Master of his heart (Max and Brielle) novel Chapter 62

Chapter 62

Brielle was lost in a daze, barely registering the events unfolding around her, including the fact that Max had secured the Eternal Whispers painting for a cool four hundred million, something she belatedly realized.

Eternal Whispers was the showstopper of the evening, but the auction organizers had one more trick up their sleeve – a mysterious item that wasn’t listed in the catalog and was only to be revealed live at the event.

This secrecy was the reason there was such a buzz of consultants at the bidder’s tables, all eager to catch a glimpse of the hidden gem, which could be anything from a piece of royal regalia that might have graced the brow of an ancient monarch to a lost

masterpiece by a revered artist.

The trio of auctioneers, normally loquacious, held their tongues for a moment, their voices trembling with excitement.

It all seemed irrelevant to Brielle until the crowd erupted into a clamor, snapping her out of her reverie. She looked up just in time to see the final lot revealed – none other than Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi.

—

The noise level in the room skyrocketed as advisors at the bidder’s tables frantically relayed the developments to their employers.

The painting, which most believed belonged in the hallowed halls of the Louvre, was now up for grabs at the auction.

Brielle was taken aback, and then she heard Dustin placing his bid.

The bidding was frenzied, each offer outdoing the last, and the atmosphere reached a fever pitch with the final lot.

Max and Andrew, having won their desired lots, bowed out of the bidding war, but Dustin was persistent, raising his bid four times, his usually nonchalant demeanor replaced with steely determination.

Brielle thought of Dustin’s long-lost sister, wondering if he was bidding on this masterpiece as a consolation gift for his mother, given the painting’s evocative name.

After eight rounds of intense bidding, Dustin emerged victorious, claiming the da Vinci for a staggering nine hundred million dollars.

As the gavel fell, the lights brightened, and waiters began directing the assembly to the adjacent hall for the gala dinner – the true highlight of the evening.

Brielle followed the crowd into the banquet hall, where the aroma of fine wine filled the air and familiar faces mingled in conversation.

Her gaze landed on Mr. Hartley. She couldn’t afford to return from her first business trip

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