He took it and looked away thinking that was all. Embarassingly, the usher refused to go! He stood there like a statue, giving Alex a look that portrayed expectancy. When it became clear that Alex was not going to take the hint, the young usher coughed uncomfortably;
"Sir, you have to pay the representative complimentary fee of ten thousand dollars."
Alex sighed. Of course. Even if no one ended up purchasing anything, the organizers would still make a ton of money.
"Why didn't you say so then?"
The guy paled. "Sir it's pretty common knowle---"
Alex took out two neat bundles, twenty thousand in all and dropped in the tray.
"Keep the change son."
The usher would have gladly pointed out that they were almost the same age, but the ten thousand dollar tip completely reconfigured his instincts. He bowed slightly, and scampered away quickly as if he was afraid his benefactor would change his mind and recall back the money. But that was the last thing on his mind.
Much to his delight, the organizers ran a tight ship. So, at the stipulated time, right on the dot, the auction began. Alex noted that anyone who purposely decided to come late was either a lackey, or was someone who wanted one single artifact and did not want to be bothered with the hassle of sitting through the entire line up.
He was one of such people. But unfortunately, he could not afford the priviledge of trying to play god with time. He had to be here early to secure his prize.
The bidding began. The taut faces of the many rich bidders masked their excitement, but Alex could tell that many of them were elated at the prospect of owning something rare and valuable. This was what seperated the rich from the wealthy. Any rich person could buy a fancy car, a big house, or throw lavish parties. But the wealthy class rose above that by purchasing artifacts that were rare. They took pride knowing that they were the only ones on the planet that owned these rare items. It gave them a feeling of being special, even among the other wealthy class.
Alex had not even the slightest interest in any of the valuable treasures before him. So, he had to suffer through the whole bidding process. It was like watching kids (with lots of money) bid on toys they wanted to play with. Only this class of kids were definitely not going to play with them. In fact, it was almost a given that the 'toys' would never be touched. They would simply be kept in a vault, or on display, and remain as a bold statement- a reminder of the purchasing power of their owners. From the perspective of a god, it was insane.
Finally, the hour came. The auctioneer declared in a dramatically somber tone;
"...and now ladies and gentlemen, behold item number thirteen!" Alex sat up. "An ancient artifact that dates as far back to the seventeenth century Qing dynasty, I present; THE CURSED BLADE!!!"
As expected, the item caused no small stir in the audience. Everyone knew about it. But only the maddest of the mad would dare to buy it.
"Bidding starts at one million dollars!! Do I hear one million somebody?"
Alex raised the bid, and declared for two million.
"I see two million! Do I hear a two point five million?"
Someone bid for two point five, outbidding Alex.
The auctioneer continued to prattle on; "Excellent! Do I hear three million somebody?! The Cursed Blade people! Do I hear three million?!"
Without hesitation, Alex raised his bid to three million, outbidding the previous two point five.
The auctioneer had been doing this for a while, and his instincts told him that a bidding war was about to ensue. It was every auctioneers dream scenario. So, determined to milk this opportunity dry, he tightened his belt and entered a new gear.
"Three whole million for the Cursed Blade!" He declared dramatically. Skipping four, five and six; "Do I hear seven million?! Seven million somebody?!"
The crowd gasped when someone in the front row raised his placard. It looked like Alex was going to have fierce competition here. He was not expecting this, seeing that it was common knowledge that the artifact in question was cursed. Without hesitation, Alex raised his bid to ten million.
The auctioneer's intuition was proving to be right with every minute that passed. Alex could not see his opposition from where he was seated, but he was getting slightly annoyed that this was dragging out. Smelling blood in the waters, the four eyed, pot-bellied auctioneer rode the wave;
"Do I hear thirteen million? Yes? Thirteen million for item thirteen?!!"
His energy was infectious. It was the kind that was born from coming in close proximity with the sweet smelling scent of an eight figure check.
The other bidder raised up his placard, indicating his interest. The crowd was getting excited now. Here were some big power players, and they were giving the people exactly the kind of drama rich people wanted- money play. But of course, no one was more excited than the auctioneer. Thirteen million sounded so abstract when he said it, but it was no joke. That money was fortune enough to change several lives at once!
Wondering just how far he could milk this opportunity, he swallowed hard and continued in a voice that masked his elation;
"Cursed Blade now going for fifteen million!! Do I hear a fifteen milli---"
Alex swiftly raised up his placard. The determined look in his face was all the assurance that the auctioneer needed. He sensed that they were reaching the ceiling of the bid, but that did not stop him from driving the price by another couple of ridiculous millions. He continued to drive the price up the very steep hill until it reached the zenith of a whooping sum of twenty million.
The atmosphere in the room was now so tense, that even a blind man could sense it. It was like walking into a radioactive zone, only money was the cause of all the toxicity. Money meant everything, and at the same time was nothing to a lot the folks here. But to Alex, it was less than nothing. Other than for its purchasing power, it meant nothing to him. It was merely a means to an end. And that was what made him the worst kind of opponent to have in a bidding war.
Not caring about the price at all, he beat the competitor's previous bid of nineteen point five million by rasing it to a stagerring twenty million. At the point, the tension broke as the audience erupted into a thunderous applause. Alex had done the impossible. In the auctioning world, this was what was referred to as a premium bid. It was the highest amount of money that an item had ever been auctioned for. It was a move that was definitely worthy of a resounding applause.
"...twenty million for the Cursed Blade!! Do I hear twenty point five?!"
Alex began to feel relaxed now sensing that the protracted battle had reached its climax.
"Anybody? Twenty point five?"
Silence.
"Twenty million final offer!! Going once..."
Still no counter bid,
"Going twice..."
Alex tried to supress his instincts to grin vicotriously. It had been a long ride, but finally, it was actually looking like things were going his way. He had paid the price for it with due dilligence and decisive planning. Everything was in place now.
But interestingly, things took a different turn from there. And Alex would come to regret having relaxed way too soon. Just as the auctioneer was about to pronounce Alex as the victor and new owner of the precious artifact, the very familiar figure of Scarlett emerged from the back of the stage, and glided across the podium towards the auctioneer. Alex frowned. Scarlett had a serious look on her face that did not look like good news.
She whispered inaudible words in the man's ear, causing him to back off with a surprised look on his face.
Effortlessly, she leaned into the microphone and filled the space with her words;
"Sorry for the interruption ladies and gentlemen, but I'm afraid the auction has to be temporarily suspended. Please remain seated for a few moments while we prepare to get back on track. Thanks for understanding."