Burn Me Once Burn With Me (Ruby Grayson) novel Chapter 141

Suddenly, as if waking from a trance, Gennifer clutched Cassian's arm and shook it.

Her eyes pleaded with him. "Cassian, could you bid for me? She was my grandmother in name, after all. I can't bear the thought of her belongings ending up with strangers."

Cassian looked down at her, momentarily stunned by the earnestness in her eyes—a desperation that, oddly enough, reminded him of Ruby's tightly clenched fingers just moments before.

Something in him shifted.

He raised his paddle. "Twenty million."

A collective gasp swept through the room, though no one dared voice their astonishment.

All eyes darted between the center row and the far corner, watching the fierce bidding war unfold.

These two were playing in a league of their own.

A deep, familiar voice echoed in Ruby's ears. She froze.

Cassian?

What is he doing here?

Panic flickered across her face as she turned toward the center of her row.

Cassian was seated just a short distance away.

From where she sat, Ruby could see the sharp lines of his jaw, cold and unyielding.

A jolt of fear stabbed through her.

There was no way Cassian would care about an ordinary necklace like this; if he was bidding, it meant he had some other motive.

As her heart pounded, she inadvertently met Gennifer's gaze—a look brimming with open challenge.

Gennifer no longer wore the fragile, pleading expression she'd shown Cassian. Now, her eyes gleamed with undisguised satisfaction.

Sylas frowned, glancing at Cassian in confusion.

Uncle Cassian? Why would he be interested in this plain string of pearls?

It didn't add up, but Sylas raised his own paddle anyway. "Fifty million."

After all, he was Cassian's nephew. Surely, Cassian would back down if he made his intentions clear.

Hearing the casual, almost languid "fifty million" beside her, Ruby pressed her lips together.

That price… No. Even if it cost her everything, she was determined to reclaim her grandmother's keepsake.

The bid had already quintupled, leaving the rest of the audience dumbstruck, their faces blank with disbelief.

It was just a simple freshwater pearl necklace, and yet the price had soared to fifty million!

Even among the wealthy families of Quinborough, people were silently cursing this extravagance.

Of course, none of it showed on their faces.

After all, one of the bidders was Cassian—the richest man in Quinborough. Who would dare speak out? No one wanted to risk their position in this town.

Still, all eyes flickered to the corner.

Usually, when the wealthiest man made a bid, the sensible choice was to step back. But the challenger wasn't relenting—instead, he'd just multiplied the price by five.

Did this ordinary necklace really warrant such determination?

"Seventy million," Cassian said calmly, as if tossing out a trivial figure.

Ruby's lips parted in shock, her heart twisting like a knife in her chest.

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