Chapter 293: I Can Make Him Kneel

Chapter 293: Chapter 293: I Can Make Him Kneel

Just when the crowd thought the night was finally wrapping up, the side curtains parted, and a striking woman in a crisp, dark tuxedo suit stepped smoothly onto the main stage, taking over the rostrum right as the chief auctioneer stepped aside for her.

Maya leaned over the brass rail of the third-tier balcony, her eyes locked on the woman below. The lady possessed a sharp, calm elegance that instantly quieted the surrounding murmur. Without raising her voice, her mere presence commanded the full attention of hundreds of multi-millionaires in the room.

’Now that is real aura,’ Maya thought, feeling a sudden jolt of admiration. ’She stands in front of the city’s highest elite and doesn’t flinch for a second.’

Beside her, two sharply dressed men in the row ahead lowered their glasses.

"Wait, who is she and why is she coming out?" one muttered, frowning. "Is there an issue with Box 1’s wire?"

His companion scoffed, giving him a look as if he had just asked if the sun was going to rise tomorrow. "Are you serious right now? Have you been living under a rock? That’s Melissa Cooper! She’s the General Manager of the Meridian Gallery."

"Ah," the first man cleared his throat, suddenly looking embarrassed. "Right. The one who manages Golden Investments’ art catalog."

Listening to them, Maya swallowed hard, her jaw tightening slightly. ’Melissa Cooper... General Manager of a place like this.’ Maya swallowed down her envy, a quiet fire igniting in her chest. ’One day, that’s going to be me. I won’t just be sitting in a cheap balcony seat watching other people run the world.’

Down on stage, Melissa adjusted her lapel mic, her voice echoing with crystal clarity. "On behalf of Mr. Jake Rivers and Golden Investments, as a gesture of thanks for your attendance tonight—and a polite token of apology for sweeping the Twin Islands—we are adding an uncatalogued surprise lot to wrap up the evening."

A ripple of low gasps swept across the tier.

"A surprise lot?!" someone gasped, sitting up straight. "Straight out of Golden Investments’ internal portfolio?!"

"Why else would Melissa Cooper step out on stage herself?" his partner whispered back, eyes wide. "Whatever it is, it’s huge."

"Presenting Lot Forty-Eight," Melissa declared as the central holographic display flared to life in bright emerald green. "A bundled equity package featuring two premier corporate stakes: first, a twenty-seven percent controlling position in retail giant SaveBack Inc., currently valued at one point five six billion marks..."

Maya’s breath caught. She stared down at the glowing indicator boards as Melissa announced Lot 48: a heavy corporate bundle featuring SaveBack Inc. and BoldMan Tech.

’He’s dropping a multi-billion-mark portfolio stake just as a courteous apology to the floor?’ Maya’s heart did a strange little flip in her chest. ’He doesn’t just crush his rivals with sheer wealth; he knows how to handle the room afterward so no one can hold a grudge. He really is incredible... He’s everything I thought he was.’

"Hold on a minute..." a venture capitalist muttered, leaning toward his associate. "If Rivers is dumping thirty-five percent of his BMT shares back into the open market, what happens to the stock price tomorrow morning?"

"Exactly," his associate agreed nervously. "Half of BMT’s valuation is riding on the fact that Jake Rivers sits on their cap table. If people think he’s cashing out, traders are going to panic."

Maya listened to their anxious murmurs, her brow furrowing slightly. Their points made sense—market sentiment could be fragile. But if these men considered themselves the top tier of the business elite, shouldn’t they know how to work around a major portfolio shift instead of immediately losing their heads?

"To clarify for all prospective bidders," Melissa announced loudly, cutting through the noise, "Mr. Rivers is retaining a four percent equity buffer in BMT, keeping his position as an anchor shareholder. The thirty-five percent package on the floor tonight comes with full voting rights and two board seats."

’He really thought of everything,’ Maya’s breath hitched, a wave of quiet admiration washing over her. ’He leaves just enough of an anchor to keep the market stable, keeping the stock attractive to investors. He’s simply the best.’

A collective sigh of relief washed over the hall, instantly replaced by pure greed.

She gripped the brass railing tighter, her knuckles turning white as the floor descended into an absolute feeding frenzy. The digital display flashed in blinding green bursts as bids flew from two billion straight up through four billion marks.

Then, right as the hammer hovered, a rasping, heavy voice cut through the noise.

"Five billion marks!"

Maya gasped, craning her neck over the rail. Down in the fifth row, an older man in a dark tailored suit raised his digital paddle.

