Chapter 79

The hall erupted. "823 is still bidding? What is she trying to do?" "Howard already pledged to take the tanzanite no matter how high the price goes. Why raise it?" "Is she trying to drive the price so high he won't think it's worth it?" "The price is 500 thousand dollars already. The stone itself was worth maybe 100 thousand dollars. If it ended here, that's five times its value!" "So, what's the play?" "Is this about the stone itself or the ones bidding on it?" Everyone exchanged looks. Then, someone asked the question that mattered, "What happens if two people make the same pledge on the same item?" The hall went quiet for a few seconds. Then, someone said, "In that case, the higher bid takes it." "I remember a double pledge four years ago. They pushed the price into the stratosphere." "In a single night, the Mercer family lost most of their fortune and were cast out of Dreyford City's power circle. The repercussions lasted for years. It took them an age to recover. Every