Liam was as red as boiled wine. His eyes, bloodshot with wounded pride and barely concealed masculine possession, were fixed on Kael, who remained impassive, as if the threats of a spoiled puppy weren't worth the heat of a breath.
Liam gripped Victoria's arm tightly, his fingers squeezing as if to mark her. His eyes flashed with frustration and sick control.
"You're embarrassing me, Victoria," he said through gritted teeth. "Your father certainly won't be happy to know you're... flirting with the first bastard who comes along."
Kael, who until that moment had only been watching, took a step forward.
Just one.
But it was enough to freeze the air.
He raised his hand and placed it with lethal calm on Liam's shoulder.
The gesture alone made spines around the room stand on end.
There was no violence in the touch.
There was a warning.
"Lord Liam," Kael said, his voice low, calm, cold as the eternal ice plains he ruled. "I recommend you remove your hand from the lady. Now."
Liam turned sharply to Kael, like a wolf who forgot he was facing a dragon. "Why don't you go court another woman from the gala? She's promised. She's not yours."
Victoria let out a heavy sigh, her eyes flashing. Her teeth clenched. Her patience... dead and buried.
"Liam," she said in a calm, understated tone. "Let go of my hand."
Liam hesitated. His grip loosened for a second. But the wounded machismo was still there, latent.
"You're my fiancée, Victoria," he growled. "You're embarrassing me in front of everyone."
"No. You're embarrassing me," she replied, her eyes fixed on him like blades. "And if you don't let go, I'll do something that will really embarrass you."
Her gaze was colder than Kael's.
It was the look of someone who had already swallowed many words out of family protocol...
Liam let go.
It wasn't just because he feared Victoria.
It was because, for a brief second, he realized that no one else in the room respected him.
The elite that had previously flattered him… now looked at him with disgust.
Some with pity.
And others, like Luna, with pure murderous contempt.
"Suited idiot," Luna muttered, glass in hand, one foot almost tapping the floor nervously. "One of those needs to be kicked where the sun doesn't touch."
"Guess?" Nikoly whispered darkly. "I was thinking diplomatic exile."
"Or slow poisoning," suggested Lumine, calmly sipping champagne.
Victoria adjusted her dress as if brushing off the invisible dirt left by Liam's hands, and then turned to Kael.
"Sorry about the scene."
Kael bowed his head respectfully. "You didn't cause the scene. You just got rid of it."
She smiled discreetly.
Her eyes and his eyes met for longer than protocol allowed.
But less time than they both wanted.
Meanwhile, Liam retreated, swallowing his tongue, his ego, and perhaps a crystal glass of heartbreak. He tried to compose himself, tugging at his tie and feigning dignity, but his pride was slipping away like wine spilled on marble.
Matthew appeared beside Luna and commented, without the slightest attempt to lower his voice, "I thought the gala entertainment would be the final event, but this exceeded my expectations."
Luna chuckled. "I warned you. Idiots always self-detonate."
People started talking in groups again.
—Hours later—
An elegant clink of crystal echoed through the hall.
The lights gently dimmed.
A man quietly stepped onto the small raised stage in the center.
He didn't need to ask for silence.
The elite already knew what that meant.
He picked up the fine gold microphone and, with a voice polished like rare wine, announced, "Ladies and gentlemen... distinguished members of the world's nobility, representatives of empires, dynasties, and ancient families... it is with pleasure that I declare the commencement of the Imperial Gala Auction."
A collective shiver ran through the room.
Laughter ceased.
Conversations were swallowed.
Glasses rested on trays.
Luna raised an eyebrow. Blinked. Then she looked around and... yes, even Nikoly, who usually seemed perpetually bored at any social event, was squinting, paying attention.
"Auction?" Luna murmured, leaning against Matthew, who was standing right next to her with his typical I'm-calmly-powerful-but-discreet stance.
He looked at her with that half smile, the same one that could melt political alliances if he wanted.
"The Gala is open to the high nobility and global business elite. But the Imperial Auction is private."
"Secret as in... secrets and blue blood?"
"Reserved as in: gag clauses, no cameras, verbal contracts, and objects or opportunities that will never be listed in any public record."
"Whoa," Luna whispered, now clearly more interested. "That's legally… questionable."
"And deliciously exclusive," Matthew added with a mischievous wink. "Only the truly select guests are informed. And even among the nobility, few know what's being auctioned each year."
On the other side, Lumine and Nikoly looked at each other with a predatory glint in their eyes.
"Will they auction off another tech startup this year?" Nikoly whispered, adjusting an earring.
"Or the stock of that pharmaceutical company from the Eldoria continent..." Lumine retorted, picking up the tablet beside her and activating a real-time calculation system.
"Or, who knows..." said Victoria, approaching, "...access to state intelligence from some country pretending to be neutral."
Luna, on the other hand, shook her glass as if she wasn't impressed, but the sparkle in her eyes betrayed otherwise.
