Chapter 10 No Backing Down
After Jennifer called out her bid, the room’s attention instantly shifted toward her, their eyes filled with curiosity and gossip.
Everyone had just figured out who she was.
Sarah bit her lip, clearly uncomfortable. “Daniel, if Jennifer really wants it, I can stop bidding.”
“No, she’s doing this on purpose. Keep bidding. Don’t back down
now.”
Sarah hesitated but then raised her paddle again. “Two hundred and sixty thousand.”
“Three hundred thousand.” Jennifer’s calm voice sounded.
Sarah’s face went pale.
She now confirmed Jennifer was doing it on purpose.
Daniel gritted his teeth, frustration making him snap. He squeezed Sarah’s hand and raised the stakes. “Four hundred. thousand.”
“Five hundred thousand.”
‘Six hundred thousand.”
Chapter 10 No Backing Down “Seven hundred thousand.”
After calling out her bid, Jennifer glanced back at Daniel and Sarah, her smile laced with challenge.
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With his temper flaring, Daniel, unable to let her have the last word, blurted out, “One million!”
The room went silent for a moment.
A million for a painting like this was excessive, even by the standards of such auctions.
Sarah, basking in the attention from the crowd, feigned innocence and turned to Daniel, playing the role of the sensible
one.
“Daniel, why push the price so high just to make Jennifer angry?”
“She thinks she can keep bidding, thinking the Clark family will back her up. But I’m not going to let her get away with it. If she bids again, I’ll stop. Let’s see how she explains this to the Clark family.”
Daniel was determined to teach Jennifer a lesson.
Sarah nodded, her eyes gleaming with anticipation. She was eager to see Jennifer’s defeat.
The host, sensing the tension, asked if anyone would place a higher bid.
Chapter 10 No Backing Down
But Jennifer had already put down her paddle. She was done. playing games.
“One million, once. Anyone else?”
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Daniel, convinced that Jennifer would try to outbid him, waited
for her to call a higher price.
“One million, twice… three times, sold!”
Daniel stood there, completely dumbfounded.
Jennifer didn’t bid again.
Sarah, stunned, glanced at Daniel and murmured, “Daniel, is she really trying to force us to pay this high price just for a laugh?”
She couldn’t believe Jennifer would give up at this point.
Daniel finally realized he’d been played.
His grip on the paddle tightened, his face flushing with anger.
He thought, “How dare she? Does she think I won’t get mad and cut her off for good?”
Jennifer felt the weight of the stares behind her, but all she did was curve her lips into a small, satisfied smile.
It was clear Daniel was fuming.
Chapter 10 No Backing Down
The auction soon came to a close.
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As soon as Jennifer looked up, she saw Daniel storming toward her, his face flushed with anger. “Jennifer, do you have to
compete with everything Sarah likes? Are you really that petty?”
The thought of having spent so much money on a painting made his temper flare.
Jennifer couldn’t help but laugh.
It was clearly Sarah who had been trying to take everything from her.
She gave a small smile. “Daniel, you’ve got it all wrong. I was actually planning to buy that painting as a gift for Sarah. The higher the price, the more it shows how much we value her. Don’t you think? Or is it that you can’t part with a million bucks?”
Daniel was momentarily taken aback. He did feel like that million was a bit of an overpayment, but he quickly recovered, trying to hide his discomfort.
“A million is nothing to me.”
“Exactly! It’s all for charity, right? It’s a win–win.”
Her words were so sharp that Daniel couldn’t argue back.
He just stood there, staring at her, feeling like she was a
Chapter 10 No Backing Down completely different person.
Right then, Jesse walked over, smiling brightly. “Mr. Daniel Hargreaves, thank you so much for your support tonight. I hope to hear you sing Rainy soon. With you and your sister performing together. I’m sure it’ll be a hit.”
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Daniel gave a stiff smile. “Of course. But my sister here is a little spoiled. She likes to joke around too much.”
Jennifer turned to Jesse with a playful glint in her eye. “Could I get your contact info?”
“Of course! I’m looking forward to your new work.”
Sarah stood by, completely ignored. Her resentment simmered,
ut she couldn’t do anything except smile sweetly.
One day, she’d make sure she had everything Jennifer had.
Jennifer tucked her phone away with a satisfied smile. She had accomplished what she came for.
She turned her wheelchair and started to leave, but just as she reached the door, she heard Daniel call out to her. “Jennifer, make sure you send me that new song you’ve written tonight.”
Without turning around, she just kept going.
Daniel stood there, fuming. “Does she really think this will make me back down?”
Chapter 10 No Backing Down
“Daniel, Jennifer’s just throwing a tantrum. You just need to calm her down.”
“Hell no!”
Determined, he stalked after her.
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As Jennifer reached the door, she noticed a crowd of reporters waiting outside.
As soon as they saw her, they all jumped to their feet. “She’s here! She’s here!”
“Is she really Timothy’s fiancée?”
A sudden sense of unease hit Jennifer. How did they know who
she was?
She tried to turn her wheelchair back, but Sarah stepped in her way, blocking her path. “Jennifer, Daniel wants to talk to you.”
“Sarah, move!”
Jennifer didn’t want to get stuck in front of the reporters, but out of nowhere, her wheelchair started sliding toward the stairs.
She stared at Sarah in disbelief. It seemed that Sarah was trying to push her down the stairs again.
Thinking quickly, Jennifer grabbed the hem of Sarah’s skirt. Both of them tumbled down the steps.
Chapter 10 No Backing Down
Jennifer’s wheelchair careened down, and for a moment, she thought she was going to go flying. But surprisingly, the chair stayed upright.
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She didn’t fall out of it and, to her amazement, came out of the whole mess completely unharmed.
“Jennifer, what the hell is wrong with you?”
Without warning, Daniel slapped her hard across the face.
