“…. There is no room for failure.“CEO Slade's grave tone gave no room for argument, therefore she strove to work hard. When Irene didn't arrive yet, she was already organizing resources for the auction; trying not to miss anything.

“Do we have our bidder's number?“ she asked.

“Yes.“ McKinney replied, then asked about who were going to represent the company at the auction.

“As the director, she has to be there.“ she emphasized.

McKinney opened his mouth to say something but instead nodded his head and left.

For some reason, she stared at his back till he disappeared. Did he know something he wasn't sharing with her? She felt there was more to him than what met the eye.

She had looked his profile up twice. Even went to dig up info about him. All she saw was that he was a thorough ladies' man although he was great at his profession.

Indigo later learned that Irene called in sick. It was definitely suspicious.

“Calling in sick when today's the D-day? This is ridiculous.“ She snickered.

“So who will be coming with you?“ Asked Carla.

“Mrs Johnny and Mr Hunter.“

Frederick sighed and slammed the table,

“You cannot keep me out of this. My expertise is very much needed there. Except you want to lose this property, you can go ahead with that stupid arrangement of yours.“

Indigo opened her mouth to retort.

“He's right, you know.“ Mr Hunter affirmed and continued,

“He can act as an advisor during the auction.“

Indigo clenched her jaw in frustration. Irene had successfully garnered their support and no one, not even Mrs Johnny, saw eye to eye with her. Hence making her look stupid.

For God's sake, can't they see that McKinney was not all he portrayed?

“Alright. Frederick McKinney and Diane Johnny are coming with me.“ She conceded.

* * * *

While Mrs Johnny drove, Indigo sat in the back with Frederick.

“Did you know that she was not going to attend this? Did you two plan it?“

Smiling, Frederick rubbed his beard,

“Your misgivings about us is getting out of hand, Miss Liam. I respect you a lot but you don't seem to notice it.“

“Answer the damn question.“ she glared, wishing she could strangle him.

“I didn't know.“ He surrendered.

“You're one hard nut to crack.“ He joked.

Arriving at the auction house, they were ushered into their seats. The hall was large and well decorated with picture frames of Mexican personalities she never knew of. As the representative of the CEO, she had to do an excellent job of keeping the company's image formidable.

“We must win the bid. I need the documents.“ She told the duo.

She tried glancing around to see if she could recognize some of their strong competitors.

She recognized the CEO of Urban Ventures and that of Silverstone Developers.

The rest were small companies that didn't matter.

The Skyline Tower was lot 11, and she was nervous sick sitting through from the display and winning of the lots, from 1 to 10. So she tried to relax her nerves using some meditation technique.

When lot 10's bid started, she opened her eyes.

“ 400 million dollars going once…. 400 million dollars going twice….“

The auctioneer struck the hammer and declared, “400 million dollars! Sold to Paddle 50!“

Time for lot 11— the Skyline Tower. Indigo adjusted in her seat as she felt the atmosphere in the hall change.

The hall felt less like a sales floor and more like a gladiatorial arena; full of tension. The crowd, comprising the elite of the real estate investment sector, was hushed, their attention fixed on Lot 11.

The property was estimated to be worth five billion dollars—the last lot of the day it was— and most major players in the Mexican real estate business were present.

In the front row sat the most powerful bidders: Ethan International represented by Miss Indigo Liam and two others, and Ms. Thorne, the stone-faced head of the formidable Silverstone Developers. They weren't just bidding on land; they were bidding on dominance and influence.

"The lot is the Skyline Tower. The estimated value is six billion dollars.“ The auctioneer announced.

"We open the bidding at $5.5 billion."

The first few bids came swiftly, small companies testing the waters, quickly pushing the price past the estimate to $7 billion.

However, these small fish were instantly gutted and discarded. This auction was for the apex predators.

“$9 billion!“ Mr. Rowland of Urban Ventures declared, bypassing the intermediary bids with a single, aggressive jump. His paddle, number 14, was held high and steady.

Ms. Thorne didn't even flinch. "Ten point five billion." Silverstone Developers' reply was an instantaneous counterstrike.

“Twelve billion!“ Indigo chimed in at a heated moment.

Mr Rowland glanced at her and snickered, “who brings a newbie to represent them? Ethans? I thought they were formidable.“

The pace accelerated into corporate warfare. The crowd was now silent, watching the three front-runners duel.

Urban Ventures:"Thirteen billion!"

Silverstone Developers : "Fourteen point five billion!"

Ethans International : "fifteen billion!"

The numbers flashed on the display screen, soaring past what any analyst had predicted. Feeling the property was overvalued, Urban Ventures lowered their paddle— they were out.

It was now a two-company fight, and the tension was so intense it felt as though the oxygen was being sucked out of the room.

Looking at the scary number figure on the screen, a slight sheen of sweat now visible on Ms Thorne's brow and she hesitated for a beat. She was calculating her absolute limit. Indigo saw the look in Ms. Thorne’s eyes and knew she had to crush her. She slammed her paddle down.

“Seventeen point five billion.“ Indigo ground out a bid that should have ended it. That was a monumental figure that signaled the near end of her reserves.

Ms. Thorne’s response was slow this time, savouring the supposed kill. She leaned forward, adjusted her jacket, and spoke a single, precise sentence: "Eighteen billion, five hundred thousand dollars."

She looked directly at Indigo, a ghost of a smile touching her lips.

Indigo turned to her team in a frenzied discussion.

“Nineteen billion!“ She raised her paddle, hoping against all odds of Silverstone bidding again. Because if they did, she was doomed…