"Is that Julian Sterling?!" someone a few seats down from Maya blurted out. "What the hell is he doing here after Aurelia Capitals stripped him clean?!"

"He must be buying it for his tech branch," another investor hissed back.

Maya watched the board in sheer disbelief as Sterling traded blows with Private Box 2, finally locking down the bundle for an eye-watering five billion five hundred million marks.

Five point five billion marks...

Maya felt completely numb staring at the massive row of zeroes on the screen. Back at her university dorm, girls argued over split dinner bills and panicked over twenty-year student loan payments. Yet here, men were throwing around billions like pocket change, buying up entire tech empires as casual impulse buys. The sheer, absurd gap between her world and theirs made her head spin.

The final strike of the gavel echoed through the hall, signaling the end of the auction. The house lights brightened, and the auditorium erupted into a wall of loud, overlapping chatter as executives and wealthy heirs began gathering their coats.

Maya stood frozen at the railing for a few seconds longer. ’Tomorrow morning, this whole auction is going to break the internet. Jake Rivers buying a sovereign island and making Julian Sterling drop five billion five hundred million marks on his leftovers... it’s going to dominate every financial news outlet on earth.’

She checked her small evening bag, making sure her student ID card and her entry pass were secure, then turned toward the stairwell.

Her twenty-thousand-mark pass had gotten her inside, but the main event was over now. Private Box 1 would be emptying out, and Jake would be heading down to his private vehicle bay. If she didn’t move fast, her entire monthly budget would have been wasted on nothing more than a nice view from the cheap seats.

’I just need thirty seconds,’ she told herself, quickening her pace as she slipped into the crowd of socialites heading down the grand staircase toward the main exit foyer. ’Just enough to show him what I can do.’

She was halfway down the marble steps when a bulky, dark figure stepped straight into her path.

"Leaving so soon, my dear?"

Maya halted, her body tensing instantly. Standing right in front of her was Harold Trunk. His velvet-trimmed tuxedo smelled strongly of stale liquor and heavy hair oil, and his small, wet eyes trailed down her emerald dress with blatant grease.

"Excuse me, Mr. Trunk," Maya said coldly, trying to keep her posture straight. "I’m in a rush."

She tried to dodge around his right side, but Harold shifted his heavy frame, cutting her off again. Behind him, two broad-shouldered men in dark suits stepped up, blocking the rest of the staircase landing.

"Now, now, don’t be so cold," Harold chuckled, a sleazy smirk stretching across his puffy face. "I gave you a polite offer earlier, little girl, but you clearly don’t know how things work in the real world. A pretty student who sneaked into a gala like this doesn’t get to turn down a man like me and just walk out."

Nausea twisted in Maya’s stomach. "I gave you my answer earlier. Move out of my way before I call security."

Harold let out a wet, mocking laugh. "Security? In this building? I run a seven-hundred-million-mark company, girl. Security here exists to protect people like me, not broke students wearing rented dresses."

He leaned in closer, his heavy, gold-ringed hand reaching out to grab her by the wrist. "You’re coming with me to my car. We’re going to have a proper chat about your future."

"Don’t touch me!" Maya yanked her arm back before he could lay a finger on her, her eyes blazing. "Touch me and I swear you’ll regret it!"

Behind Harold, a thin man in a grey suit—his personal assistant—nervously leaned into Trunk’s ear, his face pale. "Sir... please, keep your voice down. We are in Meridian Gallery. If we cause a scene on Mr. Rivers’ grounds, we might make an enemy out of Golden Investments. That wouldn’t be good for Fate Pharma..."

Harold spun around, backhanding his assistant’s chest with the flat of his hand. "Shut your mouth!" he barked, his face turning an ugly crimson. "You think I give a damn about some kid who got lucky with a bit of cash? If I wanted to, I could have Jake Rivers kneeling right in front of me by tomorrow!"

The assistant swallowed hard, looking horrified. "Sir, please! He completely destroyed the Newman Group! They were worth over a hundred billion marks, and we aren’t even worth one billion—"

"I said shut up!" Harold snarled, pointing a thick finger at the assistant’s face. "Say another word and you’re fired on the spot! You work for me, not him!"

He turned back to Maya, his patience totally gone, his small eyes full of spite.

"Grab her," Harold ordered the two bodyguards coldly. "We’re taking her through the private valet exit."

The two heavy-set men stepped forward, closing off her sides. Maya’s heart hammered frantically against her ribs as her eyes darted toward the private elevator corridor just past the staircase landing.

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