NOVEL NEXT Chapter 99: Bidding War
The entire event hall was quiet as the guests gawked at the mesmerizing glowing gown that was in the middle of the room. The woman moved a little and the skirt swayed with her. The colors on her skirt waved and they could not help but be in awe.
"Wow…" was all most of them could say.
Feeling all eyes were staring at her direction, Katherine couldn't help but shrink — she wanted to hide behind Damien.
"Why did you do this?" she was nearly teary-eyed with all the emotions that she was feeling at the moment. She was mad and embarrassed at the same time and she did not know what she was going to do first – Cry? — Or beat up Damien?
"Relax…" he softly said above her.
Katherine was still in a daze and the next thing she knew, Damien put a lace mask over her face that covered the area around her eyes. "You can do this."
"What do you mean?" she whispered as she felt him tighten the knot at the back of her head. "Damien?"
"Ms. Miller, may I?" Mr. West suddenly appeared from the side, offering his arm to her.
Katherine glanced at Damien who only smiled at her and nodded. She did not know what was happening and all she could do was hook her arm in Mr. West's.
"You're doing great, dear," Mr. West said as he brought her with him up the stage.
'Doing great at what?! Not knowing what is going on?! Damn right, I am!' She screamed in her head when her mouth forgot to know how to function.
As soon as Katherine and Mr. West arrived on stage, the host stated, "All right, everyone. This marvelous piece is designed by none other than Mr. Samuel West. A big round of applause please."
Thunderous claps filled the event hall and Katherine could even hear a man howling from the side and when she turned her head, she saw Jeffrey giving her two thumbs up.
Her eyes shifted to the man next to him, Damien – whose gaze was fixated at her.
"Mr. West, tell us about this creation of yours," said the host.
Nodding, West raised his microphone and started, "This piece is a product of a precious memory that I spent with my loved one during our vacation a few years ago. I was inspired by the bioluminescent beach in Australia. The bright blue glow of the water on the shore was absolutely beautiful. It led me to design this beautiful piece using LED lights." Pointing at the top portion of the gown, he continued, "These are made of real diamonds and…" Mr. West continued to describe the elements in the gown but Katherine's mind had become too hazy to understand everything.
Soon after, she heard the host say, "The real price of this creation by Mr. West won't be disclosed but we shall start the opening bid at a low amount of one hundred dollars."
Ohs and Ahs were heard among the crowd and it only made Katherine more nervous. She balled her hands into fists and did not move her gaze from Damien.
Hearing that the starting bid was so low, Lexi Jin had a wicked smile on her face. Katherine was wearing a West piece but even so, it looked like her value wasn't that high. She felt an excessive pride for herself because her item started at a higher amount and the maximum bid exceeded the estimated price of the necklace. She snorted.
"One hundred," said one of the guests.
"Two hundred and eighteen dollars." Damien raised his paddle, never leaving his gaze away from Katherine.
"Five hundred," said William.
"One thousand." Jeffrey joined.
"$2,180." Damien raised his paddle again.
Caleb chuckled and raised his, "$5,000"
"Ten thousand," William smiled.
"$21,800," Damien said with an emotionless expression.
'What is he doing?' Katherine knitted her brows and as if Damien could understand her eyes despite the mask, he only smiled at her.
"This is too slow… $100,000"
The crowd gasped and their heads turned to where the voice came from, only to find Matthew Jeong had raised his paddle.
The grin in William's face widened, "$150,000."
"$218,000." Damien voiced calmly.
"Hilarious," Jeffrey muttered next to him.
Damien remained quiet while the battle between Matthew and William went on until they almost reached $800,000 — making everyone excited except Lexi who was busy sneering that the amount was about to reach the maximum bid on the necklace that she modeled.
"One million dollars," William proudly said and turned to give a smug look at Matthew who could only clench his jaw. The money was too much for Matthew and he found that it was ridiculous to fight over something like that so he conceded.
The auctioneer announced, "One million going once… going twice…"
"$2,180,000." Damien raised his paddle once more, and this time, the last bid more than doubled William's.
The crowd became restless and they started to whisper to each other. Lexi was feeling extremely bitter that she walked out of the hall. William shook his head and lowered his paddle before he followed Lexi out.
"Two million one hundred eighty thousand dollars… going once, going twice, SOLD!" The hammer smacked on the board and the guests clapped their hands.
The number rang in Katherine's ears — the figures appeared in her mind and she froze on the spot. And all of a sudden, an unfamiliar scene played out in her mind, causing her to be in a trance. "Auction…" she muttered. "Damien…" She subconsciously held her head and without realizing, she was brought to the backstage while she was still in a daze.
"Ms. Miller…"
Someone was telling her something but she was far too engrossed in the scene that was running through her mind to understand what the voice next to her was saying.
"Damien… I need to go see Damien. Where is he?" Her heart raced and she was feeling overwhelmed. She needed to see him. Right away.
"Ms. Miller?" Ava shook her by the arms, "You should come with me. I'm sure you've been uncomfortable in that dress since earlier. We have prepared a more comfortable one for you to change into."
Katherine stared at Ava. "I have to see Damien."
A smile broke in Ava's face and she nodded, "You will see President Park after changing your dress. He asked me to help you."
"But–"
Katherine was escorted towards a dressing room near the backstage where Ava helped her out from the ball gown and into a black evening gown.
The evening gown had a velvet material. It was sultry with an off the shoulder, sweetheart neckline and form-fitting style — showcasing a multi-layered ruffled mesh skirt with velvet trim.
"President Park really knows how to choose the right dresses for you," Ava complimented.
"He chose this?" Katherine asked, in which Ava nodded. She looked at herself in the mirror and her lips parted. The woman in the mirror felt like the same woman she saw in her thoughts a while ago.
"Ava, I really need to find Damien Park. Where is he?" Katherine insisted.
Nodding, Ava led her out of the room, "President Park is waiting for you at the dressing room near the entrance of the event hall. My work is done for tonight so I hope you don't mind that I won't be accompanying you anymore."
"Thank you, Ava." Katherine turned on her heel and hurriedly headed to where Damien was.
Her heels clicked on the floor as she walked while she tried to piece bits of images in her head that didn't make sense. 'This has to be from the past. I need to see him.'
Just as she was about to reach the dressing room, Chairman Frederick Park blocked her way. A mocking smile mixed with irritation formed on his face as he spat, "How brazen."