Chapter 118: Stepping into the Crowd

Every person who held a pass to the upper VIP floor tonight was a shark in the business world...

Thinking you could buy the Heavens Club for five million was a total joke.

Still, true old-money elites didn’t jeer out loud like kids on the street.

The executives at nearby tables simply swirled their wine and acted like they hadn’t heard a thing, crossing Jude Lawson off the list of real buyers.

Soaking in the quiet mockery from the crowd, Arthur Snyder gave Jude a smug grin.

"Don’t take it too hard, Mr. Lawson," Arthur sneered. "Five million won’t even buy you a broom closet in here, sure, but the food tonight came straight from a three-star Michelin chef. Help yourself to a few more plates of steak before you head back across the river... at least that way you didn’t waste the trip."

"Exactly!" Harold Phillips grinned from ear to ear. "Just treat tonight like a little field trip to see how the real world lives!"

"And who decided Jude can’t walk out of here owning this place tonight?"

Before Harold’s laughter could even fade, a smooth woman’s voice cut through the noise of the ballroom.

Arthur’s smirk froze on his face as he turned toward the center aisle.

Walking across the floor in her heels and a stunning black dress, Salma Thompson stepped right through the crowd and stopped next to Jude.

"Mr. Snyder, I just heard you tell the whole room that Jude’s five million isn’t enough to buy the Heavens Club. Why don’t you tell me... how much money is enough in your book?"

Arthur stared at Salma in confusion.

For the life of him, he couldn’t figure out why Salma Thompson was suddenly stepping in to defend Jude Lawson in public...

The Thompson family was a giant in banking, and the Snyders relied heavily on Thompson bank loans for half their real estate projects.

On top of that, everyone knew old man Frank Thompson favored Salma above all his grandkids and was grooming her to run the entire family fortune.

Pissing off Salma Thompson was the last thing Arthur wanted to do.

"Miss Thompson... I’m not sure what you mean," Arthur said, his cocky posture turning stiff as he forced a nervous smile.

From across the hall where she had been standing with her grandfather, Salma had watched the whole ambush at the food table.

Even though she was still annoyed by Jude turning down her marriage pitch ten minutes ago, she genuinely cared for him... and watching two cheap clowns team up to embarrass him in public made her blood boil.

The second she looked at her grandfather, old Frank Thompson gave her a nod.

He saw this as the perfect chance to get on the good side of the young boss.

"My question wasn’t complicated," Salma said, standing right beside Jude and staring down Arthur. "Two seconds ago, you were making fun of Jude in front of everyone, saying five million meant he couldn’t bid. So I’m asking you straight up: what number makes the cut?"

Arthur took a careful breath, keeping his voice respectful. "Miss Thompson, don’t get me wrong. I wasn’t trying to start a fight... it’s just basic reality. Bringing five million to an auction like this is way too low. That’s why I said he doesn’t have the cash to play tonight."

"Is that so?" Salma smirked coldly. "Fair enough... on its own, five million is a bit light."

Hearing her agree, Arthur let out a relieved breath and nodded quickly.

"Exactly. Five million really doesn’t cut it—"

"Then what if the Thompson family drops three billion dollars right on top of his five million?" Salma cut in. "Tell me, Mr. Snyder... does three billion and five million make the cut in your eyes?"

Across the entire floor, conversations died on the spot.

Dozens of billionaires stared at Salma with their mouths hanging wide open.

Three billion dollars!

And instead of bidding under their own name, the Thompson family was putting that entire three-billion-dollar war chest straight behind Jude Lawson?!

Every pair of eyes in the room snapped toward Jude, trying to understand how a nobody from across the river had the backing of the Thompson family’s crown princess.

Even Jude blinked in surprise, glancing sideways at Salma.

His "five million" line had just been lazy bait to watch Arthur and Harold look like idiots... he never planned to bid five million, and he definitely hadn’t asked Salma for cash.

Why was she throwing three billion on the table for him right after he turned down her marriage proposal?

Don’t tell me she realized flirting didn’t work, so she’s trying to drown me in cash instead? Jude thought.

Across the table, Arthur Snyder’s face turned bright red as his brain panicked.

He stepped forward with a frown. "Miss Thompson, moving three billion dollars is a massive deal for your family. With all due respect, that’s not a call you can make just because you feel like it, is it?"

"My granddaughter doesn’t speak for the whole board alone... but I believe my word still counts for something in this room, doesn’t it?"

A deep voice came from the crowd parting behind them.

Walking forward, both hands resting on a cane, was the silver-haired banking titan himself... Frank Thompson.

"P-Patriarch Thompson..." Arthur’s tongue twisted in his mouth as all the blood drained from his face.

Without even glancing at Arthur, Frank Thompson stopped next to Jude and spoke loud and clear for the whole room to hear, "On behalf of the Thompson family, I state for the record that every dollar Mr. Jude Lawson bids tonight will be backed by our family treasury. Furthermore, we will put our full weight behind helping Mr. Lawson take the Heavens Club!"

Every CEO and syndicate boss watching wore a shocked expression.

Everyone in that room knew how much cash the Thompsons had...

If Frank Thompson himself was writing Jude Lawson a blank check tonight, anyone who didn’t have a global mega-corporation behind them might as well pack their bags and go home!

Over by the champagne fountain, Sabrina watched the striking pair standing next to old man Thompson and let out a sigh.

No wonder Jude always kept his distance from me... how could anyone compete with a woman like Salma Thompson?

Beside Arthur, Harold Phillips and Sheldon stared at Jude like they were choking on broken glass.

Neither of them could understand Jude’s insane luck with women...

Back in Queens, he had top heiresses moving mountains for him; now, on his very first night in Midtown, he had somehow hooked the princess of the Thompson empire.

Jude was handsome, sure, but he was just one guy...

Fifty feet away, Sadie stood frozen, her nails digging into her palms as her freshly rebuilt ego shattered into pieces all over again.

Behind a pillar, Chelsea Lee took a sip of wine and whispered in shock, "Okay, bagging the Thompson family on top of everything? This guy’s luck is straight-up illegal..."

Ignoring Arthur and Harold’s petrified faces, Salma turned to Jude, hooked her arm boldly through his, and tilted her chin up.

"Come on, Jude.... let’s go over to the main lounge."

As Jude let her pull him across the room on her arm, whispers exploded across every table behind them.

Two minutes ago, half the room thought Jude Lawson was just an empty puppet with five million in his pocket.

But if he was about to marry into the Thompson family, crossing him tonight meant picking a fight with the richest family in the state!