Chapter 177: The Battle for Salvador’s Masterpiece
“Five hundred and fifty thousand!”
Not long after the auction began, someone in the crowd raised his bidding paddle.
Among the distinguished guests present, quite a few were passionate collectors of paintings and calligraphy. For businessmen of their generation, their favorite hobbies were usually tea tasting, antique collecting, and hunting for famous works of art.
With the opening bid set at only five hundred thousand dollars, almost everyone considered it a reasonable price.
“Six hundred thousand.”
The mysterious woman sitting beside Lucas calmly raised her paddle.
Although she wore oversized sunglasses that completely concealed her appearance, her elegant posture immediately attracted attention.
Maya, seated nearby, subconsciously glanced toward her.
For some reason…
The woman’s voice sounded strangely familiar.
It was as though she had heard it somewhere before.
She frowned slightly, trying to remember.
But no matter how hard she thought…
Nothing came to mind.
Lucas, however, understood everything the moment Gold raised her paddle.
His eyes flickered briefly.
He already knew this painting was the masterpiece Gold had come here to reclaim.
Although he knew very little about paintings, even someone like him could tell that the brushwork and composition were far beyond ordinary works.
This painting…
Was definitely not simple.
Just then…
“Seven hundred thousand.”
Another voice sounded from across the hall.
It was Durnik.
He slowly lowered his bidding paddle while quietly observing Gold’s reaction from the opposite side.
Unlike everyone else…
His attention wasn’t on the painting.
It was on Gold.
Ever since Gold entered the banquet hall disguised beneath her sunglasses, Durnik had been paying close attention to her every move.
He didn’t believe she had come here simply because of Lucas.
After all…
If she merely wanted to meet him, there were countless more private places to do so.
Yet…
Since entering the hall…
She had remained completely silent.
She hadn’t reacted to the first auction item.
She hadn’t shown interest in anything else.
Only after this painting appeared…
Did she finally raise her paddle.
Durnik narrowed his eyes.
Could this painting actually be valuable?
He wasn’t an expert in art.
The painting wasn’t even signed.
Ordinarily, he wouldn’t have looked at it twice.
But…
If Gold wanted it…
Then it had to be important.
After all…
The person who adored paintings most in the entire Mudwhisk Family…
Was the family patriarch himself.
Inside the ancestral mansion was an enormous collection room, filled almost entirely with priceless masterpieces by Salvador.
If this unsigned painting really came from Salvador…
Its value would be unimaginable.
Durnik quietly watched Gold without saying another word.
He wanted to confirm his suspicion through her reaction.
Sure enough…
Gold slowly raised her paddle.
“One million.”
She wasn’t trying to scare anyone away.
In her eyes…
This painting was worth far more than five hundred thousand dollars.
It was one of Salvador’s genuine works.
More importantly…
It had been painted personally by her grandfather as her tenth birthday present.
She simply couldn’t bear watching such a masterpiece begin at a price that insulted its true value.
Gold believed she was the only person present who recognized the painting.
As long as she gradually pushed the price back toward what it deserved…
She could still buy it herself.
Unfortunately…
The moment Durnik raised the bid to five million…
Her heart instantly sank.
He wasn’t bidding blindly.
He had already discovered the painting’s true identity..
She had never expected Durnik to increase the price by such an outrageous amount.
Right now…
She only had a little over three million dollars available.
Anxiety quietly spread through her heart.
This painting wasn’t just another collectible.
It had once belonged to her.
Years ago…
On her tenth birthday…
Her grandfather, Salvador, had personally painted it as a birthday present.
It was one of the most precious gifts she had ever received.
In Gold’s eyes…
Five million dollars was still far too low.
Even ten million…
It still wouldn’t reflect the true value of one of Salvador’s original works.
She had originally intended to continue raising the price herself until it reached a value worthy of the painting.
Unfortunately…
Reality was cruel.
She simply didn’t have enough money.
She only had a little over three million dollars available.
