Chapter 25

The auction kicked off with a fierce showdown between two women.

A painting that was only worth $700,000 got jacked up to $3 million by them.

John, chilling on the balcony, glanced down at Pearl and Isabella going at it, and sneered. "Seriously? Bumping up the price of a basic painting to almost five times its worth? What a couple of idiots."

Michael shot John a dirty look. One of those "idiots" was his wife.

Michael smirked as he watched Isabella. "Just wait. It's all part of the plan."

John was confused by Michael's words. Soon enough, the painting's price skyrocketed to $10 million.

When the auctioneer excitedly announced the $10 million bid, Isabella put her paddle down.

"Any higher than $10 million? $10 million once, $10 million twice, and sold! Congrats to Ms. Brown for winning our first item." The auctioneer was practically bouncing with excitement.

Pearl stood up, looking all smug at Isabella, but got a mocking smile in return.

Pearl suddenly felt something was off. Her anger towards Isabella faded, and she noticed everyone around her was looking at her like she was a fool.

It hit her. Isabella had played her, using her hatred to keep bidding higher, just to make her look stupid in front of everyone.

"A painting worth $700,000 bid up to ten times its value. Any auction house would love a fool like that." Isabella's voice wasn't loud, but everyone heard it.

Some people tried to hide their laughter, while others, not caring about the Brown Family's power, laughed out loud.

Pearl's face turned sour. Her friend next to her pulled her back and whispered something in her ear.

Pearl's expression brightened. She stood up and said loudly, "Some of you might think I was competing with Ms. Taylor, hence the $10 million bid."

"Isn't that true?" Amelia shouted from the side, making everyone laugh again.

Pearl's face darkened. She shot Amelia a death glare and continued, "This auction is for charity, and all proceeds go to good causes. I just wanted to donate this money, not compete with Ms. Taylor."

After Pearl finished, she smiled, thinking her words made sense and would make everyone see her as a philanthropist, not a fool.

Isabella clapped and smiled, "How generous! Ms. Brown donated $10 million just for the first item. The later items must be even pricier!"

Pearl's face fell. Even though the Brown Family was wealthy, they had just made it into the top four families, and their assets couldn't compare to the other three. $10 million was her limit.

Isabella noticed Pearl's expression and said with a smile, "Looks like Ms. Brown is only donating once, but that's okay. Thanks for your generosity."

Isabella's polite words felt like a slap to Pearl.

The auctioneer, not wanting their spat to mess up the auction, cut in and moved on to the next item.

The next items up for auction weren't really Isabella's thing, so she didn't bother bidding. Pearl, after dropping $10 million, was done too.

Once everything was auctioned off, the event wrapped up. Isabella and Amelia were getting ready to leave.

"Other than that first painting, which I really wanted, nothing else was good enough for Mason," Isabella sighed.

Amelia, always the optimist, held up some heating pads and grinned, "Hey, at least we didn't leave empty-handed. How did they know you were on your period today?"

Isabella just shrugged, not having a clue. Just then, Pearl stormed over with her entourage.

"Isabella, you bitch! You made me lose $10 million!" Pearl yelled, lunging to grab Isabella's hair.

Isabella frowned and smacked Pearl in the face with the heating pads, making her stumble back.

"Ms. Brown, are you nuts? That $10 million was your donation. What's it got to do with me?" Isabella said with a mocking smile.

"Bitch, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have spent $10 million!" Pearl spat, glaring at her.

"Hey, you guys, grab these two bitches! I want to scratch their faces!" Pearl ordered the auction house security guards.

Amelia quickly stepped in front of Isabella, looking worried.

Isabella stared coldly at Pearl. "You're really dumb, aren't you? Everyone knows I'm engaged to John. Anyone who touches me is messing with the Williams Family. Think twice before you face their wrath."

Pearl screamed, "Don't get too cocky. When I marry John's uncle, I'll-"

Isabella cut her off. "I'll just crush you under my foot! Seriously, can't you come up with something new? It's always the same old crap. I'm bored." She rolled her eyes, making Pearl even angrier.

The security guards, hearing this, decided to stay out of it. They weren't about to get involved in Williams Family drama.

Realizing the guards weren't going to help, Pearl screamed and charged at Isabella, with her friends following suit.

Amelia and Isabella weren't about to back down. The two groups of women started fighting, screaming and going wild.

Even though Isabella and Amelia were outnumbered, they were way tougher than Pearl and her crew. Hair-pulling, slapping, kicking-Pearl and her friends, who had never been in a real fight, were getting their butts kicked.

Soon, Pearl and her friends were out of breath, their clothes torn, exposing large patches of skin, which made the nearby security guards' hearts race.