"So this is some kind of... fancy black market?"
Matthew smiled. "Think more like... a parade of power disguised as philanthropy and exclusivity. Everything is 'for a noble cause.' But deep down, each item or contract won quietly changes a piece of the world."
"And why isn't this on social media, huh?"
"Because whoever posts is automatically invited to leave... the country, the continent, or public life. The host's choice."
Luna was silent for three seconds. "I'm starting to love this event."
The stage host continued, "As is tradition, bids must be made in person or by a designated representative present here. Any participant may bid, provided they have..."
He smiled subtly. "...net assets over fifty billion dollars."
Several people present shifted uncomfortably.
Others, the real sharks, just took a sip of champagne without saying a word.
Luna looked at Ivy, who appeared beside her like a hologram invisible to the public. "My balance, please?"
"Right now, miss, we have 51.7 billion net."
Luna blinked. Smiled. Looked at Matthew.
"I think I can play too."
Matthew lost his poker face for a second. He laughed. "You always surprise me."
"Oh, honey, I haven't even started yet."
The lights in the hall went out, except for a soft spotlight on the stage.
A different auctioneer came up, wearing white gloves, and opened the first item covered in a dark velvet cloth.
"First item of the night: a property deep underground in the icy continent of Cryon. It contains abundant diamonds, legalized by polar law, and... a secret archaeological database from the Arcane Age."
Luna's eyes widened.
Nikoly whispered. "This is going to get to indecent levels."
The auctioneer didn't wait for the commotion to die down and started the bidding, which quickly rose from millions to billions of dollars.
"one billion"
"..."
"Two billion"
"..."
"Three billion three hundred"
"Three billion nine hundred"
"Five billion dollars!" Victoria's voice cut through the room with elegance and boldness.
The auctioneer paused for a second and, like an opera conductor, repeated with delight, "We have a new bid: five billion dollars!"
A murmur ran through the crowd.
Sitting like queens on the throne of their own destiny, the girls turned their faces in unison to Victoria, their eyebrows arched like haute couture question marks.
Lumine was the first to whisper, leaning against Luna. "Five billion, Vicky?"
Nikoly tilted his chin, his eyes like analytical scalpels. "This property is rare... but it's also rare on Cryon. On the polar continent. No one builds there without knowing what they're doing."
Victoria pretended it wasn't her problem, maintaining her posture as a noble princess, but her slightly flushed cheeks gave away more than she would have liked.
"It's for the company," whispered Victoria, composing herself. "The subsoil is rich in diamonds. We'll need them when we enter the jewelry market… among others."
Luna, who until then had only been swirling the contents of her champagne flute with aristocratic disdain, murmured with a wink. "Ah, yes. For the company. Of course."
Lumine elbowed him lightly. "Totally for the profits. And it definitely has nothing to do with a certain white-haired, green-eyed prince, right?"
Nikoly let out a mocking "tss" and crossed her legs, her gaze still fixed on Victoria like an auditor of romantic intentions.
Victoria snorted, finally giving in.
"Okay, okay. Maybe... just maybe... I thought that with this property we would have an extra argument if we needed legal, diplomatic, or..." she cleared her throat "...political support in Cryon."
"Or maybe you just want more excuses to see Kael," Luna teased with a smirk.
Victoria hid her face behind the glass, but it was too late.
The friends were already laughing silently like good accomplices in a romantic conspiracy.
The auction, meanwhile, continued unabated. "We have five billion. Will anyone bid more?"
A jewelry magnate reluctantly raised his finger. "Five billion one hundred million."
Victoria narrowed her eyes.
But before she could raise her hand again, Lumine was already holding up the bid card with an expression of pure defiance.
"Five billion two hundred."
Victoria stared at her in shock. "ARE YOU CRAZY?! It was supposed to be me—!"
"Relax," Lumine whispered, "we're just helping you conquer the ice kingdom in style."
Nikoly was already typing on her tablet, authorizing the transfer of the corresponding portion of Diamante Tycoon Group's funds.
"We split the cost between the four of us."
Luna sighed dramatically. "How romantic. We founded the company with global investments in mind, and now we're buying strategic chunks of the polar continent so our friend has an excuse to flirt with princes."
Victoria, despite her sullen expression, was visibly touched and melting inside. "You guys are impossible."
Lumine smiled. "But loyal."
The auctioneer banged the ceremonial gavel, his voice echoing off the golden walls of the hall. "Lot sold for five billion two hundred million dollars to the ladies of the Diamond Tycoon Group!"
The audience applauded with surprise and respect.
Matthew, who was watching, crossed his arms with a smile.
"Impressive," he muttered to himself.
Kael, on the other side, looked at Victoria with eyes shining like the aurora borealis and murmured, "I guess I'll have to give a fitting welcome to the new owners of one of Cryon's most valuable lands."
Victoria glanced at him sideways and replied with a slight smile. "I'll collect."