Chapter 212
Chapter 212 It Must Be Fake
The auction hall was utterly silent. For only a diamond necklace, the bidding had soared to five billion, even reaching ten billion!
To Robin, spending billions seemed as effortless as spending mere pennies.
Ruby was left humiliated by Robin's public display, unable to recover her footing.
His words were clear-no matter how high anyone bid, he would go higher. He was set on taking that necklace home.
Ruby, who always saw herself as the privileged daughter of the Brookhaven Martial Alliance leader, usually had no problem with money.
But here, standing before Robin-a man who seemed to have no limit on wealth-her accusations of him stirring up trouble felt weak.
After a short silence, murmurs of mockery began circulating in the crowd.
"If you can't afford to bid, accusing others of causing trouble is absurd!"
"Besides, he's sitting in the VIP Zone, and you're just in Zone One. Who are you to question his wealth?"
"What's up with this woman? Acting so high and mighty-she should think before speaking!"
"People who behave recklessly in public just embarrass themselves."
...
Listening to those cold remarks, Ruby flushed with fury.
She had never felt so insulted before.
Glaring at Robin with anger flashing in her eyes, she hissed, "Are you going to challenge me?"
The room instantly fell quiet as Robin replied with a calm smirk, "Challenge you? Don't make me laugh. If you can't handle the competition, then leave! This isn't your house to stomp around in." "Way to go, man!" someone shouted from the audience, showing support for Robin.
"Exactly! Don't let a spoiled, arrogant woman like her ruin things!"
"Yeah, if she can't handle it, she should leave!"
...
Ruby's eyes burned with hatred for Robin as mocking whispers surrounded her. She glared at him, looking ready to explode.
"Auctioneer, I'm demanding that you investigate him! Five billion for a diamond necklace? He must be out of his mind! I insist the committee checks if he truly has those funds!"
The hall fell silent again as onlookers anticipated the outcome. Five billion for a necklace-everyone was curious to see if Robin could pay up.
At this point, Alice, also indignant, chimed in, "I agree with Ms. Quinn! He's a nobody. Where would he get five billion to buy a necklace?"
Ruby cast Alice a cold, dismissive look. To Ruby, discussing five billion with someone like Alice was an insult.
She sneered. "Did I ask for your opinion?"
Turning to the auctioneer, she said, "I demand an immediate verification of his assets! If he can't back up his bid-"
"Go ahead and pay!" Robin interrupted, handing his leopard-print access card to Rita before Ruby could finish. The whole audience was shocked.
All eyes turned to Ruby, now filled with contempt. What was left to argue? Paying on the spot was the clearest proof.
"You're just putting on an act!" Ruby shouted, frustrated and unwilling to believe it was real.
Robin chuckled. "Ignorant woman! You're short on both money and manners."
"Who are you calling rude? You jerk!" Ruby's face turned crimson with rage as she yelled back, forgetting her image entirely.
Robin shook his head, amused. "Your whole family must be the same as you."
Vera couldn't help but burst into laughter, finding Robin's bluntness endearing. "Hahaha, you're hilarious!"
The crowd was momentarily silent, then broke into laughter.
"This guy's amazing! He actually dared to insult the daughter of the Brookhaven Martial Alliance's leader-he's so cool!"
"An unreasonable woman like that deserves it!"
The crowd's chatter only intensified Ruby's fury.
Facing someone like Robin, who wasn't playing by any rules, left her speechless.
Her four bodyguards moved as if to storm the VIP Zone, but Anthony immediately shouted, "Get back!"
Despite receiving no direct orders from Ruby, the bodyguards still looked ready to act. Anthony then coldly warned, "Is the Brookhaven Martial Alliance prepared to go up against the Nevilles?" Ruby froze, understanding the weight of his threat.
Offending the Nevilles, a powerful martial arts family, was something her alliance couldn't afford.
Swallowing her anger, she waited as Rita brought Robin's leopard-print access card to the auction stage and handed it to the auctioneer.
All eyes followed the card, with people holding their breath.
