CHAPTER 7

7.

"I'll start this bid at the price of fifty million dollars..."

The hall was silent. Many business men and elites contemplated on whether to buy the invaluable piece of emerald.

"Weighing 123kg, this emerald has it roots in ancient Luoyang," Ronald continued to give the emerald's history.

The rich green colour of the highly transparent gem had a brilliant appeal. It cost a lot more than a high quality diamond of the same carat weight.

Add to that, the emerald was carved in the shape of a dragon's eye. Dragons were much believed to bring good luck.

The prominent families in the upper social circle sought to own this gem. It would make a perfect addition to their personal treasures, symbolizing power and wealth.

"Fifty million," a voice called out.

A few more socialites voiced out higher figures but none of them were up to seventy million dollars.

Quietly, Veronica waited. She wasn't making her bid now until she was sure the other bidders had reached their limits.

Unlike many of these old men, she had enough money to burn and she was willing to spend it on what she considered the most prized gem in the world.

To her, this gem was more valuable than the Bahia Emerald.

"Sixty-five million," Ronald arrived at the last bid. "Going once, going twice-"

"A hundred million," calmly, she stated, her voice loud enough to throw the other bidders into silence.

Gasps resounded around the hall. Veronica Morgan had raised the bid by thirty-five million dollars. It was an unexpected move.

"A hundred million from Miss. Morgan," Ronald was also stunned but he trusted her abilities. "Going once, going twice..."

No one would challenge that bid. They could settle for other gems worth thousands of dollars instead of spending so much on a treasure that might as well attract robbers and bandits.

Veronica raised her wine glass and sipped. This gem would certainly belong to her.

"Going-"

"A hundred and fifty."

Everyone present in the hall gaped in extreme shock. They stared at the bidder with bewilderment and surprise.

Ethan Reynolds also wanted the gem. At first, he did not care so much about it but after Veronica displayed her interest in the emerald, he decided he wanted it as well.

Purposely, he glanced in her direction. Her lips had curled down and her eyes narrowed indignantly. 

She was glaring at him with intense hate. Softly, he chuckled.

'If you want the gem, my pretty, fight for it.'

'This is how he intends to play, huh?' Veronica thought. Ethan Reynolds was overly atrocious and bold. Nevertheless, he did not deter her ambition to own the Serpentine Dragon's Eye.

"Two hundred million," she said out loud, stunning the guests once more.

"Three hundred million," Ethan calmly said. The guests were getting excited by this show down between the two elites.

"Three hundred and fifty," Veronica blurted. She was getting frustrated as she was nearing her limit. She did not expect that he'd get this far.

Just as silence befell the hall, Ethan uttered the most outrageous amount ever placed on a gem during a bid.

"Five hundred million."

The outrageous figure sent waves of exclamation throughout the hall.

"Mr. Reynolds is certainly most generous and lavish," Ronald was all praises. "Half a billion on the records. Any other bids?"

Veronica was helpless and slumped back in her seat. She did not have the capacity to continue this bid. Ethan Reynolds would only bring up a larger digit, she wouldn't be able to keep up.

In the end, the gem she craved for the most, would be sold to another and she'd have to return home with the other items she bought.

"Very well then. Going once, going twice...."

She glanced in his direction. Ethan, it seemed had been waiting for her. He instantly looked up, trapping her gaze and sealing it on him.

Her breath hitched and she did not hear the bell sound, indicating the Serpentine Dragon's Eye had been sold.

Ethan did not break eye contact with her, not even when the people around him congratulated him on the new acquisition.

In the moment, she felt a flash of fear and helplessness and a deeper emotion that she could not depict.

Lost in his deep blue eyes, she was frozen in her spot, trapped under his spell and scared out of her wits.

_

Briskly, Veronica Morgan walked through the doors of the conference room with her assistant scurrying after her.

She was ready for the meeting with the mayor on a high profile project the government was working on.

Two weeks before, she received an email from the mayor's office, stating the government needed a partner on a public service technology development project they were working on.

Qui Vive's Tech was one of the few eligible companies given a chance to present their ideas on this project.

Not long after, the mayor walked in. They exchanged pleasantries and she sat down.

There were two empty seats, she noted. Qui Vive Tech was not the only company invited to this meeting and although she did not know the identity of the other company, she could easily tell that they were late.

The mayor's assistant came in to whisper something to him. He dispelled her and offered a short apology.

"Miss. Morgan, pardon us but this meeting cannot commence just yet. The second company we invited has not arrived and you do know I have to offer equal chances to everyone involved in this project," he explained briefly.

Forcing a tight smile, she nodded.

Which company was so irresponsible to be late on an important meeting like this?

And yet, the mayor was willing to wait for them? How biased, she bit back the word coldly.

If it were up to her, she would had rather the meeting commenced without the second company so they would learn a lesson on punctuality and responsibility.

They must have waited for at least ten minutes before the doors opened and in walked the man she did not expect to see in a long time.

Ethan Reynolds walked in casually, probably unaware that he was grossly late or most likely, was indifferent about his lateness.

'This man is like a phantom, cursed to follow me about,' she clenched her fists.

"Mr. Mayor," he bowed, "permit me for the unpunctual behavior but something came up and I had to attend to that emergency," he said.

Veronica hissed. "Most likely, it has to be so important to keep us all waiting for you, grand majesty," she sneered with disdain.

Ethan looked in her direction with a smile. "I believe we all encounter such things that take so much attention and time, Miss. Morgan. And you should know, I'm not the kind to attend meetings, much especially important ones like this one on a late schedule."

All bluff, she did not care what he said and thus, turned her face away.

The mayor cleared his throat. "Well, since we're all here, the meeting can begin. Qui Vive Tech and Reynolds Tech Hub, you have been invited to present us with the ideas you came up with for our anticipated project."

'Reynolds Tech Hub? That belongs to Reynolds Enterprises...' the realization dawned on her.

Ethan Reynolds was the owner of Reynolds Enterprises.

"Miss. Morgan, you arrived first so, you'll make your presentation first."

Although startled by Ethan's identity, Veronica quickly composed herself and stood up.

"Mr. Mayor, ever since we got your email, Qui Vive Tech has been working on a new means of wifi access. Majority of the masses suffer from limited wifi access and poor LAN, thereby limiting their potentials in a developing society.

"We conducted a survey and found that low scale self employed citizens as well as students suffer a backlash from their limited access to the internet.

"Which is why, we thought of a new way to limit such limitations."

"Mr. Mayor, I present to you, Qui Vive Drones, new wifi drones that will help with the problem of internet service. They work like satellites except, they serve as service providers for access to the internet.

"With this new technology, we can reach over millions of people across the country, regardless of their location.

"Mr. Mayor, the various network provider companies are willing to undertake this project with us. They will provide the service for our drones and we will shoulder half the expenses needed to finance this project if the government would shoulder the other half.

"Trust me, sir, Qui Vive Drones will change millions of lives if you will invest in this project."

Her ideas were amazing and impressed the mayor along with his counsel.

This new technology she spoke about would improve the life of citizens, especially those living in the country side with the most limited access to the internet.

They nodded in appraisal and Veronica was pleased that they liked her presentation.

After explaining how the drones worked, she was ready for questions. "Any questions?"

For a while, there was silence and no questions were forthcoming.

"Miss. Morgan, your idea sounds so splendid and I'm sure it will do a lot for the citizens. But quick question, how does this technology generate profit when it sounds more like a nongovernmental project?"