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?"
Chapter 8'Of course. He'd be the only one to find fault in my proposal,' Veronica thought bitterly as she fisted the side of her dress.After taking the Serpentine Dragon's Eye at the Trivia Gala, he sought to take this business deal from her company as well.She cast a sidelong glance at Ethan and smiled recklessly."The government is responsible for providing social welfare services to the citizens. The fact that this project is aimed at improving their lives should be the only profit we should aim for, Mr. Reynolds," she deadpanned, her tone serious but a sweet smile etched on her ethereal face.If he wanted, he could go ahead and challenge that notion, staining his charitable image along the line.She did not see how he could manipulate his reply without compromising his selfish intentions.One slip up and everyone in the office would see that he was an opportunist who had no empathy or regard for the welfare of the masses.That kind of reputation could hamper further alliance wi
The car stopped and Veronica stepped out. A frown was on her face because she did not want to be here one bit. She wore a one shoulder midi dress that revealed her well defined clavicles. The elegant dress accentuated her slender waist and curves, quickly attracting attention to her perfect body. The moment she stepped into the restaurant, many heads turned. Veronica Morgan was a real showstopper. Extremely beautiful, she exuded a sense of confidence and carried herself with innate grace. "Good evening, ma'am," the Maitre D greeted her. He recognized her easily and led her to the table reserved for her dinner. Ethan was at the table reading through the menu. He raised his head and said something to the staff who left immediately. His eyes dimmed slightly. Veronica dropped her purse and sat across him without a word. "Do you not have the basic manners of greeting someone when you see them?" 'This man can be quite controlling. But does he think he can teach me about manners?'
10."You little witch!" A thunderous slap landed on Veronica's face. The pain racked her brain and caused her to stagger back.Fortunately, the gun had landed in a bush quite a good distance away. The man would not be able to reach it."Pulling such stunts," the angry man slapped her again. Even after she fell, she tried to crawl away from him yet, he fisted her hair and pulled her back to her feet.Tears blurred her vision. In the face of death, she felt pain and despair.Her breaths were shaky, soon, she would faint."Help..."Right then, a familiar silhouette jumped out of the vehicle parked a distance away."Veronica!"Groggily, she moved her eyes in the direction of that familar voice. It was a very furious call but the anger was not directed at her."Ethan?" Her breathless whisper slipped out. A dark fearsome look of icy terror clouded his very handsome face. He looked very aggrieved, running towards them.Even if she despised him, his appearance sent a wave of relief over her.
They snapped their heads in the direction of the mellow, magnetic voice.Ethan was by the door. He just walked in and heard the last fraction of their conversation.Veronica swept a cold glance at his immaculate appearance and scoffed."Maybe both," she sneered, turning her face away.A flash of astonishment fleeted past on his face but no one noticed his reaction.'Quite an ungrateful woman. She wouldn't even acknowledge my efforts or say thank you.' He was used to her horrible attitude but after last night, he developed certain expectations...The atmosphere was getting tense. Evie wisely retreated. She picked her phone and pretended to be on a call."Yes, Mr. Tim. I'll be right out," she said while moving away. "Miss. Morgan, I'll attend to something but I'll be back soon."She bowed respectfully when she got to Ethan and scurried out quickly.They were left alone in the ward, an awkward atmosphere was building around them.'Damn you, Evie. Of all times, why leave me alone with thi
Feeling content, Ethan dropped his phone and lunged back. Beside him, his personal assistant stood, awaiting his next orders.Colton Gallagher, the assistant was knowledgeable of his employer's current affairs and supported him in his pursuit of the young billionaire mogul, Veronica Morgan."Sir, your mood has improved after that call. Did she agree to the dinner?" He was very curious and anxious for the answer.His boss was an eligible bachelor blessed with great wealth, success and heaven-sent good looks. No one could resist him and many women, daughters of noble families, threw themselves at his feet.Yet, Miss. Morgan was different, she openly despised and challenged him and did not care to act in a coy way like the other women did around his boss.She was unpretentious and her uniqueness made her stand out as the best partner for Ethan. Colton wanted to make their ship a reality."She was silent," Ethan replied.It wasn't completely the truth. Veronica slammed the phone down afte
'Indeed, she cooked the food even if she denies it.' He smiled in secret as the nanny confirmed his initial suspicions.Suddenly, his expression changed. His eyes grew wide in awe as he stared back at Nanny Lorene. "For real? I had no idea Miss. Morgan cooks. Infact, when I asked, she said you cooked this delicious dinner and that is why I sought to extend my gratitude."'Urgh, he's too dramatic,' Veronica rolled her eyes. If a stranger saw him, they'd believe he was truly struck dumb at the discovery."Well, she did and trust me, it's quite rare of her..."'Nice job, Nanny Lorene. Keep fueling his ego,' Veronica was provoked by the unintentional betrayal and wished she never cooked in the first place."I don't understand why she would lie to you," Nanny directed a meaningful gaze at her."Maybe because I don't want his head filling up with helium!" She almost snapped back. She said nothing and looked away. There was no reason to defend her actions.Before the atmosphere tensed up, Et
"Why is your face so red?" Nanny asked as Veronica barged through the door and plopped down on one of the kitchen stools.She was breathing fast as she literally broke into a run after exiting the changing room.Out of breath and red from limited air supply, Veronica desperately needed water. Nanny passed her a glass which she gulped down instantly."What happened to you?" She asked after drawing a second stool. She sat across Veronica with a worried look.Freaking Ethan Reynolds happened! Unfortunately, she couldn't tell nanny that she walked in on him changing and got herself into a very embarrassing situation."It's nothing. I saw a spider and you know how much I hate them," she lied smoothly, grateful for once that she had arachnophobia."Oh. Then I'll get someone to check it out," Nanny said, standing up. She paused just as the door opened and smiled. "Oh, Mr. Reynolds. You're here?"Veronica froze. She stiffened up and dared not look behind her."Well, I changed into the shirt y
In the car, Veronica dialed Ethan's line many times but his phone was unreachable."This is pointless." She asked her driver to take her to Ethan's company.The receptionist recognized her easily. She greeted her warmly and informed her that the CEO was not in the company. He was attending the construction bid in the City Hall.The City Construction Bureau was holding a construction bid for an important project. Reynolds Builders was one of the many companies participating in the bid.Veronica did not own a construction company, thus she was not involved in the bid."When will he be back?" She had a lot of questions for him and she could not wait."I really don't know, ma'am. The bidding will take a long time so I cannot say," the young female answered in a polite tone.She was just a trivial receptionist and did not know Ethan's schedule. There was nothing she could do for Veronica.He sent the Serpentine Dragon's Eye early in the morning and suddenly, his phone was switched off. Eth