Under the Heiress' Facade

The host said, "The Eclipse Stone was sourced from the depths of the Netherworld. It was believed to ward off evil spirits and cure ailments. Hence, it was deemed as a rare treasure.

"Bidding starts at 50 million, with at least one million increments. Let the bidding begin."

"Bidder 111, 51 million."

"Bidder 102, 53 million."

"Bidder 203, 60 million!"

"Bidder 132, 65 million."

"Bidder 501, 75 million."

"Bidder 306, 80 million."

"Bidder 402, 85 million!"

…

Everyone in the room lowered their heads to input their bids on their bidding devices while two coordinators sequentially announced the bids.

The bidding price at the venue kept increasing.

"Come on, Hera. Enter your bid."

Samantha handed the bidding device to Hera.

Hera calmly breezed through the latest levels of her game, then put away her headphones and phone.

"Bidder 406, 100 million!"

"Bidder 501, 101 million."

"Bidder 502, 110 million."

"Bidder 666, 150 million."

"Bidder 622, 151 million."

"Bidder 688, 152 million."

"Bidder 666, 155 million."

"Bidder 611, 156 million."

"Bidder 688, 157 million."

"Bidder 666, 160 million."

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The Eclipse Stone was a highly sought-after treasure. As the bidding reached billions, the number of prospective buyers decreased, and the bid increments became smaller.

Eventually, only four bidders remained—bidders 611, 622, 666, and 688. They have been fiercely competing for half an hour.

"Bidder 611, 199 million."

In Room 666, Aurora was entering her bid of 210 million dollars on the bidding device. Her hand was sore from bidding in one-million increments over 30 minutes. She decided it was time to make a significant price jump.

"Aury."

Ember's weathered hand intervened and stopped her granddaughter.

"Granny?"

Aurora looked up and was puzzled by her action.

"Give it to me. Let me take over."

Ember took the bidding device from Aurora and entered a string of numbers.

She added, "The Eclipse Stone must belong to us tonight."

Aurora was wondering about the price Ember entered, when the host declared, "Bidder 666, 250 million."

The crowd erupted in uproar as bidding reached an unprecedented level. Adding 50 million in one go was aggressive.

If the grandmaster also wanted the Eclipse Stone, doubling that bid would take it to half a billion. Half a billion for a single stone was extravagant.

"250 million going once..." the host said.

Silence filled the room as everyone awaited the historical high bid.

The host deliberately took a deep breath before glancing at the coordinator.

He continued, "250 million going twice..."

Aurora held her breath. She knew that the Eclipse Stone would belong to them as long as the grandmaster didn't outbid them.

"250 million—"

Suddenly, the coordinator declared, "Bidder 508, 400 million."

The room fell into an eerie silence. It was quickly replaced by a thunderous roar of excitement at the announcement of the latest bid. Another 150 million had just been added to the price tag.

Now, that was a display of real determination.

Everyone craned their necks to locate Room 508. They were eager to see who was bold enough to bid that high.

"What?"

Aurora immediately rose from her seat.

Adding 150 million in one go was either an aggressive bid or an attempt to snatch the item from the Killians.

She glanced at Room 508 and noticed a figure in a red cloak with a golden mask calmly observing everyone.

She recognized the figure instantly.

"Granny, should we counter?" she asked Ember.

Aurora was reluctant to let the prized possession slip away from their grasp just like that.

On the contrary, Ember had already spotted the figure in red. She just wasn't sure if either Room 508 or Room 509 belonged to the anonymous miracle doctor.

She set down the price input device and said, "I'm going over to introduce myself."

Although Aurora wasn't happy about it, she understood what Ember meant and replied with an "okay" before turning to leave.

Meanwhile, Bernard, holding his bidding paddle, paused as he heard the latest bid from the coordinator.

He rose from his seat and cast a curious glance down at Room 508, where a woman adorned in a red cloak and golden mask caught his attention.

Simultaneously, Hera stood up and walked on the platform. As she looked up at the seventh floor, their eyes met.

Amidst the noisy surroundings, it felt as though the world had faded away, leaving only the two of them and the stirring of two different energies, each testing the other's boundaries.

"Any more bids from the floor?"

Hera withdrew her gaze and glanced around.

Even though she was only on the fifth floor, her presence felt like a reigning champion's.

The room fell silent as everyone waited to see if there would be any bids from the sixth floor.

Regulars knew the sixth floor was reserved for the members of the four influential families. If they didn't bid, it would be left to the grandmaster on the seventh floor.

After a brief pause, Hera's gaze shifted to the seventh floor.

She said, "If no one else bids, then it's just between us."

"Who does she think she is, challenging the grandmaster?"

"She's probably going to get kicked out."

"I heard she's Dr. Shadow."

"But Dr. Shadow is always low-key. She's so daring. Are you sure she is not an imposter?"

"Room 509 looks more like Dr. Shadow to me."

"Regardless, openly challenging the grandmaster's authority like this? She's definitely getting kicked out."

…

Hera's words stirred up the previously quiet scene at Astral Nova. It caused a commotion among the crowd.

Even the four influential families had to show some respect at Astral Nova. Yet her audacity in challenging the grandmaster was unprecedented.

"Miss, please adhere to Astral Nova's rules," the host reminded through the microphone.

At Astral Nova, the grandmaster held immense power to dictate prices as they pleased.

"Doubling, huh? 800 million, 1.6 billion, 3.2 billion, and so on. Money's just money, right? Who can't afford it?"

Hera chuckled in response.

The host was momentarily surprised, thinking, "What a showoff!"

Yet, he maintained a smile and cautioned, "Let's keep the bidding fair and refrain from driving up the prices."

Hera said, "Okay. How about a little game between me and the grandmaster to keep things fair? The winner takes the Eclipse Stone."

She glanced back up to the seventh floor. Her gaze was firm, and a hint of defiance lingered. She was prepared to up the ante and stand her ground if the grandmaster refused.

Bernard's gaze turned cold. The headstrong woman reminded Bernard of Hera's strong presence. However, he remembered Hera claiming she was in the shower at the Everett residence earlier.

He glanced to the side and signaled to the nearby bodyguard.

The bodyguard immediately understood the meaning behind Bernard's gesture. He turned to head toward Room 508 on the fifth floor and knocked on the door.