The Billionaire's Auction: Buying My Father's Memory

Chapter 1 My father was an undercover narcotics officer. When he died, there was no body left to bury. His only belonging was a small recording bear, a toy that held something incredibly important to me. To get it back, I was prepared to bankrupt myself at the auction. I didn't know the organizer of this auction was my ex-boyfriend, Julian Sterling, the man I dumped three years ago. In those three years, he transformed into a billionaire tycoon in the capital. And I was left destitute, with nothing but a broken body missing an arm. But Julian wouldn't let me go. He bid $100 million for my father's keepsake, just to give it to his dog as a chew toy. I knelt on the floor and begged him. In return, he had dozens of people line up to spit on me. Even after that, I didn't get the bear back. It wasn't until I reactivated my father's badge number and went undercover at the border myself that Julian went crazy. He offered the cartel a billion dollars to buy my life back. But by then, I wasn't going to survive. ... At the auction house, my father's recording bear sat in the center of the display case. It was stained with old blood. A few days ago, a friend tipped me off that this item had surfaced at a high-end auction in D.C., but no one was bidding on it. So I rushed here without stopping. Just as I eagerly raised my paddle to bid, a deep, heavy voice came from not far away. "I bid ten thousand." I whipped my head around and crashed into a pair of deep, obsidian eyes. It was Julian Sterling. The ex-boyfriend I dumped three years ago. For me, this was the worst possible encounter. Of course, I soon realized this was no chance encounter. This was a trap Julian set personally to get revenge on me. Even this auction was part of it. I took a deep breath, turned back, and continued bidding. "Eleven thousand." I didn't have much money, but I was ready to "light the sky lantern"—to bid whatever it took. But to survive afterwards, I had to save something for myself. Unfortunately, Julian didn't think so. "Twenty thousand." I thought he was insane. When I looked at him again, I clearly saw the loathing and hatred in his eyes. Yes, he hated me. He should hate me. But that wasn't a reason to steal my father's only remnant. "Twenty-five thousand." Julian didn't stop. Every time he raised the bid, he started with increments of ten thousand. "Fifty thousand." This time was even worse; he doubled it. I bit my lip, recalling the nightmares I'd had since losing my father. No, I couldn't let those nightmares continue. I raised my paddle high: "One hundred thousand!" The room erupted in whispers. "Who spends that kind of money on a broken toy?" "I don't know what goes on in the heads of these rich people." I wanted to scream at them that this was the most glorious medal left by a great undercover cop. But no one gave me the chance, especially not Julian. His mockery was the loudest. "Buying it for my fiancée's dog to play with. Is there a problem?" My heart throbbed with a dull pain. So he was getting married. The girl sitting next to him must be his fiancée. That was... good. I was willing to wish him happiness. As long as he let me have this one thing. I looked at him with pleading eyes, but Julian remained unmoved. He raised the bid again: "Two hundred thousand." I sighed. I turned my body to face him fully. "That was left by my father." "Please, have some mercy, Mr. Sterling." Julian's dangerous gaze swept over me. Then he sneered, "A keepsake from a dirty fugitive? Even if I buy it just to burn it, I'd be doing a public service." "Don't you think so, daughter of a dirty fugitive?" Chapter 2 I looked at Julian with complicated emotions. How could he say that? My father wasn't a fugitive. He just... didn't make it out alive. Instantly, tears welled up in my eyes. I knew that in the end, Julian could decide everything at this auction with a single word. I couldn't compete with him. So I could only continue to submit. "I'm begging you." Julian raised an eyebrow. "Begging me?" He stood up with interest, interrupting the auctioneer's countdown. "Sure." Julian walked toward me. Two bodyguards followed behind him. "Here's the deal. You kneel on the ground. Then let everyone here walk past you and spit on you." "Do that, and I'll consider letting you have the item." I looked up in a daze. Staring at Julian this close again, I realized he had changed a lot. His features were more mature, sharper. I also knew what he had gone through in the three years since I dumped him. That was why he made such a demand. I lowered my eyelashes. I whispered, "Okay." This time, it was Julian's turn to be surprised. "Maya Vance, where is your backbone?" I shook my head and didn't speak. Julian scoffed. "Fine. Okay." "Alright! The auction is paused. Everyone line up and spit on this woman!" "Whoever spits the most gets the jade on the display." Hearing this, everyone scrambled to get up and crowded over. It began. Those people didn't ask questions; they actually listened to Julian and started spitting on me. Liquid ran down my forehead to the tip of my nose, mixing with my unyielding tears. I kept my lips tightly sealed. For my father's keepsake, I would endure it. I counted as person after person walked by me, leaving disgusting marks on my body and