Chapter 48 Julian Hawke
The atmosphere in the auction hall was tense yet electric.
The big screen projected the development plans and detailed. information for the land in the eastern suburbs, drawing
everyone’s attention.
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The host’s voice echoed through the room. “Next, we will auction the most anticipated item of the night–the land in the castern suburbs. This land is in a prime location with immense future development potential. The starting bid is one billion dollars, and each bid must increase by at least 10 million dollars. We invite all bidders to join the competition!”
Everyone knew that whoever secured this piece of land would be holding a golden goose.
Barnett raised his paddle first, his voice calm and authoritative. “One billion and fifty million.”
His gaze was steady. As a representative of the Elvador family, he was determined to win this bid. Securing this land would not only expand Elvador Group’s reach but also give them a strong presence in the Orley business district.
Before his words even had a chance to fully settle, Adolph jumped in. “One billion one hundred million.”
Adolph, dressed in a dark suit with his hair neatly styled,
Chapter 48 Julian Hawke exuded confidence.
2/8
With these two starting the bidding, others were quick to follow suit, and the price climbed rapidly. The room felt like a taut bowstring, ready to snap at any moment.
A few smaller families and businesses, seeing the escalating bids, sighed in resignation, realizing they were out of the game. They could only watch as the industry giants battled it out.
Soon, the price soared to two billion dollars, and the number of bidders began to dwindle.
At this point, Ethan Ward, the assistant to the heir of the Hawke family, who had been silent up until now, slowly raised his paddle. His voice was calm. “Three billion.”
His expression was unreadable, but the bid he announced was like a bombshell, sending a ripple of stunned silence through the
room.
The Elvador family’s members looked grim. They knew the Hawke family had deep pockets, but they hadn’t anticipated the Hawke family’s financial might to be this overwhelming.
While others were raising bids by millions, the Hawke family had upped the ante by a full one billion dollars.
Three billion. The price had already exceeded what the Elvador family had planned for, and now they were trapped. If they backed out, all their previous efforts would be in vain.
Chapter 48 Julian Hawke Barnett glanced at Adolph.
3/8
Adolph frowned slightly, tapping his fingers on the armrest of
his chair. After a moment, he gave a nod to Barnett.
There was no choice. The two families would have to work
together.
If they were going to win the land, they would have to share the development.
With Adolph’s financial support, Barnett felt more confident. He raised his paddle again and announced, “Three billion five hundred million.”
He even shot a provocative glance toward the heir of the Hawke family.
But the heir didn’t even glance at him.
Ethan, still composed, raised his paddle again. “Four billion five. hundred million.”
It was another one billion dollar jump.
Barnett wasn’t about to give up. “Five billion.”
Ethan simply responded with, “Six billion.”
Barnett clenched his jaw. “Six and a half billion.”
Ethan remained unmoved. “Eight billion.”
Chapter 48 Julian Hawke
What?!
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Barnett and Adolph both stood up, their eyes wide in disbelief. They stared at the heir of the Hawke family and Ethan, who had just made the bidding even more absurd.
Eight billion! The price was now close to exceeding the land’s actual value.
Barnett shot a furious glare at Julian Hawke. “Julian Hawke, are you out of your mind?”
Julian Hawke, the heir of the Hawke family, finally turned his head toward Barnett and said coolly, “Place your bid.”
Julian’s calm expression remained unshaken, as if saying, “No matter what you bid, I’ll just raise it again.”
This level of composure threw Barnett off balance.
The combined funds of the Elvador and Sherwood families might add up to 10 billion dollars, but if the bid went beyond that, the Elvador family might find themselves in a financial
crisis.
Joshua, sitting nearby, looked as though his face could crack from the tension. His lips were tightly pressed together, but he was powerless. He could only watch helplessly.
Adolph wasn’t doing any better. On the surface, he was still maintaining his composure, but his anxiousness was now
- dies joj jou endurs
Chapter 48 Julian Hawke
evident in his eyes.
The Sherwood family had mobilized significant funds for this auction. A loss would be a huge blow to their conglomerate.
Barnett gritted his teeth. “Eight billion five hundred million.”
5/8
Before his words had even fully left his mouth, Ethan raised his paddle again. “Ten billion.”
The room fell silent for a long moment.
Barnett and Adolph exchanged a look, and from each other’s eyes, they saw nothing but resignation. They knew the game was
over.
“Ten billion, going once. Ten billion, going twice. Ten billion, sold!” The host called out, hammering down on the gavel, officially awarding the land in the eastern suburbs to the Hawke family.
The Elvador and Sherwood families were crushed, their spirits sinking. Joshua was livid but had to suppress his anger, given the setting.
Barnett slumped back into his seat, dejected.
As they had expected, the Hawke family lived up to its reputation. They managed to drop 10 billion dollars without even flinching.
Joshua and Barnett exchanged a look. They were forced to
Chapter 48 Julian Hawke accept defeat.
It seemed that the only way they would now get involved int the castern suburbs project was through a marriage alliance between Aurora and Julian.
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Barnett took a deep breath, stood up, straightened his clothes, and tried to maintain his dignity. He approached Julian and extended his hand with a friendly smile. “I’ve long heard of the Hawke family’s reputation. Now that I’ve met you, it’s clear that the rumors are true–you certainly have the power.”
Julian’s face remained neutral, but he shook Barnett’s hand politely.
Joshua, pushing aside his displeasure, plastered on a smile full of wrinkles. “Since the auction is over, how about we head to the banquet hall? What do you think, Mr. Hawke?”
Julian gave a brief “Mm,” before leaving. He gave Ethan a look, signaling him to proceed with the paperwork for the land
transfer.
By the time they arrived at the banquet hall, Aurora had just arrived as well.
The driver spotted Bertha and quickly approached her, slipping something into her hand while whispering, “Bertha, here’s what you wanted.”
With that, the driver swiftly left.
Chapter 48 Julian Hawke
7/8
Bertha glanced at Aurora, who was busy surveying the room.
Bertha casually picked up a glass of juice, poured the powder the driver had given her into the drink, and stirred it. She then called over a server.
“Please deliver this drink to her,” Bertha said, gesturing toward
Aurora.
The server nodded and made his way to Aurora with the drink.
Aurora didn’t think much of it. It was normal for servers to deliver drinks at banquets.
Plus, she was hungry since she hadn’t eaten dinner and needed something to eat and drink, so she took the drink and walked over to the dessert table, nibbling on pastries while sipping from the glass.
Bertha watched from the side, a sinister glint in her eyes.
She walked up to Aurora with a smirk on her face.
“Look at you, acting like you’ve never seen the finer things in life. You’re embarrassing yourself,” Bertha sneered.
Aurora was about to take a bite of the cake when she heard Bertha’s irritating voice.
“Am I being too tolerant of you? You’d better stay away from me, or I’ll slap that cake right in your face. Then you can tell me who’s embarrassing themselves.”
Chapter 48 Julian Hawke
8/8
Bertha’s face turned ugly with rage, wishing she could tear Aurora’s seductive face apart.
But she hadn’t completely lost control of herself.
As she thought about the drink Aurora had just consumed, Bertha felt a surge of satisfaction.
“You’ll regret it, bitch,” she muttered under her breath.
Aurora, sensing the tension, frowned and asked, “What’s your problem? What do you mean by that?”
