Chapter 59
The Smoking Griffin
The room erupted in a murmur. All eyes turned to her
Bruce looked at her in confusion and asked, "What do you want that for?"
Seraphina smiled and said, "It looks nice, don't you think?"
"I don't think so."
To Bruce, it was just an ordinary pipe. What was so special about it?
Seraphina noticed Theresa and Hannah were glaring at her. She smiled slightly, meeting their gazes head-
1. on.
Both women were visibly startled; they knew she recognised the pipe.
When Seraphina was cleaning the chapel at night, Theresa once took the pipe out and placed it on a high shelf. She hoped Ramona would throw Seraphina out of the family for 'accidentally' breaking it. However, Seraphina hadn't touched it at all.
If it hadn't been for the surveillance cameras in the room, Theresa would have broken it herself and blamed Seraphina. It was a pity that her plan failed, and Ramona valued the pipe more than his life.
She never got another chance.
Hannah had gone to Stotan for gambling, which was why she had to smuggle the pipe for this auction. Seraphina repeatedly humiliated Hannah upon her return. Her loss of dignity was so severe that socialite circles almost shunned her.
She needed to reestablish her position in the social circle. She had to find an opportunity to become the centre of attention again. As the Dros family's eldest daughter, she had to always be in the spotlight!
The charity auction was the perfect opportunity to restore her image and maintain her 'heiress' persona.
Therefore, Hannah had to beg Theresa to secretly bring out the old man's pipe as an auction item. Its extraordinary value would make her the star of the event.
Those who recognised its value were wary of the Dros family patriarch and dared not bid, while those who didn't recognise it wouldn't bid anyway. So, her plan was flawless: put it up for auction and then buy it back herself. It was a perfect show, giving her both pride and substance.
However, they never expected to run into Seraphina here.
Theresa was clearly flustered. Seraphina had bid decisively, and their limit was 1.65 million. Neither woman had controlled the family's finances. They relied on monthly allowances from their husbands and had little personal savings. They lacked the confidence to keep bidding.
Seraphina's presence was unexpected. Theresa had assumed that even if there were bids, they wouldn't exceed 1.65 million, and certainly no one would outbid the Dros family. Seraphina was different.
She was there specifically to challenge them and the Dios family,
G B B.
The Smoking Griffin
"1.65 million, first call!"
The auctioneer's eyes sparkled as he called out.
Hannah clutched Theresa's sleeve, as if she were whispering something urgently.
Theresa tried to maintain her composure. She shot a fierce glare at Seraphina, as if warning her.
Finished
Seraphina raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly, while her eyes fixed on the stage. She was determined to win. "1.65 million, second call!"
The auctioneer looked around the room, which had fallen silent.
No one dared to compete with Theresa for the spotlight or spend money on a useless pipe.
The auctioneer glanced at Theresa as she raised her paddle.
"1.8 million," she said, trying to stay calm.
They had assumed the bidding would stop at 1.65 million, but Theresa was now pushing higher.
"1.95 million," Seraphina countered immediately, aiming to wear down their patience from the start.
Her phone vibrated in her hand. Glancing at the number, she recognised it even without a contact name. Hannah?
Seraphina smirked, rejected the call, and blocked the number.
"2.2 million," Theresa bid again, looking visibly uncomfortable.
The auctioneer sensed the tension between the two parties. The atmosphere was silently electric.
He raised his voice a little and announced, "Alright, 2.2 million. Lady, do you want to continue?"
Seraphina didn't respond. The auctioneer assumed she was giving up. "2.2 million, first call!" "2.2 million, second call!"
Theresa and Hannah exhaled with a sense of relief.
"3 million!" Seraphina jumped in just before the final call.
Did you guys feel unsettled?
Uncomfortable, Theresa looked panicked, whispering furiously with Hannah.
Hannah didn't hesitate, as if she had made a major decision. "4 million!"
Did they think Seraphina's limit was 4 million?
Even Bruce was getting nervous. "Need help?" he asked Seraphina.
The Smoking Griffin
"1.65 million, first call!"
The auctioneer's eyes sparkled as he called out.
Hannah clutched Theresa's sleeve, as if she were whispering something urgently.
Theresa tried to maintain her composure. She shot a fierce glare at Seraphina, as if warning her.
Finished
Seraphina raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly, while her eyes fixed on the stage. She was determined to win.
"1.65 million, second call!"
The auctioneer looked around the room, which had fallen silent.
No one dared to compete with Theresa for the spotlight or spend money on a useless pipe.
The auctioneer glanced at Theresa as she raised her paddle.
"1.8 million," she said, trying to stay calm.
They had assumed the bidding would stop at 1.65 million, but Theresa was now pushing higher.NôvelDrama.Org (C) content.
"1.95 million," Seraphina countered immediately, aiming to wear down their patience from the start.
Her phone vibrated in her hand. Glancing at the number, she recognised it even without a contact name. Hannah?
Seraphina smirked, rejected the call, and blocked the number.
"2.2 million," Theresa bid again, looking visibly uncomfortable.
The auctioneer sensed the tension between the two parties. The atmosphere was silently electric.
He raised his voice a little and announced, "Alright, 2.2 million. Lady, do you want to continue?"
Seraphina didn't respond. The auctioneer assumed she was giving up. "2.2 million, first call!" "2.2 million, second call!"
Theresa and Hannah exhaled with a sense of relief.
"3 million!" Seraphina jumped in just before the final call.
Did you guys feel unsettled?
Uncomfortable, Theresa looked panicked, whispering furiously with Hannah.
Hannah didn't hesitate, as if she had made a major decision. "4 million!"
Did they think Seraphina's limit was 4 million?
Even Bruce was getting nervous. "Need help?" he asked Seraphina.
213
GB B.
The Smoking Griffin
Seraphina smiled. She raised an eyebrow and said, "No, this is nothing."
She raised her paddle again. "4.5 million!"
The crowd gasped collectively.
She was done with scaring them incrementally. She wanted them to be too afraid to bid.
Under the flashing lights, Theresa's and Hannah's faces turned pale.
"4.5 million, first call!"
"4.5 million. Second call!"
No one spoke.
Seraphina knew she had won.
"4.5 million, third call! Congratulations to this lady! The money will be donated to school."
Q
Finished
The room erupted in applause, breaking the tense silence. Seraphina graciously acknowledged the crowd, then smiled at Theresa and Hannah, feeling elated.
After greeting everyone, Seraphina and Bruce headed to the back of the room to collect the item. As expected, Theresa and Hannah were waiting for her. However, these two were unwilling to give up and had more tricks awaiting her.
374