face. I subconsciously wanted to wipe it off, but Julian had his bodyguards restrain my hands. Some were even more malicious, prying my mouth open. I struggled hard and ended up vomiting. It was too humiliating. But every time I thought of my father's situation, I grit my teeth. I stared fiercely at Julian, who was watching the show. Time passed minute by minute. Dozens of people had spat on me. I watched as Julian's face grew darker and darker, until finally, he called a stop to this outrageous game. "Enough. This is boring." "Maya Vance, three years later, you're still like a boring dead fish." As soon as he finished speaking, the whole room burst into laughter. Julian put his arm around his fiancée and kissed her on the cheek. "Auction continues!" I froze in place. "Didn't you say you'd let me have it?" Julian looked back playfully. "I changed my mind. What, only you are allowed to back out of things whenever you want, but I can't change my mind at the last minute?" Chapter 3 Julian shouted out an astronomical price of five hundred thousand. I touched the bank card in my pocket. I brought a million dollars this time. Could I win this gamble? After all, my luck had never been good. Just like three years ago. My father had an accident during "Operation Crime Hunter" and died without a trace. Because the criminal syndicate hadn't been caught yet, the cause of my father's death and his identity couldn't be revealed. Everyone thought my father was a drug dealer who harmed people. During that time, my social media accounts received thousands of abusive messages and gruesome pictures every day. I started having frequent nightmares. Dreaming of my father being tortured, dreaming of him calling my name in pain. "Maya, leave D.C. Don't look back." In fact, my father's advice was right. No one could protect me 24/7. So that day, I faced retaliation. It was a pitiful man whose whole family had been killed by the syndicate. He had lost his mind, yet he could accurately identify me as the "drug dealer's" daughter. He kidnapped me to a warehouse in the suburbs, a long knife flashing before my eyes. Just as he was about to chop off my neck, the police arrived in time. I managed to survive. But immediately after, I received a threatening text message. "Neither you nor your boyfriend will escape death." My boyfriend was Julian. A big boy who had just graduated from college, started a business with me, and had a bright future. I looked at the bloody words and got goosebumps all over. At first, I didn't believe they could go that far. Until Julian was driving home and got run off the road into a green belt by a black car. My nightmare began. Countless threatening texts flooded my phone late at night. Reminding me that my life was no longer my own. Looking at Julian sleeping soundly next to me, I finally made up my mind to break up with him. In fact, I left without saying goodbye. I only left him a brief letter. I left him the company, the unfinished business. Including the aimless future, I left it all to him. Those three years must have been very bitter for him. So I understood why he hated me. He wanted my money, I gave it to him. He wanted my life, I thought I would give it to him too. But before that, I had to hear what was inside the recording bear. So I bid again, seven hundred thousand. Behind me, Julian clicked his tongue. "Let's let everyone judge." "A fugitive's keepsake might contain state secrets. What do you say, should I let her have it?" Someone answered him. "Of course you can't give it to her! She's the daughter of a dirty fugitive; maybe that money is stolen." "Exactly, we should call the police! Or just kick her out!" I closed my eyes in silence. Dad, I just want to take back what belongs to us. Why is it so hard? But I am a free citizen now. They have no right to kick me out or deprive me of the right to participate in the auction. So I raised my paddle and shouted, "I'm lighting the sky lantern." The gaze from behind was incredibly hot. Julian led the applause. "Good, Miss Vance is really rich." "Lighting the sky lantern, huh? Then I bid one hundred million." "Are you sure you want to light this lantern?" At this moment, Julian's fiancée, who hadn't spoken for a long time, spoke up. "Julian, spending so much money on a toy for the dog is too wasteful." "Besides, the dog won't even play with that toy." Julian turned his head and chuckled lightly. "It doesn't matter, Mia. I just don't want to see bad people get their way." "That's true. A hundred million for a dog toy, count it as part of the dowry for marrying me." Listening to their conversation, my heart felt like it was being twisted. Julian knew perfectly well that I couldn't afford a hundred million. When the auctioneer asked me if I wanted to increase the bid or light the lantern. I was left with only the last resort. That was, to kneel down in front of Julian with a thud. And start slapping my own face. Once, twice, louder and louder. Even Julian didn't react immediately. In the venue, people were already pleading for me. An auntie walked over from the side, trying to help me up. "Girl, don't do this. Lost things can be bought again, but lost dignity can't be picked up." But unfortunately, she touched the arm that had been chopped off. She felt nothing and looked horrified. "Oh my god, girl, your