Chapter 98 | Spoil Him Rotten

’Should I just kill him?’

The thought circled in his head a few times before he let it go. ’Not yet. Even rabid dogs can be useful if you point them at the right target.’

’And killing him now would be too easy of a death.’

After collecting his thoughts, he raised the paddle without hesitation. "750,000."

"1 million." Marcus countered instantly.

As the sole heir of the Devereux family, he had more money than he knew what to do with. He could burn notes to stay warm in winter and still not run out.

"2 million." Dante raised again.

"4 million." Marcus said with a smile that was begging to be punched.

"8 million."

"16 million."

The crowd watched the two of them go back and forth with their jaws slowly dropping. Every bid doubled the last like the two of them had made some unspoken agreement.

"Are they insane? They’re bidding on a metal ball, not a mansion."

"I brought 50 million thinking I’d buy a painting. These two just blew past that over a paperweight."

"Someone should remind them the item is still unverified."

The auctioneer had given up trying to speak between bids. He just stood there, head swiveling left and right like he was watching a tennis match.

After several rounds, Dante opened his mouth to bid again and stopped.

He had a little over 90 million in his accounts. The current bid was already sitting at 64 million.

If he threw everything he had, Marcus would just double it to 180 without breaking a sweat. Fighting the Devereux fortune with his savings was like trying to empty the ocean with a bucket.

His paddle slowly came down.

’’If he brings a gun to the fight, I should do the same.’ Dante thought as he quickly pulled up the mission tab.

The next moment, Emma was looking at Dante who was in deep thought when a blue screen appeared in front of her.

[Task 4: Spoil Him Rotten!]

[Description: Your man just ran out of money. Are you going to let him sit there looking pathetic? Open your wallet and crush that blonde mutt while you’re at it.]

’Is that why he looks like that?’ Emma glanced at him again and sure enough, he had the face of a man who just hit his limit. ’Hmph~ he should have just let me handle it from the start.’

He would have had more money if he had accepted the ’bonuses’ she kept offering him over the years. But he was too stubborn and refused everything.

’It was a fight he was never going to win. That blonde bastard definitely has more money than brain cells.’

It was then Dante noticed her looking at him. He seemed to think about it for a second before turning to her.

"Emma, can you help me?"

"I can, but..." She paused with a sly smile. She was going to help him regardless but she wasn’t about to let a chance like this slip through her fingers. "It’s not going to be free~"

’Haa... she is a businesswoman down to her bones.’ Dante sighed internally. He thought she would just take the paddle and go, but of course she had to turn it into a negotiation.

To be fair though, he would have done the exact same thing if he were in her shoes.

"You’re both out of your minds. He wants to go past 64 million for a metal ball and you want to help him do it?" Aria massaged her temples. "I’m starting to see why you two like each other."

"Fine. I don’t care anymore. It’s your money." She had been trying to talk some sense into him this whole time but now even her friend had joined the madness.

The two of them were completely hopeless.

Dante and Emma let Aria’s words go in one ear and out the other.

"Going once at 64 million—"

"Wait." Emma raised her hand and turned to Dante, waiting for his answer.

Seeing this, a defeated smile formed on Dante’s face. ’This was going to be one of the future missions anyway. Giving her a little spoiler isn’t that bad.’

Naturally, he was going to fool her again.

He leaned in and whispered something in her ear. As his words reached her, Emma’s face slowly turned red.

"A-are you really telling the truth? Promise me you won’t go back on your word." She said with a slight cough, regaining her composure.

"I promise." Dante said with a determined face. ’I promise to bully you even more in the future.’

’What did he promise her?’ Aria was puzzled by her friend’s reaction. ’C-could it be... no, it can’t. Emma isn’t shameless enough to discuss that in public.’

"Give me another minute." Emma said to the auctioneer and pulled out her phone.

The man was confused by her actions. He had already waited out of respect but now she wanted him to wait even longer?

’Should I just call the bid? We’ve already made more money on this piece than we ever expected.’ He thought, his fingers tightening around the hammer.

Dante noticed his hesitation and placed another bid, giving the auctioneer a firm look. Marcus immediately doubled it, but the auctioneer caught the look in Dante’s eyes and realized this man hadn’t given up yet.

So he decided to trust them.

On the other hand, Emma had sent a message to Sasha and was waiting for a reply.

A few minutes passed. Dante couldn’t figure out what she was trying to do and the auctioneer was starting to regret his decision.

Marcus noticed something was off and spoke up with an angry face. "How long are you going to stall? Aren’t you breaking the rules by doing this?"

"Did you forget who I am?"

Hearing those words, a cold shiver ran down his spine and he immediately raised his hand.

The auctioneer raised his hammer. "Going once!"

Emma slowly looked up from her phone with a smile on her face which made Dante even confused.

"Going twi—"

A staff member rushed onto the stage and leaned into the auctioneer’s ear. The man’s face changed three times in two seconds. Confusion, shock, and then something close to fear.

He set the hammer down slowly and looked at Emma from across the hall.

She gave him a slight nod.

"What’s going on?" The crowd started murmuring.

Marcus stood up from his chair. "What is this? I have the highest bid! Finish the auction!"

The auctioneer didn’t respond to him. He stepped down from the stage, carrying the metallic case in both hands with the utmost care.

He walked past the tables, past the confused faces, and ignored Marcus who was now red in the face and shouting about rules and regulations.

Marcus stormed up to him and grabbed his arm but the auctioneer had already reached his destination. He looked down at Marcus’s hand on his sleeve, then at Emma sitting calmly at her table, and pulled his arm free without a word.

"Ms. Evans." The auctioneer bowed, holding the case with both hands. "The Grand Zenith Tower is now under Raven Group. As such, all remaining auction items are yours to do with as you please."

He placed the case gently on the table in front of her.

"Including this one."