Ashley didn’t seem fazed by the bid of fifty million. She smiled calmly and raised her paddle. "Fifty-one million!"

Almost as soon as her voice faded, the man downstairs shouted, "Sixty million!"

Ashley, without hesitation, countered, "Sixty-one million!"

"Eighty million!"

"Eighty-one million!"

"Ninety million!"

"Ninety-one million!"

"One hundred million!"

After the man shouted the final bid, he turned to look upstairs. The lighthearted confidence on his face had vanished, replaced by a heavy, grim expression. When he glanced at Nancy, there was even a flicker of hatred in his eyes.

"Nancy!"

Emily grabbed Nancy’s hand again, shaking her head with tears streaming down her face. "Enough, really, enough. I don’t want it anymore…"

"Emily, don’t be afraid."

Linda gently reassured her, "Nancy has money—loads of money! A hundred million is just a drop in the bucket for her!"

Nancy couldn’t help but laugh. "Linda, please don’t say things like that in public. If I get kidnapped, it’ll be all your fault!"

Downstairs, the man watched their interaction. Seeing them joking around after the bid had climbed to a hundred million only fueled his rage.

"Miss Nancy," he shouted, loud enough for the entire room to hear, "it’s better to make a friend than an enemy. If you let me have the Phoenix Bracelet, we can call it a friendly gesture. How about that?"

The crowd murmured in curiosity, wondering what could make a bracelet with a starting price of fifty thousand so extraordinary. At the same time, they eagerly waited to see how Nancy, making her first major appearance in Liverton’s high society, would respond.

Nancy leaned on the railing, looking down at the man with a mocking smile.

"Oh… I’ve seen people wag their tails to befriend me, but I’ve never seen anyone try your… unique approach. Do you really think this will catch my attention? Sorry to disappoint, but my husband is extremely petty and terribly jealous. If I make a friend like you today, believe me, he’ll crush your company by tomorrow. Do you want to test that theory?"

Her tone carried the unmistakable confidence of a domineering CEO, making the crowd burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! Nancy’s so entertaining!"

"Zack, you’re hilarious! Hahaha!"

Zack’s face turned red as laughter erupted around him. His teeth clenched so tightly it looked like they might crack, and his already small eyes narrowed to slits.

"Nancy!" he growled. "Don’t refuse a toast only to drink the penalty!"

Nancy tilted her head, pouting innocently. "Sorry, I don’t drink."

"HAHAHAHA!"

"Whether it’s a toast or a penalty, it’s useless if she doesn’t drink! Hahaha!"

Zack was livid.

In all his twenty-plus years in business, he had never been laughed at like this in public.

His jaw tightened as he forced out a few words through gritted teeth. "Nancy…"

Before he could finish his threat, Ashley raised her paddle again. "One hundred and one million!"

The sound of that bid echoed like a slap across Zack’s face.

Each word was like a harsh blow, stinging his pride. He couldn’t believe it—this was supposed to be his win, and yet Nancy had swooped in to ruin everything.

He knew all too well that Nancy was doing this for Emily, but still…