The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne)
Chapter 247

The private room was typically off-limits to the public. It was only reserved for esteemed guests.

"Rest assured. The raw gemstones in here were all hand-picked by us." Barret said with a grin. "Feel free to take a look and note down the number of any stone that catches your eye. The highest bidder takes it during the auction."

Eddy was immediately intrigued and walked over, using a high-beam flashlight to examine the raw gemstones.

He turned to Calista. "I'll make sure to select a top-grade gemstone for you and have it made into a beautiful jewelry set."

"I'll also pick a fine one for you, Calista." Carl said, not wanting to be left behind.

"Thank you." Calista replied with a smile before subtly glancing at Jacob.

Jacob understood her cue and then went to Vivienne. "Miss Brooks, let's go take a look as well. You mentioned wanting something better, right? These raw stones were mined from the Mirelia Continent by our company. They're the cream of the crop and are exclusively for our VIP clients. Ordinary folks won't even get a glimpse of them."

Vivienne gave him a half-smile and a half-smirk, then followed him over to a black-barked raw stone marked with the number 198. It weighed sixteen kilograms and had a starting bid of 10 million. After a brief look, Vivienne had already formed an opinion about the stone.

Jacob was still enthusiastically introducing the stone. "Have you ever heard the saying, 'If you're bidding on stones, always go for the black ones'? You see, this stone shows almost no color under the light, which means it has a thick layer of fog inside. It's a high-risk, high-reward bet. I can assure you that once this stone is cut open, it will reveal emeralds of the finest quality."

He lowered his voice as if he were sharing a secret. "Just imagine it. A stone this big can yield dozens of bracelets. If you think about the value of those emeralds, it's almost like hitting the jackpot. You must bic for it later."

"And if it's such a treasure, why doesn't your boss have it cut and sell it directly?" Vivienne asked, feigning indifference.

"Well, it's a company rule. We can't gamble on our own stones." Jacob replied as his smile faltered slightly.

"What a pity. You guys missed such a golden opportunity." Vivienne's tone was flat, portraying her lack of interest. "Anyway, you must bid for this stone later." Jacob insisted.

Vivienne raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

Just then, Eddy walked over and examined the stone under the light. Jacob was visibly relieved when Eddy, who didn't quite get along with Vivienne, didn't say a word to her.

Jacob continued to emphasize the value of the stone numbered 198, urging Vivienne to bid for it before leading her to another stone marked with the number 213. This stone, weighing fifteen kilograms, had a starting bid of 5 million.

"Although the color isn't as good as the previous one, the texture is definitely top-grade. Miss Brooks, you must bid for this one too." Jacob urged.

Vivienne nodded absentmindedly, indicating that he should continue.

For the rest of the stones, Jacob didn't have much to say. He only emphasized the stones numbered 198 and 213 again. He insisted that Vivienne must bid for them while sharing stories about people striking it rich with stone gambling.

Vivienne found it amusing. Why would this man, whom she just met today, assume that she had so much money to spend?

Once all the guests had looked over the raw stones and noted down the numbers of their preferred ones, the auction began.

Since it was a small-scale auction, the process was simple. The auctioneer simply went to the long table filled with raw stones, and the bidding started one by one according to their numbers.

After a few stones had been auctioned off, Carl was the first to win a bid for his preferred gemstone, weighing fourteen kilograms, for six million.

Next up was stone number 213, which Jacob had claimed would definitely be top-grade. Jacob immediately encouraged Vivienne. "Miss Brooks, this stone is sure to multiply in value. You must bid for it." Vivienne gave him a light glance and said, "Sure."

The current bid was at 7 million, and she raised her paddle. "8 million."

The Brooks family members all shot her a puzzled look, with Eddy and Carl expressing disdain.

Vivienne's bid for the stone at such a high price was surprising.

Ashley, who didn't understand gemstone, felt like Vivienne was being reckless. But considering the ten percent of the Brooks Group shares that Scott had transferred to Vivienne, Ashley was also feeling somewhat envious.

Ronald, who wasn't as knowledgeable about gemstone as his younger brothers, felt that Vivienne was being imprudent.

However, when Carl suddenly placed a bid of 9 million, Ronald was taken aback.

Was stone number 213 really that valuable?

With the bid reaching such a high price, the others stopped participating and began whispering among themselves instead.

"Miss Brooks, even your cousin is bidding for it. It must be a good stone. You should raise your bid." Jacob said, trying to persuade Vivienne after receiving a glance from Calista.

Vivienne gave Carl a half-smile.

Carl provocatively raised an eyebrow at her, showcasing a hint of malice in his eyes.

"10 million." Vivienne said, raising her paddle once again.

Carl was immediately enraged. His original plan was to make Vivienne suffer a little loss, but now he felt like he was the one being played.

Who did she think she was, acting so high and mighty? And she thought she could play the high-stakes game of gemstone auctioning? Her opening bid was a whopping 10 million dollars. Did she think the Brooks family fortune grew on trees?

And then she had the gall to challenge him?!

Well, he would make her pay through the nose!

It was better to make her lose big now than let her squander the Brooks family fortune later. This could serve as a wake-up call for Granny and Scott, so they could see what sort of person this Vivienne really

was.

"12 million!" Carl shouted and raised his paddle. He looked smugly at Vivienne and raised an eyebrow in a challenging manner, encouraging her to outbid him.

"Miss Brooks, you should raise the bid, or else your cousin will snatch it away!" Jacob added anxiously.

"Well, if my cousin likes it so much, he can have it." Vivienne didn't raise her paddle again and calmly sipped on the coffee the staff had brought her.