Chapter 183

When the words "fifty million" rang out and they all saw that the bidder was Edward Hawthorne, the room fell silent in an instant as eyes turned toward him. But the one most stunned… was Alice Sterling. She stared at Edward in disbelief, frozen for a second before blurting out, “Edw—Mr. Hawthorne, aren’t you being a little… impulsive?” Edward cast a mild glance her way, not lowering the paddle in his hand. “It’s worth it.” That answer hit Alice right in the chest, stirring something deep inside her. She knew—those CEOs who’d followed her words earlier and embarrassed themselves publicly didn’t do it because of her charm. It was because she had Edward standing behind her. And now, just for something she casually said she liked, Edward had dropped a fortune without blinking… and still thought it was worth it. Alice felt her ears buzz. Everything else kind of faded away in that moment. Even the auctioneer looked shocked that the jade ended up going for such a sky-high price. He asked exci