Seraphina Valerius stood in the center of the storm, her red hair whipping around her face as the conflicting auras created a localized cyclone on the stage. She didn't look afraid; she looked exhilarated.
"Billion-and-a-half!" Charles screamed over the roar of the crowd, his eyes bloodshot. "I will go to two billion! Try me, you vultures! TRY ME!"
Ethan sat in his chair, his hand instinctively gripping the hilt of his concealed dagger. The sheer amount of killing intent in the room was suffocating.
"Crul… if this blows, can we get out?"
["Probability of survival in a direct confrontation: 0.04%."]
Seraphina Valerius stood at the epicenter of the madness, a sharp, delighted smile cutting across her face. The House of Valerius acted only as the intermediary, but their twenty-five percent commission on this single night would exceed their entire annual revenue.
