The room was already buzzing with murmurs, but Demian wasn’t done humiliating Raymond.
He another step forward, his smirk growing sharper, eyes glinting with victory.
"This was your plan from the very beginning, wasn’t it?" His voice dripped with mockery.
"Pathetic."
Imdiately gasps and murmurs swirled through the crowd, the tide quickly shifting in Demian’s favor.
A man from the corner chuckled, shaking his head.
"Honestly, I can’t believe this. He actually thought this little trick would work?"
Another joined in, laughing. "Maybe he forgot about the rules. But then again—" the man sneered, "how would a poor man even know them? You have to be rich to know such things even exist!"
Laughter erupted.
People whispered, shaking their heads, eyes filled with mockery.
"A fool."
"A fraud."
"How embarrassing."
Soone else scoffed, loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Do you really think anyone here believes you can afford forty million? You should just stop this nonsense and leave while you still have so dignity left."
Imdiately a few others nodded in agreent, their expressions filled with amusent and disdain.
"He really thought he could fool us."
"What a joke."
The laughter continued, a cruel symphony of ridicule, as the crowd fully turned against Raymond.
At that mont slow smirk crept onto Damien’s face as he gave it another thought.
No. Raymond cannot walk out of here peacefully.
Not after the audacity he just displayed. Not after publicly humiliating himself and making a mockery of the auction.
His hands clenched into fists as he turned his gaze to Dorian Lancaster.
"You can’t let this slide," he muttered under his breath, then louder, his voice carrying across the hall.
"This is not just so simple matter anymore!"
The room fell silent, people turning their attention back to him.
Demian’s expression darkened. His tone grew sharper, more insistent.
"Are we really going to allow soone like him to humiliate the J12? To make a joke out of them? To make it seem like they’re not worth it?"
His words were deliberate, calculated—baiting the room and J12 to turn against Raymond.
Gasps filled the hall. More whispers.
People exchanged glances, nodding in agreent.
"He’s right..."
"The J12 have never been challenged like this before, it’s disrespectful."
"This is beyond just an auction."
The murmurs grew louder, so of the elite families shifting uncomfortably in their seats.
Demian pressed on.
"Everybody here knows that he doesn’t have that kind of money. So why did he bid?" His voice was rising now, fueled by the growing attention.
His eyes glead as he glanced toward the J12 representative.
"If you let this go, what does it say about your reputation?"
At that mont Dorian Lancaster., who had remained composed the entire ti, finally leaned forward, his expression unreadable.
A flicker of interest danced in his eyes—but was it amusent or the first sign of cold, calculated anger?
Imdiately Damien smiled inwardly.
Yes. This is the perfect opportunity to put Raymond into deep trouble.
If the J12 decided to deal with him—if they had him arrested for fraud, for disrespect—then Raymond wouldn’t just walk away humiliated.
He wouldn’t walk away at all.
The atmosphere in the auction hall grew colder as the tension settled over the room like a thick fog.
Then Damien smirked. The reaction was exactly what he wanted.
His eyes flickered toward the J12 representatives, watching their expressions carefully. So of them leaned forward slightly, their interest piqued. Others remained still, their calculating gazes locked onto Raymond.
Yes. They were paying attention now.
At that mont Damien took another step forward, his voice laced with mockery.
"You see, ladies and gentlen, this is exactly why nobodies should never be allowed in a place like this."
Laughter rippled through the audience.
He turned to Dorian Lancaster., his eyes gleaming with hidden satisfaction.
"You can’t just let this slide," he said smoothly, his tone oozing with fake concern. "If you do, then what happens next ti? Soone else will co in here thinking they can challenge the J12 and make a fool of them."
Murmurs of agreent spread across the hall.
"You’re right."
"This is getting ridiculous."
"Soone needs to teach him a lesson."
Damien pressed on.
"I suggest you have him arrested."
Gasps filled the air.
Then Dorian Lancaster expression darkened.
Damien stepped even closer to Raymond, eyes gleaming with triumph. "That’s right. Let’s see if he can buy his way out of this one."
At that mont the murmurs turned into a chorus of voices calling for Raymond’s arrest.
"He should be taken in imdiately!"
"Teach him so manners!"
"Make sure he never steps foot in another auction again!"
The guards stationed near the J12 representatives shifted slightly, waiting for a signal.
The tension in the hall had reached its peak. Every eye was locked onto Raymond, waiting for him to crumble under the pressure.
At that mont Valentina felt a knot tightening in her stomach.
This... this was exactly what she had been afraid of.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she prepared to stand.
She had to fix this.
If she could just apologize, diffuse the situation sohow, they could leave without things escalating any further. Even if Raymond had overstepped, she couldn’t just stand by and let this happen.
But just as she shifted to rise, a firm, steady hand caught her wrist.
She looked down to see Raymond’s fingers wrapped around her hand, his grip gentle but unwavering.
She turned to him, startled.
And then, he smiled. Not a nervous smile. Not a defeated smile.
A smile that was calm, confident—unchanged by the chaos around him.
"Trust ," he murmured.
Valentina froze.
His voice was low, soothing, but there was a weight to his words—an assurance that sent a chill down her spine.
The confidence in his eyes, the certainty in his tone...
It wasn’t arrogance. It wasn’t desperation, It was control.
For a brief mont, she forgot the crowd, the murmurs, the tension.
She had been so sure this was spiraling beyond Raymond’s reach. That he had overplayed his hand.
But what if she was wrong?
Her heartbeat slowed.
Then Raymond gave her hand a light squeeze.
"Just this once," he whispered. "Trust ."
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