arm..." Inside the empty sleeve, a hard, cold prosthetic was revealed. I nodded. "Yeah, the arm is gone." At that moment. I felt Julian's gaze from above becoming increasingly intense. After a long while, he spoke. "How did that happen?" "Don't you know how to take care of yourself?" His tone became increasingly urgent, as if he cared about me like before. Only now, the status wasn't appropriate. I continued to kowtow to him. Finally, Julian couldn't stand it anymore. He forcibly pulled me up. "Maya Vance, do you think a sob story will work on me?" I looked up at him. "Then what do you want me to do? What do I have to do to get my father's keepsake back?" Julian looked away abruptly. His fiancée, Mia Jiang, put her hand on his arm and whispered something in his ear. Just loud enough for me to hear. "Maya Vance has a sugar daddy in South City who helps her with everything. She shouldn't be short of money." It was this sentence that made Julian's eyes change suddenly. He stared at me tightly and said, "No matter what you do, I won't give the thing back to you." At the same time, the auctioneer banged the gavel for the last time. Chapter 4 "One hundred million, sold!" I couldn't recover for a long, long time. When most people had left the venue, I subconsciously stood up. But turning around, I bumped into Mia Jiang. I intended to go around her, but she blocked me. Clearly, she was coming for me. I raised my gaze wearily. "Miss Jiang, is something wrong?" The next second, a slap landed on my cheek. "What do you think?" "You were doing so well in South City, why did you suddenly come back to D.C.?" "Maya Vance, don't think I don't know, you came back for Julian." I didn't know how to explain to her that there was no possibility for Julian and me in this lifetime. Besides, he hated me to the bone. How could we ever get back together? I said so too. "I came back this time only to get that thing back. Everything else has nothing to do with me, including your Julian." "Hmph, then swear to me, if you have even half a feeling for Julian, you won't live past this year!" I lowered my eyes helplessly. Finally, I repeated her words. "Satisfied? Can I go now?" Mia rolled her eyes. "Wait a minute, I want to show you something fun." After saying that, she whistled towards the back, and a large dog ran in. What made my whole body stiff at a glance was that in the dog's mouth, it was holding my father's keepsake. I covered my mouth, holding back the trembling. Watching with my own eyes as the dog tore and bit the toy in its mouth. "No, don't..." I lay on the ground, humbly begging Mia. "Just let me listen to the voice inside, just once, and I will never return to D.C. in my life!" Mia's eyes lit up. "Really?" I nodded repeatedly: "I swear." Finally, Mia took the little bear out of the dog's mouth. Just as she was about to hand it to me. Not far away, Julian's figure appeared. In the dark light, I couldn't see his emotions clearly. But the downturned corners of his mouth already hinted at something. "Mia, don't give it to her!" So just as I was about to touch the bear I thought about day and night, it disappeared again. Replaced by Julian's condescending contempt. "Mia, take the dog out to play. Play until this broken toy is destroyed!" Under my gaze, Mia left anyway. I lay on the ground in despair. Julian lowered his noble body. "How is it? Does it feel good to have happiness within reach and then suddenly disappear?" I knew what he was talking about. But I was powerless to respond. So Julian continued talking to himself. "After you left me three years ago, the company fell into a funding crisis." "Employees came to me for wages, I didn't have any. They made me kneel on the ground and lined up to spit on me." "When I got home that day, I showered for three hours, but couldn't wash off that disgusting smell." "But what I needed most at that time wasn't money, wasn't connections, it was you, Maya Vance." After speaking, he lifted my chin involuntarily. "I thought you had some difficulties, until I heard you went to South City and got a sugar daddy?" "I heard everything you just said." "Actually, if you had said even one sentence that you still had me in your heart, I would have returned that toy to you." "But you didn't, Maya Vance." "From beginning to end, you betrayed me." I looked at Julian's fierce eyes, unable to say a single word to defend myself. Or rather, everything Julian said was right. For so many years, I betrayed him. No matter what difficulties I had. I deserved it. Seeing no reaction from me, Julian finally let go of me. He spat in disgust and lifted his foot to leave. But at the last second, I called out his name. "Julian." Julian paused, stopping in place. I said, "I'm sorry." "If you can let bygones be bygones, please tell me what's in the recording toy within a month." Julian turned his back to me and sneered. "Maya Vance, you have some nerve." "Playing the countdown game with me?" "I'm telling you, you're not worthy." Julian left anyway. So he didn't hear the last sentence I said to him. What I wanted to tell him was that in a month, I would reactivate my father's badge number and go to the border to participate in the latest round of Crime Hunter operations. On this trip, I went with the determination to die.

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