Anna’s POV
"Anna Shaw?" A familiar voice called out my na, cutting through the stunned silence that had fallen over the auction hall.
"Yes, it’s ." I nodded in response, keeping my expression deliberately calm despite the storm of emotions raging inside .
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
"She finally showed up." "Can’t believe she’s reporting George Simpson at a ti like this." "That’s either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid."
These whispers washed over like a gentle breeze-irrelevant compared to the plan occupying my mind. The auction had been interrupted at precisely the right mont, and I couldn’t allow anything to distract from my objective.
Catherine rushed to my side, her eyes frantically scanning for injuries.
"Are you okay? What happened with the accident?"
I could see the genuine concern in her eyes, but explaining everything would have to wait. Right now, the only thing that mattered was ensuring Skylake District didn’t end up in George Simpson’s hands.
"We’ll talk about everything later," I said, my voice low but firm. "Today, you need to win Skylake District.
That’s all that matters."
Catherine’s eyes widened in shock.
"? Are you kidding? I can’t do this!
The bidding is almost at six billions now, you’re going to give a heart attack!"
I understood her panic—it was a staggering amount of money. But I trusted her, and more importantly, I needed her to step up in this crucial mont.
"Don’t be afraid, I know you can do it," I reassured her softly. "I need to go with them now. I’m counting on you here."
"Wait, you really trust with this?" Catherine looked at incredulously.
I knew exactly what she was thinking.
This wasn’t so trivial shopping decision-it was a multi-billion dollar property acquisition. She was well aware that I had mortgaged everything for this opportunity, and failure would be catastrophic. But I had to leave the scene and draw George Simpson away.
I nodded toward Samuel. "Besides, Samuel is here with you. What are you worried about?"
Samuel flashed an "OK" sign, and I felt a small wave of relief wash over . The bidding process was in capable hands with him present.
George Simpson’s face contorted with disbelief as the officers approached him. He clearly hadn’t anticipated I would take such a drastic asure.
"Anna Shaw, do you understand what you’re saying?" he demanded, his voice tight with barely controlled rage.
Though my heart hamred against my ribs, I maintained an outwardly calm deanor. "I know exactly what I’m saying, and I’m willing to take responsibility for my actions today. Mr. Simpson, both of my assistants are in the hospital right now. Do you really want to discuss this matter here?"
I knew I was gambling everything, but for Skylake District-and for my injured assistants—I was willing to take the risk.
The "officer" nodded gravely. "We should continue this conversation at the precinct."
George fixed with an icy stare that could have frozen hell itself. I could feel the heat of his fury and the implicit threat behind his eyes, but instead of cowering, I t his gaze with a slight smile playing at the corners of my lips.
"Mr. Simpson, shall we? The auction needs to continue, and we shouldn’t waste everyone’s ti here."
Realizing that maintaining the standoff would do him no good, George turned to Jack with a hard expression. "You handle the rest. I won’t accept any failures." He instructed his assistant to stay and help Jack, while Pax Powell received a aningful glance that clearly ordered him to keep close watch on everything.
Jack looked at , his expression a complicated mixture of confusion, concern, and sothing else I couldn’t quite place. I deliberately avoided his gaze, silently praying my plan would work as we left the auction hall.
Once inside the car, George imdiately noticed it wasn’t a police vehicle. Before he could voice his suspicions, he was firmly guided inside by two n who flanked him on either side.
His phone was confiscated, and I could imagine the confusion and alarm blooming across his face as realization dawned. "You’re not real police officers. Who are you people?" he would have demanded.
The fake officer would have smiled slightly. "Why wouldn’t we be officers, Mr. Simpson? Just wait a mont, we’ll arrive shortly."
As the car pulled away from the auction house, I knew George would be frantically analyzing the situation.
Police investigations required evidence; even with my formal report, they would need to establish a case and gather substantial proof before summoning a suspect. He would quickly deduce these weren’t real officers.
"Who are you? Do you realize impersonating an officer is a federal cri?" "Where’s Anna Shaw? I demand to see her!" I could almost hear George’s furious shouts echoing in my mind.
The driver would remain calm. "Don’t worry, Mr. Simpson. When we reach our destination, you’ll see Ms. Shaw."
I imagined George’s shock and outrage —the mighty patriarch of the Simpson family outwitted by a "little girl" like . But this was exactly my plan-to keep him away from the auction long enough for us to secure Skylake District.
Twenty minutes later, my phone vibrated. Catherine’s voice burst through the speaker, practically bouncing with excitent. "We won!
We actually won! Skylake District ours!"
A surge of elation rushed through , but I fought to keep my composure.
"That’s fantastic! You both did brilliantly. Dinner’s on tonight."
Catherine laughed. "No way, Samuel already said he’s treating us."
Tempering my excitent, I asked, "What was the final bid?"
"Eight billion million!" Catherine made a whistling sound. "God, I was so nervous my palms are raw from digging my nails into them. Thank goodness Samuel was there, constantly outbidding Jack. It was so intense— you really missed sothing amazing."
Eight billion million-close to what I had anticipated. As Catherine described the scene, I could visualize the heated bidding war.
"It’s a good thing George wasn’t there," she continued excitedly. "The whole thing was terrifying—my adrenaline is through the roof. Jack is still sitting in his chair looking stunned. Samuel says if George had been there-that old fox —we might not have secured Skylake District at all."
The knot in my stomach finally loosened, and I couldn’t help but feel a rush of satisfaction. "That’s exactly why I tricked George into leaving at the perfect mont."
"Tricked?" Catherine gasped. "What exactly happened?"
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