52 The Auction

One after another, all the paintings were gradually auctioned off, but Lucas and Maya did not pay any attention to the bids that were being made as they continued to stare each other down.

[What is she doing with that blond-haired guy?]

[Why does he still go on blind dates when he knows such a perfect woman?]

[I can't believe I brought her here.]

[I can't believe I waited an hour for him!]

[Why is she staring at me like I did something wrong?]

[Why is he glaring at me like he owns me?]

[Forget it, she can flirt with whomever she wants. I'm getting rid of that liar anyway!]

[Forget it, why should I feel bothered. After tomorrow, I will clarify everything with Nova and end things with him.]

Just as they finally turned their eyes away from each other, the auctioneer announced, "Now, it's time for the most anticipated painting of the night. Does anyone want to offer a starting bid for 'Orphan' by the infamous street artist, L7?"

Maya immediately looked towards the stage with interest. If she had the money, she would definitely bid for this unique piece of art, but not only was she from an average family, she was now unemployed. This was a luxury that she couldn't afford.

Straight off the bat, a woman in the crowd called out, "$100,000!"

The auctioneer pointed at the woman, "Nice strong start, we have $100,000, anyone want to beat that?"

Another woman raised her hand. "$110,000!" she said calmly.

Before the auctioneer got the chance to accept the bid, the first woman struck right back with, "$120,000!"

Maya looked at the two women with envy. How long did she have to work to earn $120,000? Yet, these women were throwing these amounts around like it was nothing. She glanced back at the painting and sighed. [Let me take one last look at you before you go to your new home.]

At that moment, Noah suddenly tapped her on the shoulder and asked, "Do you really like that painting?" He had noticed the longing in her eyes.

Maya nodded her head honestly. To be able to admire L7's work was one thing, but to own one was like a dream. However, she didn't expect her response to prompt the man into doing what he did next. Raising his hand confidently, Noah called out, "$200,000!"

He wasn't mucking around with increments of $10,000, he was serious.

"Oh, we have a new bidder and he's serious folks! Anyone want to beat $200,000?" the auctioneer said excitedly as he pointed at Noah.

The two women who were bidding earlier immediately shook their heads and retreated. This man was much too aggressive.

Noah smirked and looked at Maya. "Since you like it so much, let me give it to you as a gift," he said charmingly.

Maya looked at the man in surprise. Why was he buying her such an expensive gift? And more importantly, how did he have that amount of money to throw around? Wasn't he just a driver?

Lucas looked at the two and frowned. It was obvious that the man was planning to give the painting to Maya.

The auctioneer looked around the room and grabbed his hammer. "Can anyone beat $200,000," he yelled. "If there are no more bids, I'm going to call it! Going once..."

"Going twice..."

"Going..."

"$300,000!" a voice interrupted.

The auctioneer looked towards the direction of the bid and noticed a young man standing next to the organizer of the event. "We have another new bidder and he seems to be a close acquaintance of the amazing organizer of this event. Are you buying this as a gift?" the auctioneer asked.

Maya looked in the direction that the auctioneer was pointing and watched as Lucas nodded his head calmly.

The auctioneer turned back to look at Noah. "Can you beat that?" he asked. Noah furrowed his brows. He knew, when it came to money, it was impossible for him to beat Lucas, but it was so out of character for Lucas to bid.

He glanced at Maya again and thought about the way that she was concerned about Nova. Nodding his head at the auctioneer, he said, "$350,000!" Perhaps, Lucas would think of it as a bad deal and not bid any further.

But, to his surprise, Lucas nodded his head indifferently and said, "$500,000." He wasn't messing around. This painting was his.

Noah frowned and looked at Maya. "I'm sorry," he said with disappointment.

Maya shook her head, "It's OK, I didn't expect you to buy it for me. That's way too much money..."

As she said this, she glanced at Lucas. He was on a completely different level to her. Spending half a million on a painting was something she could never afford to do.

At that moment, the man noticed her gaze and he looked over with a smirk.

Maya felt a little annoyed. [I can't believe that I forgot for a moment that he's arrogant, spoilt, and a huge flirt!]

In the end, the painting was sold to Lucas for $500,000 and a crowd quickly gathered around to congratulate him.

Feeling a little dejected, Noah excused himself and went to the bathroom to freshen up while Maya spotted a quiet balcony and stepped out to get some fresh air.

As she stood there, she suddenly heard some footsteps approach her from behind. It sounded like high heels.

It was a woman...

"Miss Yeung, I finally found you," the woman said as Maya turned around to see who it was.