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"Money's only something you need in case you don't die tomorrow."
- Carl Fox, (Wall Street)
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<(Bruce Wayne POV)>
"Once again thank you ladies and gentlemen for attending today's auction. Before we start today's "bidding war", I must remind you all that this is a friendly Charity Auction. All the items here tonight have either been donated by various museums or private collectors all over America and half of the proceeds from this auction will go straight to charity, divided among ten different reputable charitable foundations. Okay, now that we have got that out of the way, we can finally start with the first item in our collection tonight which is item no 1a, an imperial pearl necklace set worn by the Emperor of China, Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty who ruled from 1722 to 1735. Of course, further detailed information can be found in our brochure. Bidding will start from 500 thousand dollars. You can place your bids now." The auctioneer announced as if he was the host of some grand reality show.
"2 million dollars" I declared, not even bothering to use the bidding paddle required for bidding.
I knew the minimum bid increment was a hundred thousand dollars, but I didn't have the patience to haggle. So, I just started with an amount I thought was high enough for most bidders here not to even consider spending on a single pearl necklace.
"2.5 million dollars." Someone else tried to outbid me but the host couldn't even get the chance to acknowledge the bid before I instantly fired back with a "3 million dollars" not even a second later.
"Do I have a 3.1 million dollars, anyone? 3.1 million dollars? No one? Okay then, 3 million dollars going once..., 3 million dollars going twice..., 3 million dollars going thrice and SOLD to Mr. Bruce Wayne over there." The host announced in a joyful mood. "And then next in line tonight, we have a painting by the famous painter..." The auctioneer moved on to the next item.
"Hey Bruce, I thought the auction was for the ultra-rich, yet the first item only sold for 3 million. Also, nobody even tried to outbid you too seriously. Are you sure that this is supposed to be a high-profile auction for expensive stuff?" Nyssa whispered in my ears as if she just found the bid boring.
"That was just the first item, Nyssa and the first item is always the cheapest. Most people are here for the more expensive and valuable stuff which will be shown at the last phases of the auction. You would probably see a much harsher bidding battle then, especially for those three unique antiques that I told you about." I whispered back with a light shrug which led to Nyssa just accepting my words with a nod and focusing her attention back on the bidding.
Meanwhile, the auction proceeded uninterrupted. Approximately 21 items were slated for sale at the event, and the affluent attendees were eager to acquire at least one of them to maintain their reputation as Gotham's elite since the inability to secure one could cast doubt on both their wealth and social standing. However, unfortunately for them, they were fresh out of luck, as I was in the mood to splurge some of my hard-earned cash tonight. I relentlessly bid extravagant amounts on every item presented, outbidding all the other attendees without even the slightest bit of hesitation. I knew exactly how rich I was and unlike most people here, I had a lot of liquid assets to use which meant I had actual cash compared to the shares and other immovable unsellable assets the others possessed.
"And the antique Executive desk from India is sold again to Mr. Bruce Wayne for 90 million dollars. Come on ladies and gentlemen, it's like the rest of you aren't even trying." The host chuckled a little nervously while adjusting his bowtie since he could almost feel the intimidation and angry glares the other bidders who failed to outbid me were giving him.
It was the nineteenth bid of the night and just like the previous bids, I had again bought the antique at a much more premium price than its market estimate which meant that the others didn't have any other choice but to sulk at how poor they were when compared to me.
However, I had to admit Lex was playing smart. He hadn't bid on anything yet, except for a painting about a fallen angel which meant he was saving all his money and energy for the item he truly wanted which was quite farseeing of him. He had already realized that I was making fun of the others by outbidding them of everything, and he was letting me do it without any sort of pushback because he was hoping that by doing this, I would fall short of money when it came to bidding for the thing that he wanted. Of course, he had no idea that all this was just wishful thinking.
