10: Fangs Beneath the Tuxedo

The charity auction was the grand finale of the entire evening.

When the auctioneer, in a booming voice, introduced the final lot—a fifty-acre plot of industrial land in the east district—the atmosphere in the venue reached a fever pitch.

"This plot of land, with its prime location and promising policy prospects, has a starting bid of fifty million dollars!"

A determined light flashed in Katherine's eyes. Sterling Industries was planning to expand its production line, and she had studied the file on this land; it was the perfect choice.

"Fifty-one million!" A director sitting next to Katherine raised his paddle first.

However, no sooner had he spoken than another voice immediately countered.

"Fifty-five million!"

The bidder was Richard Hammer, the CEO of Hammer Industries. He shot a provocative glance at Katherine, his face showing an unconcealed determination.

Katherine frowned and motioned for her director to continue. "Fifty-six million!"

"Sixty million!" Richard Hammer didn't even blink.

Just then, David Sterling, sitting at another table, also raised his paddle at the "perfect" moment. "Sixty-one million! Katherine, this land is very important for the company. Uncle supports you!"

He acted like a caring uncle concerned for his niece, but Jack's eyes, enhanced by 【Micro-Expression Analysis】, clearly caught the smug, conspiratorial smile that mirrored Richard Hammer's as he raised his paddle.

A meticulously planned hunt had begun.

Katherine had clearly sensed something was amiss. She looked at Jack, her eyes seeking his counsel.

Jack said nothing, just gave her a reassuring look and a slight nod.

With Jack's signal, Katherine's resolve solidified. She no longer hesitated and played along, joining the frantic bidding.

"Sixty-five million!"

"Seventy million!"

"Seventy-five million!"

The price was driven up, far exceeding the land's actual value. The crowd looked at them as if they were mad. Everyone thought that Sterling Industries and Hammer Industries were locked in a fight to the death.

David and Richard exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with glee. The fish had taken the bait.

When the price was pushed to the astronomical figure of ninety million dollars, Richard Hammer felt the time was right. He looked at David, ready for him to make the final push, after which he would gracefully bow out and let the foolish woman Katherine take over this mess at a price that would bankrupt her.

However, just as David was about to raise the paddle for "ninety-one million"—

A hand rose from a corner no one expected.

"One hundred million."

A calm, clear voice resonated through the hall.

Everyone turned to look, and then, collectively, they froze.

The person who had raised the paddle was not Katherine, not David, nor anyone from Hammer Industries.

It was... Jack Miller, the man who had been sitting beside Katherine, as silent as a ghost, in his cheap tuxedo.

BOOM!

The room erupted!

"Is he insane? Does he even know how much a hundred million is?"

"What is this? The live-in husband fighting for his wife?"

"Is the Sterling family staging a family drama?"

Katherine was also stunned, staring at Jack in disbelief. David and Richard Hammer were completely dumbfounded. This... was not in the script!

Richard Hammer was the first to react. He thought Jack was just causing trouble, bluffing. He immediately stood up and shouted at the auctioneer, "I object! Can he even afford it? I demand a verification of his funds!"

One of his lackeys, getting carried away, started bragging to the person next to him, "Haha, this idiot! He has no idea there's a serious contamination issue under that land. The cleanup costs will be at least another fifty million! Our boss found out ages ago. Today was just a setup to lure the Sterlings in! Who knew some nobody would jump in and commit suicide!"

His voice wasn't loud, but in Jack's extraordinary hearing, it was as clear as a whisper in his ear.

Jack silently pressed the record button on his phone.

Facing Richard's uproar, Jack just smiled faintly. He took a black card from his pocket and handed it to the staff member who approached him.

When the experienced manager of the auction house saw the card, his expression changed instantly. He bowed respectfully to Jack, then took the microphone and announced in a tone filled with awe, "This gentleman's eligibility is beyond question! The bidding continues! One hundred million dollars, any higher bids?"

That card was the unlimited black card with the highest authority for the "Alpha Wolf Fund," prepared for him by Ben Carter.

Richard Hammer was utterly dumbfounded. He couldn't fathom how a good-for-nothing freeloader could possess that level of financial power.

David was so scared that cold sweat dripped down his back.

The auctioneer called out three times. The hall was silent.

BANG!

The gavel fell.

"Sold! Congratulations to Mr. Miller!"

Amidst a round of dazed applause, Jack won the "toxic" piece of land. Richard and David looked at him with a mixture of pity and schadenfreude, as if he were the biggest idiot of the century.

The auction ended, and the guests began to disperse.

The first thing Katherine did was pull Jack out to a deserted open-air balcony. The night wind blew through her long hair but couldn't cool the anxiety and anger on her face.

"Are you crazy? Jack! Do you know what you just did? That was a trap! You just gambled away our entire future!" she questioned in a low, agitated voice.

Jack didn't explain. He just looked at her quietly, then handed her his phone and pressed play.

"...he has no idea there's a serious contamination issue under that land... Today was just a setup..."

The crystal-clear recording played in the silence of the balcony.

Katherine's words died in her throat. The anger on her face slowly faded, replaced by endless shock and bewilderment. She stared blankly at the phone, then slowly lifted her head to look at the man before her.

Under the moonlight, he stood there in his ridiculous rented tuxedo, a faint, detached smile on his face. But at this moment, in Katherine's eyes, it was as if he were robed in starlight, the master of everyone's fate.

Shock, confusion, curiosity... eventually, all these emotions converged into a dangerous and fatal feeling called "infatuation."

"I told you, I will protect this family," Jack said, taking back his phone. He stepped closer and gently tucked a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. His voice, in the night wind, carried a hint of wild tenderness.

"Any wolf that tries to tear a piece of flesh from it... I will break its fangs."

The atmosphere between them became incredibly delicate. Katherine could even smell the faint, masculine scent on him, a mix of grass and earth that she found strangely comforting. Her heart was beating faster than ever before.

However, in that very instant!

The smile on Jack's face vanished. His eyes instantly became as sharp as a blade. He yanked Katherine behind him, his body assuming an aggressive, protective stance.

"Who's there?!"

From the shadows of the balcony, a tall figure slowly emerged.

It was the "waiter" with the aura of a lone wolf he had noticed earlier in the ballroom.

He had removed the waiter's uniform, revealing a body clad in black combat gear, rippling with explosive power. His gaze was cold and deadly, like two precise infrared sights locked firmly on Jack.

"You are not human," the man spoke, his voice hoarse, like rusty metal scraping against itself.

"You have the scent of my kind on you... a scent I find... very unpleasant."

The true, bloody world of the underground, of slaughter and death, had, for the first time, made its official debut.