"Ladies and gentlemen, the 113th Scott Province Royal Auction is about to begin. Please take your seats." A melodious voice announced the moment everyone had been waiting for, and at the same time, the lights around the auction stage changed.
The audience immediately slowed their conversations as they took their seats, either in the general seating areas or on the balconies of the VIP rooms.
Vicente and Layla already had their masks on when they sat down on the balcony of their room, with him facing the darkened stage and she watching him from the side.
Then the female voice announced. "Please welcome our auctioneer for the evening, Sir Joshua Marks, representative of the Royal Chamber of Commerce, Head of the 2nd Auction Department."
The lights focused on a large red curtain above the stage, from which, moments after the previous speech, everyone saw a very well-dressed man in a black tuxedo emerge.
