A Smile Before the Blade
Seeing Julian D'Aurelius bidding so crazily, Lucas was certain that Julian must have discovered the secret within the lion Gem statue.
For a brief moment, everything around him seemed to dim—the murmurs of the crowd, the soft glow of the chandelier light, even the rhythmic tapping of the auctioneer's hammer. All of it faded into a distant blur, leaving only one sharp, burning thought in his mind.
He knows.
His eyes turned red.
The calm facade cracked.
His breathing grew heavier.
The faint rise and fall of his chest became uneven, as if something inside him was clawing to break free. His fingers tightened around the armrest until the veins bulged beneath his skin.
The opportunity he had his eyes on, how dare you try to snatch it?
That wasn't just greed.
It was something deeper—something raw.
A chance to ascend.
A chance to crush.
A chance to finally stand above everyone who had dared to humiliate him.
"I'll bid one billion."