"Of course, they are trying to win but it's clear that they just didn't want this desk as much as I did. After all, I plan to give this to my butler as his bonus this year. He really likes antique wooden furniture. I think he will put it to good use by reading the morning newspaper on it every day." I muttered loud enough for the other attendees to hear since wanted them to feel the burn of losing to me. Of course, one might ask why. Honestly, it was simply because I was feeling petty.
"Now it's time to bid for one of the finest pieces of jewelry this evening, folks. A pair of scarlet red earrings that dates all the way back to the reign of Constantinople. I am sure that a lot of you want it tonight but unfortunately, only one of you can get it, the richest one of you that is." The auctioneer announced with a slightly sarcastic tone in his voice trying his best to rile up everyone to get them to spend more on their bids. "The bid starts from thirty million dollars."
"A hundred million." I declared with a huge grin at which Nyssa just shook her head with a sigh.
"Seems like someone is enjoying himself too much." She commented with a chuckle.
"I am. I love being rich." I answered back.
"150 million dollars." Lex Luthor raised his paddle too this time.
It should be no surprise that I wanted to outbid him again but before I could make a bid, Cortana's voice chimed inside my ears, "Sir, before you go ahead and spend a fortune on those earrings, I should warn you that the museum which donated them is privately funded by your Foundations. Also, I have scanned it and dug up a little of its history, and unlike what it might seem, this is just a mundane piece of jewelry made from a rare gemstone called painite. It's not really that valuable since it doesn't have any use except for the fact that the gemstone used to be considered extremely rare. However, a recent digging in Cambodia has unearthed too many of those gemstone fragments for that to be considered a... "luxury" anymore. In a couple of years, you will probably even be able to buy a low-grade painite crystal for a few dollars. As for the reason, why nobody was able to accurately recognize the crystal it was made from, it's most probably because of the latex coating done during crafting it to make it appear shinier."
"200 million dollars." Instead of stepping back because of Cortana's warning, I announced a high bid with an arrogant smirk on my face as I looked at Luthor as if I was throwing him a challenge. Of course, I had no wish to buy the piece of jewelry anymore but that didn't mean I couldn't fool Luthor into paying an arm and a leg for a useless piece of rock.
However, quite contrary to my expectations, instead of Lex Luthor, it was someone else who raised his paddle to counter my new bid.
"300 million dollars." A young man confidently stated as he challenged everyone with a look. I didn't personally know him but a quick prompt from Cortana informed me that he was Eliott Caldwell, the founder and CEO of Caldwell Technologies. Eliott was new to the world of business, and it seemed like he wanted to make a name for himself in this town as the newest ultra-rich. That was probably the reason why he dared to go against two of the richest people in the room to buy a piece of jewelry. It was not just a bid for him but a statement declaring that he wasn't to be ignored.
"325 million dollars." I tried to counter but Lex quickly bid 350 million dollars while interrupting me in the midst of my bid.
'Interesting, it seems that he has already started looking for unique crystals. However, if he is this annoyed for not being able to win a pair of earrings, I wonder how far I can really push him before he absolutely loses his marbles.' I thought to myself.
"You two are quite rich, but the thing is I always get what I want and right now, I want that jewelry," Eliott announced from his table as he once again raised his paddle. "500 million dollars." He announced.
"Wow, you are really passionate about this earring, aren't you? I don't think I feel good participating in this bidding war anymore with how much you want that piece of stone. So, I'll let you have it. No need to thank me though." I smiled as I put down my paddle signaling that I was no longer interested in bidding for the earring.
My words of course irritated Elliott a little since I made it sound like I was doing him a favor by not continuing to bid for the item, but he accepted the situation with a bitter pill since he at least won a bid in the auction unlike most of the others here.
Luthor too on the other hand, although looked a little conflicted with a deep frown on his face, he also didn't give any counterbids and just let Eliott win with a low groan from his throat.
