The Princess and the Pauper (Arabella and Romeo) novel Chapter 22

[Starting price, twenty grand.]

Kelly was taken aback by the price. "Even the leftover stuff costs twenty grand?"

There were three buttons in front of the glass wall, labeled ten grand, fifty grand, and a hundred grand, respectively.

In other words, the minimum bid increase was ten grand.

Serena stood in front of the glass wall, watching as the amount on the screens in the other boxes lit up blue. After several rounds of bidding, the price had already risen to a hundred and twenty grand.

"Serena, this thing's pretty cool. You could buy it and make some soup for Phillip. It'll be good for his health, and he'll know you're a good girl. He'll definitely appreciate it..."

Serena also wanted to get her hands on this treasure, but the competition from the other buyers was too fierce. She had pressed the ten-grand button several times without success, so she decided to take a risk and press the hundred-grand button!

The room fell silent.

[Bidding at two hundred and fifty grand for the first time!]

[Bidding at two hundred and fifty grand for the second time!]

[Bidding at two hundred and fifty grand for the third time! Sold!]

[Congratulations to buyer number 19 on winning a bottle of HeartRevive!]

Kelly couldn't believe that even the leftovers could sell for such a high price. "Bella, can I have the leftovers next time?"

Arabella just smiled at her. "If I gave them to you, would you know what to do with them?"

"Hehe, you could help me use them~"

Serena finally managed to win the auction item, hugging her best friend in excitement.

The next few items were all decorations, which she wasn't interested in. She left early to go home and make soup.

By the time the main event came around, it was two hours later.

"Mr. McMillian, the HeartEase Herb is up."

Six fresh green plants rose from the stage, nourished by a special solution. They were extremely valuable.

[Starting price, a hundred grand.]

Carl knew that Mr. McMillian had to have this little thing, so he went ahead and bid an extra hundred grand.

The amount of the bid from box number 1 shocked everyone in the other boxes.

A hundred grand!!

This guy just bid an extra hundred grand!!

He clearly intended to win this!

The other boxes weren't about to be outdone:

[Two hundred and fifty grand.]

[Three hundred grand.]

[Three hundred and fifty grand.]

[Four hundred grand.]

Kelly watched the bidding war unfold. "Bella, how much should we bid?"

"Add another hundred grand."

Kelly pressed the bid button, and the total immediately jumped to five hundred grand!

The room was abuzz.

The price of five hundred grand wasn't for six HeartEase Herbs, it was for one!

The total for six would be three million!

The others didn't dare to bid anymore, and just as Kelly and Arabella thought they had won...

A large blue number appeared on the screen in box number 1: six hundred grand.

The sight of this number sent shockwaves through the room!

Arabella and Kelly hadn't expected box number 1 to increase their bid by so much.

Box number 3 wasn't about to be outdone: [Seven hundred grand.]

Box number 1 casually matched it: [Eight hundred grand.]

Box number 3 was furious: [Nine hundred grand.]

Box number 1 was as cool as ever: [A million.]

......

The room fell silent, everyone watching the bidding war between these two.

Box number 2 in the middle was feeling very awkward. How did they end up sandwiched between these two big shots?

This sucks!

"Bella, we can't bid any higher. The pills made from HeartEase Herb are valuable, but they're only worth a million!" Kelly said nervously, watching box number 1. "The people who came today are not simple. We need to be careful."

"HeartEase Herb can save Grannie Grace's life." Arabella raised her bid by another hundred grand. "Today, I must get it."

"Bella..."

[Box number 3 bids one million and a hundred grand.]

The room was stunned. No one had expected that a single HeartEase Herb could go for such a sky-high price of one million and a hundred grand!

Who exactly was in box number 3? They were so rich?

"Mr. McMillian..." Carl hadn't expected the bidding to be so fierce. "Should we continue? This price has already exceeded the value of the medicine itself."

"Continue." Romeo's voice was cool and calm. "Keep the gap."

"Yes, sir."

Carl increased the bid by three hundred grand...

[Box number 1 bids one million and four hundred grand.]

As the automated voice announced the bid, Kelly was infuriated. "This is ridiculous! What the hell? It's just a few herbs! Do they really have to outbid us so fiercely? Who the hell is in box number 1, they're so rich!"

One million and four hundred grand per herb, that's eight million four hundred grand for six...

This was not a price ordinary people could afford!

[Box number 3 bids one million and five hundred grand.]

Arabella pressed the bid button again.

Kelly looked at her slender, beautiful hand and asked in surprise, "Bella, are you going to keep bidding?"

The total was already at nine million...

Even if they made six HeartEase pills and sold them, they could only break even at six million, and they would still lose three million!

Just then, Romeo's phone rang.

It was Brodie, who was looking after his grandfather.

"Mr. Romeo, something's wrong! After Phillip had the soup that Miss Serena brought, he suddenly developed a high fever. The doctors say his condition has worsened, and he's currently being resuscitated... I'm sorry to bother you, but could you come over?"

Romeo's voice was icy. "What did she give my grandfather to drink?"

"She said it was a kind of tonic that's good for the heart when added to soup..."

"And you just sat there and let it happen?"

"I had no choice. Phillip was very happy to see her and wouldn't listen to me. He insisted on having it all..."

Romeo stood up and left the box.

"Mr. McMillian, aren't we going to keep bidding?" Carl sensed the aura of displeasure emanating from him. "Did something happen to Phillip?"

Romeo's voice was cold. "He's being resuscitated after drinking the soup Serena made."

"Huh? When did Miss Serena learn to make soup? And she went to see Phillip?" Carl followed Romeo. "Should we ask Miss Arabella to come over and take a look?"

Romeo suddenly stopped in his tracks, remembering the girl with the scalpel, her clear, confident eyes...

"Last time it was Miss Arabella who helped Phillip get back on his feet! Mr. McMillian, you have Miss Arabella's contact, right? Why don't you give her a call?"

Romeo gave him a glance, then whipped out his phone.

"Bidding starts at one point five million!"

Kelly held her breath in tension, her hands clasped together in desperate prayer, "Don't bid again, don't bid again..."

"Bidding at one point five million for the second time!"

Arabella's gaze landed on the big glass wall of booth number 1. They didn't seem to be bidding.

"Bidding at one point five million for the third time!! Sold!!!"

"Yay!!" Kelly immediately hugged Arabella in excitement, "We won! We won!!"

They couldn't believe that the person in booth number 1 didn't dare to bid any higher!

"Congratulations to the guest in booth number three for winning six HeartEase Herb plants!"

"Bella, we finally won!!" Kelly was so excited she was about to jump.

Just then, Arabella's phone suddenly vibrated a few times.

She glanced down to see an unknown number.

"It's me, Romeo."