Lucas spotted Mia raising her paddle just as he was about to make his own bid. But before he could speak, the average-looking man beside her casually lifted his.
"Forty million."
What the hell?!
The usually composed Lucas cursed inwardly. Who the hell bid like this at an auction?
Just as the host had said earlier, the painting wasn't some legendary masterpiece. The real value was sentimental—it had once belonged to Alice Carter. If Oliver hadn't wanted it, the final price probably wouldn't have gone over a million.
Lucas had already gone all in at ten million. That was more than enough to make most of the crowd back off.
In business, everything was about cost-benefit. Spending ten million dollars for a vague, potential favor from Carter wasn't something just anyone would be willing t
