The Beginning Of All Sins

The emcee looked at the crowd and announced, "400,000 dollars going twice. Do I hear a higher bid?"

Tyler leaned back in his chair, watching the stage calmly. It seemed obvious that no one else would bid.

The emcee thought the same. "400,000 dollars going thrice. Sol-"

Before she could finish, someone suddenly raised their bidding card. "420,000 dollars."

At that moment, everyone turned to see who it was. Tyler, along with Linda and Naomi, were shocked to see the new bidder. Olivia turned her head and was surprised to see Claude. Her eyes widened, thinking she must be seeing things.

But Claude met everyone's gaze without flinching. Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

Tyler slowly turned his head and found Claude looking at him. He smiled faintly, acknowledging him from across the room.

Naomi hadn't noticed Claude earlier and was surprised he was interested in the same item. Her smile faded a bit as she frowned.

Meanwhile, Claude shifted his gaze from Tyler to Olivia. Olivia clenched her hand, sensing tension in the air.

Then, Tyler turned away and raised his own bidding card. "450,000 dollars."

The emcee was taken aback by this unexpected turn of events. She had never seen such a late challenge in a bidding war, and she thought 400,000 dollars was already a high price for a locket. But then Claude raised his bid again, saying, "460,000 dollars."

Tyler didn't hesitate. "480,000 dollars."

Claude countered. "500,000 dollars."

Tyler kept going. "520,000 dollars."

Claude raised his bid once more. "540,000 dollars."

"560,000 dollars."

"580,000 dollars."

Naomi watched anxiously as Claude continued to compete. It was clear he was doing this on purpose. She glanced at Tyler.

The crowd got excited, enjoying the unexpected rivalry.

The emcee commented, "It seems Mr. Harris and Mr. Pearce really like this locket. Mr. Pearce is Mr. Harris's brother-in-law. Looks like they might have a little family meeting when this is over." She tried to keep her tone light to ease the atmosphere.

Naomi looked at Tyler again. She liked the locket, but it didn't make sense to her to spend so much on it.