"500 million dollars going once..., 500 million dollars going twice... remember folks, this is the last chance to get a unique piece of jewelry like this, do I have 501 million dollars, anyone? No one? Fine, 500 million dollars going thrice and SOLD to Mr. Eliott Caldwell over there." The host clapped as two of the presenters took the jewelry glass case to the back of the stage before bringing a long wooden rifle box and putting it on display after opening it up to show the contents to everyone.
"Finally, we have reached the last and most valuable item of tonight's Auction, the Ace of Winchesters. A vintage gun designed by a legendary gunmaker named John Winchester about 500 to 700 years ago. This gun was not just his best but also his final work. Some say that he made a pact with a literal demon to make such a beautiful and perfect gun at that time. Some even say that he went crazy after completing this creation of his and killed his entire family with that same gun. Also, as a lot of you might have guessed, the famous Winchester gun company was founded by his descendants hundreds of years later and they have been in the arms business ever since. It is an absolute beauty and one of a kind for gun collectors all over the world. Its bid starts from a modest hundred million dollars." The auctioneer declared while waving his hands in front of the gun display as if he were some sort of hand model.
"Five hundred million dollars." Lex Luthor didn't even hesitate to bid more than six times the original asking price of the gun to secure himself a fast and easy victory. He probably chose the amount because he thought that five hundred million was an amount of money I would hesitate to cough up since I previously stopped bidding for the earrings when the bid reached near that amount. However, he had no idea just how wrong he was.
But before I make my offer, it would be better for me to let the others fight it out first since it looks like a lot of people still have some fight left in them for the gun. I mean this is America after all. People might be divided on their opinion about sex and gender here but one thing every man here loves is guns... And if they don't, they cannot even be considered men much less true Americans.
"700 million dollars" Someone yelled breaking me out of my thoughts before another man shouted "750 million dollars" at the top of their lungs.
"Most of them were a miser till now but suddenly they have hundreds of millions when it comes to buying a gun?" Nyssa snorted at the bidding war that had suddenly erupted out of nowhere.
"Well, what can I say? Guns are cool." I waved off like it was a matter of fact.
The bidding war continued for the next ten minutes but Lex was adamant about buying the vintage weapon. It was clear that he was more than just passionate about it and unlike the rest of the people there, he wasn't worried about spending too much on a useless artifact. He cared more about his plans with the gun than his money.
"1.3 billion dollars." The bald billionaire raised his paddle with gritted teeth as he angrily looked at the other bidders grow silent at the outrageous number.
"1.3 billion dollars for the Ace of the Winchesters. Do I have a higher bid? Does anybody want to bid higher? Remember, this is a one-of-a-kind gun that has never been made before." The host announced with a pleased smile on his face This was already one of the most successful auctioning nights he had ever had in his life. "1.3 billion dollars going once..."
"1.3 billion and 100 thousand dollars." I interrupted the countdown with a straight face.
The one who looked the most surprised by my bid was Luthor himself. I could see his veins bulging on his bald head due to his anger, but he restrained himself and hid his emotions expertly at the very next moment before raising his paddle again. "2 billion dollars. Now how about you back off and let someone else have fun for a change, Mr. Wayne?" Lex Luthor almost snapped back.
"Oh sorry, Lex. I was just having some fun. However, 2 billion dollars is a lot of money... for someone like you, THREE BILLION DOLLARS!" I countered.
"You little... you are trying to screw me, aren't you?" Lex gritted out through his teeth.
It looked like he had finally run out of cash to spend. Like most billionaires, he was extremely rich on paper with billions upon billions of dollars to spend. But all that money was present as stocks in his public company which meant he couldn't spend it as freely. He would either have to sell those shares to raise money which would erode his control over his company especially since his company was still not mature or sturdy enough, or he would have to take a loan from the bank by placing those stocks as collateral which would take too much time, permissions and paperwork.
"Of course, not. I just want a gun for myself." I smiled as the auctioneer finally banged his fancy hammer after giving the third call. "Sold once again to Mr. Bruce Wayne." He announced.
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