account.
âI read about it in a magazine,â she said flippantly. The suspicion in Victorâs eyes dispelled. âWhy wasnât I aware that you read magazines?â âWhen your grandma was alive, we used to spend our afternoons in the garden having tea and reading magazines. At that time, you were always busy working.
So it makes perfect sense that you didnât know about it,â Rachel answered. She was just making up excuses. However, when Victor heard it differently. He thought that maybe she was blaming him for being around more often. And she was expressing her dissatisfaction. âDoes this mean that she genuinely cares about me?â
His eyes darkened and he promised suddenly, âIâll cancel all unnecessary social engagements for the future. We can go anywhere you want.â