Even if she exhausted every account she owned…
She still couldn’t continue competing.
Gold instinctively looked toward Durnik.
The smug smile on his face immediately answered every question.
“…He knows.”
Her heart skipped a beat.
Almost instantly…
She remembered Joanna deliberately spilling red wine on her clothes earlier.
She had been forced to leave the banquet hall to clean herself up.
Could it be…
During that brief moment…
Her identity had already been exposed?
Gold silently clenched her fists beneath the table.
That despicable Durnik…
He had planned this from the very beginning.
Gold wasn’t satisfied.
Five million dollars…
It was still far below the painting’s true worth.
Yet she could do nothing about it.
She had already reached the limit of what she could afford today.
No matter how unwilling she was…
She couldn’t continue raising the price with her own funds.
Unless…
She borrowed some money from Lucas.
Lucas was unimaginably wealthy.
And he had openly admitted that he was her fan.
If he were willing to lend her enough money…
She could continue pushing the painting’s value to where it truly belonged.
Gold slowly turned toward Lucas.
“…Lucas…”
Her voice carried a hint of hesitation.
Before she could even finish speaking~
Lucas calmly raised his bidding paddle.
“Fifty million.”
Boom!
The banquet hall exploded.
Gold herself froze.
She had only intended to borrow money.
She never imagined Lucas would directly increase the bid to fifty million dollars.
For a moment…
She couldn’t even speak.
Did Lucas…
Also want this painting?
Then she suddenly remembered.
Lucas knew her real identity.
Naturally…
He could probably guess who painted it.
As Salvador’s granddaughter…
She understood the market value of her grandfather’s authentic works better than anyone.
If this really was one of Salvador’s paintings…
Then fifty million dollars wasn’t outrageous at all.
Across the hall…
Lucas slowly lowered his paddle before glancing provocatively toward Durnik.
From the very moment Durnik deliberately joined the bidding…
Lucas had already decided.
This painting…
Had to belong to Gold.
He personally had absolutely no interest in collecting paintings.
Luxury cars…
Private islands…
Mansions…
Those were far more exciting in his opinion.
Since this painting mattered so much to his favorite superstar…
Helping her obtain it was the least he could do.
Durnik immediately followed.
“Sixty million.”
He refused to back down.
This painting had already become more than an investment.
If he presented it to the Mudwhisk Family patriarch…
It would undoubtedly improve his standing within the family.
Among the patriarch’s three sons…
Durnik’s achievements had always been the weakest.
Now that the old patriarch’s health was deteriorating day by day…
Inheritance had become the biggest concern in the entire family.
If this painting could make the patriarch happy…
Perhaps…
When the time came…
He might receive a larger share of the family fortune.
That alone made it worth any price.
Lucas didn’t even pause.
“Seventy million.”
Durnik immediately answered.
“Eighty million.”
The atmosphere grew increasingly tense.
Neither side showed any intention of retreating.
The guests could no longer understand what they were witnessing.
It was obvious now…
Neither man cared about the painting’s current market value.
They simply refused to lose.
Just then…
A third voice suddenly interrupted the bidding.
“One hundred million.”
The entire hall turned in shock.
It was Malrik.
He slowly lowered his bidding paddle with an arrogant smile.
After suffering repeated humiliation tonight…
He had finally found an opportunity to reclaim some dignity.
Unlike everyone else…
Malrik hadn’t joined the bidding blindly.
During Lucas and Durnik’s fierce competition…
He had already sensed something unusual.
Nobody would fight this desperately over an ordinary unsigned painting.
There had to be a secret.
Immediately…
He secretly photographed the painting and sent it to a close friend who specialized in antique paintings and calligraphy.
The reply arrived almost instantly.
The brushwork is extremely similar to the legendary Salvador’s style.
There’s a very high probability this is one of his unsigned original works.
The moment Malrik read that message…
His eyes instantly lit up.
Now…
He finally understood why Lucas and Durnik were both determined to win this painting.