Chapter 18: Chapter 18 – The Price of Ambition

[Host: Arthur Gardner]

[Balance: 9,961,474,999,995 USD]

[Body: 30 (Good)]

[Mind: 35 (Good)]

[VIP Points: 100]

[Skills - 1]

[Driving - 10 (Beginner)]

[Partners - 1]

[Edna Ross (22) - 80%]

Arthur grinned as he racked up a ton of VIP points just when he was in a tricky situation that could have made him do something extraordinary.

"Man, I can do some awesome stuff with 100 VIP points!" he thought.

If he needed to duke it out, Arthur could have put his VIP Points into Body and the rest into Martial Arts skills, which would instantly turn him from an average Joe into an Iron Fist.

The auction that was happening had taken a criminal turn, as the organizers were attempting to auction off Claudina's virginity, which she had obviously refused. It was as if the men in the room had become wild beasts, all ready to battle for the grand prize with all their might, especially those who felt they had enough wealth.

He was faced with a difficult situation. He was unsure of what would happen if he acted; some people could become angry, and a fight could break out, or the other party could bring in armed reinforcements.

He wanted to help Claudina, whether out of genuine concern or admiration for her beauty. Either way, he wouldn't let something like this happen right in front of him. Arthur sighed as Leo began the last auction of the night.

"Wait...Wait!" shouted Harry Black, the young CEO, as he quickly got back on his feet. "Give me a moment." He walked forward and faced all the bidders, wanting to make sure that they all heard him. "We can't let this continue," he said.

"What do you think you're doing, Harry!" Aston exclaimed in protest. "Are you kidding me? You're just trying to buy time for this auction. Don't you think I have better things to do than listen to your ramblings?"

"No, please let me explain," Harry insisted.

"We're all aware," Harry continued, "that we came here with one goal in mind. But, it would be too simplistic if our journey ended up with Ms. Claudina's virginity being auctioned off. That's not right." 

Claudina glanced up at Harry as he spoke, wondering, "Is he going to stand up for me?"

However, that was not what was on Harry's mind. He was focusing on getting rid of one of his competitors, the irritating and obnoxious Blitzy. Thus, he devised a plan.

"I don't think everyone would be on board with that. I think, for now, just having dinner with Ms. Claudina by myself would be more than enough for me," Harry said, then he turned to Claudina and smiled.

"So, what do you suggest?" Aston yelled, his face reddening with anger. "You want us to just give up on this auction? Are you crazy?"

"No, I think we should keep the dinner with Ms. Claudina in the auction. That doesn't seem too unreasonable, does it?" Harry asked, glancing at Leo.

"Alright!" Leo was happy with this idea as it meant more money coming in, making him even richer. "There's no need to put it off any longer, let's start the auction for dinner with Ms. Claudina!" he said.

Harry had the plan to get Arthur withdrawn from the final auction by taking out as much money as he had, leaving only him and Aston in the competition, which would give Harry an edge. He then walked toward Arthur.

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"So, why don't you spend all your money on dinner with Claudina, huh?" he taunted.

"You don't intend to value dinner with Claudina the Snow White Princess at just one billion dollars, do you?" Harry said. "Let me see how foolish you are to be so careless with your money."

Harry crossed his arms and glared at Arthur in an attempt to intimidate him. He was convinced that he could sense what Arthur was thinking. People like Arthur, who placed a lot of emphasis on material possessions, usually had short tempers that were easily provoked. Taking advantage of this, Harry was sure he could manipulate them until they were in over their heads.

"Now, state your bidding!" Harry challenged.

"One billion dollars," Arthur calmly stated, raising his hand for emphasis.

Claudina raised her head to look Arthur in the eyes. "That man has gone too far. He spent a lot of money as if it were nothing." she wondered, "Is he so wealthy that he could spend billions in a single night?"

"What does he want from me?" Claudina thought out loud. "It must be my body," she concluded, lowering her head in despair. "My life is over."

Several people in the room began to talk about the situation.

"He's really crazy," one person remarked, "How much money does he have? I've lost track of how much he's spent tonight."

"It's about eleven billion dollars," another replied. "That's absolutely insane. With that much money, you could build a business whose profits could be used for several generations."

"Those orphans are really lucky this time," a third chimed in. "They're going to get rich suddenly because of the foolishness of a man who is only driven by his lust for Claudina."

"Two billion dollars!" Harry replied to Arthur with a sly smile, pointing directly at him. He was aware that Arthur would go to any lengths to acquire what he wanted, so he was confident that even if he outbid him, Arthur would persist in his attempts to secure the items.

"Four billion dollars," Arthur said, adding to the bid. 

"Five billion dollars," Harry replied, continuing the bidding.

"This is absolutely insane! Do you think that Harry is actually serious with what he is doing? He is taking a huge risk; what if Mr. Glitzy doesn't make a higher bid than what Harry has already put in? He will miss out on a great deal of money."

"They are both crazy! I believe that I came to the wrong auction. Nevertheless, I can still watch an entertaining show like this."

However, after a few moments, Arthur still remained silent, not making another bid to match the one from Harry.

"Alright, so does this auction end with Mr. Harry winning this item for five billion dollars?" Leo called out from the stage.

"No! Wait!" Harry pleaded with Leo, desperately hoping he'd give someone else a chance to outbid him. He was shaking with panic; he couldn't fathom spending so much money just to have dinner with Claudina. Why would he settle for merely having a meal with her if he could have her in his bed? "No!" he shouted.

He then turned to Arthur, pointing at his face, and sternly said, "Hey you! Bid higher than me right now!"

Harry was certain that his calculations were correct; the man in front of him seemed so eager to acquire all of the items being auctioned off, so all he had to do was tempt him enough to spend all of his money and be out in the last round.

Harry had planned so meticulously that he felt certain he couldn't be wrong. But why hadn't the man bid higher than what Harry had bid?

Harry trembled even more, and beads of sweat trickled down his body. After all, five billion dollars was a hefty sum, and he couldn't afford to lose out on that amount without getting something he desired.

Arthur just looked back at Harry and replied, "Aren't you the one who wanted this in the first place?"

At the same time, Aston smiled as a plan began to form in his mind, one that he was certain would make both of his opponents surrender that night.

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