Don’t Fall for the Billionaire Lover

Once Chloe threw her hat in the ring with a bid, the auction room buzzed to life.

"Seven

million!"

"Eight million!"

Chloe wasn't backing down: "Eight-point-one million!"

"Eight-point-five million!"

"Nine million!"

"Nine-point-one million!"

Lisa watched the scene unfold, noticing that Chloe seemed to have her heart set on the rose brooch, persistently outbidding everyone else by just a modest one hundred thousand each time. Lisa smirked to herself. Even the esteemed Mrs. Sartori was pinching pennies. When the bidding war hit thirteen million, Lisa decided to shake things up and raised her paddle with confidence: "Twenty million!"

The room fell into a hush, all eyes on Lisa. She relished the spotlight, stealing a quick glance at Chloe. Anything Chloe desired, Lisa was determined to snatch away.

"Twenty million and ten thousand," Chloe calmly countered.

Lisa rolled her eyes and waved her paddle with flair: "Twenty-two million!"

Chloe matched it again: "Twenty-two million one hundred thousand."

"Twenty-four million!"

"Twenty-four million one hundred thousand."

Chloe's raises were steady and unfazed. After the twenty million mark, it was just the two of them, locked in a relentless duel. Chloe

kept edging her bids by just one net

hundred thousand, while Lisa initially upping the stakes by

millions, found herself getting swept up in the rivalry.

"Thirty-five million!" Lisa declared, her voice cutting through the silence in the room. Everyone's gaze was fixed on her, some whispering

among themselves.

Lisa couldn't decipher their chatter, but she felt the weight of the room's attention. Losing to Chloe was not an option today.

"Thirty-five million one hundred thousand!" Chloe pressed on, showing no signs of surrender.

The auctioneer could hardly contain his excitement as the numbers climbed.

"Forty-five million!" Lisa retaliated after countless rounds, only for Chloe to calmly add another ten thousand.

At this point, Lisa was fired up, calling out: "Fifty million!" She had hit her ceiling, unable to go any higher.

When the echo of her bid faded, the room went silent. Lisa glanced over at Chloe, her nerves on edge. If Chloe bid again, Lisa had nothing left to counter.

But Chloe simply sat there, not making a move to raise again.

"Fifty million, going once!" the auctioneer announced.

"Fifty million, going twice! Any takers for more than fifty million?" Silence reigned.

"Fifty million, sold!" The auctioneer's gavel came down. "Congratulations to Ms. Chloe for securing the rose brooch."

Lisa's face lit up with triumph. She

finally outbid Chloe. Relief washed over her, thankful that Chloe stepped back just when her own resources were tapped out.