The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne)
Chapter 248

After Vivienne had stopped raising the bid, Carl snagged the gemstone numbered 213 for a staggering 12 million dollars.

"Vivienne, you tricked me!" Carl's face turned sour in an instant.

"Weren't you the one who wanted it so badly that you started a bidding war with me?" Vivienne raised an eyebrow. "I let you have it, and now I'm the one at fault?"

She originally intended to play those who were deliberately bidding against her.

Carl, on his own accord, decided to oppose her. And now he was blaming her?

"You!" Carl was seething with rage.

"Carl!" Ronald was now aware that his younger brother was intentionally bidding against Vivienne. He was hoping to trap Vivienne, but ended up trapping himself instead. Knowing his guilt, Carl glared at Vivienne and stomped off. Even when the auction staff handed him his winning bidder's tag, he didn't want to accept it.

He had spent 12 million dollars on a gemstone full of black moss. He would be lucky if he could even make a bracelet out of it. He had lost a lot of money.

He had already spent 8 million dollars, and now he had to spend another 12 million dollars. His allowance for the next three years was gone. He felt utterly dejected.

Calista squinted, suspecting she might have underestimated Vivienne. This young woman might seem impulsive, but she had her wits about her.

She exchanged a look with Jacob, who asked Vivienne tentatively, "Miss Brooks, that stone could multiply in value once cut open. Are you sure you want to hand it over to your cousin?"

"My cousin seems to want it so badly, so I'm happy to let him have it." Vivienne pointed to a dispirited Carl standing in the corner and smiled. "Just look how thrilled he is."

He was so thrilled that he nearly ground his teeth to dust.

Jacob was apprehensive. He signaled the plants in the audience that the next time Vivienne bid, they should not drive up the price maliciously. If Vivienne backed off again, their scheme would have been for naught.

In the next auction, Eddy secured a stone weighing 18 kilograms for 10 million dollars.

"Calista, my eye for gems is infallible. This stone will certainly reveal a verdant green jadeite with minimal flaws. You'll definitely love the finished product." He cheerfully told Calista.

Calista smiled, but her interest in Eddy's words was negligible. Her eyes were fixed on Vivienne, who was about to bid for the stone numbered 198.

She was eagerly anticipating that Vivienne would make a hefty purchase, hoping that she wouldn't disappoint her.

She wanted to show the Brooks family and Percival how wasteful and stupid Vivienne was. By spending millions on gemstone gambling, she was practically throwing away the Brooks Group shares she had just acquired.

People who suddenly came into wealth often spent money recklessly and were most annoying.

"This stone, numbered 198, starts at 10 million dollars."

It was now the turn of stone number 198 to be auctioned. Jacob immediately began urging Vivienne to buy. "Miss Brooks, this time, you must secure this stone. It's a great opportunity to make a fortune." "12 million." Vivienne, following Jacob's suggestion, raised her paddle.

Calista's eyes sparkled with amusement. She had specifically prepared this black stone for Vivienne. It had almost no obvious qualities, so who knew what was within it?

However, black stones were notorious for their high risk. Although the plants Calista arranged in advance dared not bid against Vivienne maliciously, there were still many guests thinking that MT Corporation wouldn't put a stone of poor quality up for auction with a starting price of 10 million dollars. So, a few people raised their paddles as well.

The price of stone number 198 had nearly doubled to 28 million dollars.

Calista's heart pounded as she watched Vivienne closely. Only when Vivienne raised her paddle to call a price of 30 million dollars did she let out a silent cheer. Vivienne was about to become the laughingstock of Rivenwood's high society.

Even if she had only a rudimentary understanding of gemstones, she could tell that stone number 198 had numerous flaws just from looking at its surface. The quality and color of the stone were unknown, but considering its flaws alone, it was not worth 30 million dollars.

Both Eddy and Carl cast their gazes at Vivienne.

Eddy looked at her with contempt. He had already noticed the numerous flaws in stone 198 when he inspected it earlier. Vivienne must be out of her mind to want to gamble 30 million dollars on it.

Carl's gaze was dark. Vivienne was a real profligate. Earlier, she had trapped him into spending 12 million dollars, and now she was spending 30 million dollars on a stone full of flaws.

She had returned to the Brooks family less than half a day ago and had already spent 30 million dollars.

He was definitely going to report this to Scott and his grandmother. He couldn't possibly let this woman run amok.

"Vivienne, have you gone mad? Spending 30 million dollars on this?" Ashley couldn't understand why Vivienne would do such a thing. It was one thing to want to gamble 10 million on Carl's stone, but now she was spending 30 million!

She used to think Vivienne was quite smart when they were in Havenwood.

"The value of this stone is more than 30 million." Vivienne responded calmly.

Calista and Jacob shared a look, both struggling to suppress their laughter.

"Miss Brooks." Calista walked over to Vivienne. "It's only natural for Ashley to worry. Gambling on stones is a huge risk. And if you lose, you're not just losing your money, but the money of Judith and Scott." Vivienne, with her arms folded, remained silent while watching Calista's performance quietly.

"That's right! You can't just squander the money Grandma and Uncle Scott have given you!" Ashley chimed in.

This was about 30 million dollars, not just three bucks.

Even the wealthy Brooks family couldn't endure Vivienne's extravagant spending.

Darren, who had always been as inconspicuous as a wallflower, quickly stepped in when Ashley lost her temper at Vivienne. He tried to calm Ashley down, but she shrugged him off easily.

Ashley couldn't hold back any longer. Even though Darren was making faces at her, begging her to let it go, she still threw accusations at Vivienne. "Even if you've been wandering around for more than a decade and Grandma and Uncle Scott want to compensate you, you should know your limits!"

Vivienne laughed. How could these people think she was using the Brooks family's money?

Did she look so poor that she couldn't even afford 30 million dollars?

"If the Brooks are reluctant to spend this measly 30 million, I'm not." A magnetic and deep voice echoed from behind Vivienne.

Percival, who had quietly appeared, walked up, wrapping his arm around Vivienne's waist. "I'll cover this 30 million. There's no need for the Brooks to spend a single dime."

"Play the generous fool if you want!" Ashley's face turned pale and green alternately, and she stomped off with a huff.

"She just don't understand." Darren apologized profusely to Vivienne for Ashley with a sheepish smile. "Don't be upset. Please."

After saying this, he quickly went after Ashley to comfort her.