Watching intently, Ruby grew anxious. If the card held enough money for the necklace, her embarrassment would be monumental.
The auctioneer displayed the card and placed it into the card reader. The atmosphere thickened as tension filled the room.
Beep! Came the unexpected alert from the machine. "This card is invalid!"
A wave of discontent swept over the crowd, and Ruby burst into laughter amidst the noise. "See? He's a troublemaker!"
Rita appeared stunned, leaning in for another look. How could Robin's card be invalid?
Daphne, too, looked surprised, wondering if Robin had mistakenly used the wrong card.
She almost contacted Violetcrest International's finance department but hesitated when she saw Robin's unbothered expression.
Ruby called out, "Auctioneer, I demand an explanation! He's turned this auction into a circus. Does he think we're all just here for fun?"
The person in charge of the auction, Zaid, quickly stepped up and took the leopard-print access card.
Examining it, he noticed it wasn't a typical bank card.
Recalling Anthony's reminder about Robin's importance to the Nevilles, Zaid felt confident that Robin wouldn't pull a stunt like this.
How could he possibly present an invalid card?
Zaid discreetly reported back to Anthony, who examined the card with a frown.
Suddenly, he recalled that Tristan, the family head, had provided him with a special card reader for situations like these.
Some aristocrats used unique, confidential payment cards distinct from regular ones, storing high-security information that regular card readers couldn't access, often failing to even process its password. Especially with huge sums, only the owner could operate it, preventing any unauthorized use.
Seeing the failed attempts, Robin grew suspicious. He'd never actually tried to use this card before could Old Fred have been bluffing?
He'd claimed it held trillions and received daily deposits of billions, yet now it wasn't working.
Anthony quickly ordered the special card reader he'd brought to be brought forward, while Ruby continued yelling accusations.
Guests in the crowd began doubting Robin, suspecting he'd been stirring up trouble from the beginning.
When Anthony finally placed the leopard-print access card into the reader, everyone held their breath. But despite multiple attempts, the machine remained unresponsive.
The room erupted in noise as Ruby's outrage intensified. "Mr. Anthony, it's obvious this guy's here to cause trouble! I demand the auction house take immediate action!" Anthony's frown deepened, realizing the predicament.
Waiving Robin's fee wasn't an easy option. It would not only embarrass Robin but put the Nevilles in an awkward spot too.
Daphne began to rise, ready to step in, but Robin stopped her.
He remembered Old Fred saying that only he could use the card, as it was coded specifically to his DNA.
Robin approached the front, took the card himself, and placed it on the reader.
The machine chimed with a clear "Ding! Cash deposited-five billion!"
The noisy auction house abruptly went silent, with Ruby frozen in shock.
"No way! This is impossible!" she shouted, stunned that five billion could be transferred so quickly.
Such a feat was beyond any normal bank card.
"It's fake! It must be fake!"
Zaid took a transfer receipt from a financial staff member and held it up for all to see.
Ruby, still unconvinced, asked Anthony directly, "Mr. Anthony, did he transfer five billion to the Nevilles' account?"
Anthony coldly replied, "Ms. Quinn, if you persist in causing trouble, it may be seen as a deliberate insult to the Nevilles' patience."
"No, please, Mr. Anthony..." Ruby stammered, realizing the seriousness of his words.
Ignoring her, Anthony turned to Robin, apologizing for the delay, "I'm sorry for the inconvenience, Mr. Ramsey."
Robin gave a nod and returned to his seat in the VIP Zone.
The incident ended swiftly, with Robin's influence on full display.
No one dared question or disrespect him anymore-a person capable of casually swiping five billion commanded awe.
Alice, meanwhile, was left bewildered, struggling to make sense of the situation. Could Robin move such immense sums?
...
Amid the crowd, the staff finished preparing the legendary necklace for delivery to Robin.
Pointing to Zone One, he instructed, "Give it to that lady!"This content © 2024 NôvelDrama.Org.
The whole hall erupted in chaos.
He casually gave a five-billion necklace who was the fortunate woman?
All eyes followed Robin's gesture, and the spotlight landed squarely on Ruby.