Chapter 111 Way Too Stingy


    Alina thought for a while before she came up with a decision. Even if she didn''t allow James to talk


    to Maria alone tonight, they could still get a chance to meet somewhere. After all, they were both in


    H City, and they hadmon acquaintances. It was something that she had no power to forbid to


    happen. Perhaps if she asked James to go to Maria and take the bracelet back in person, it would


    do good for her because Maria might be pissed off this way.


    So she lowered her head and said in a soft tone, "All right. Thank you so much, James."


    James froze for a second upon hearing her answer. He then gave her a faint smile that didn''t reach


    his eyes.


    The next items that were auctioned were famous calligraphies and paintings. This time, Maria just


    watched quietly.


    While Alina, on the other hand, seemed to show her love for art. She got two calligraphies and two


    paintings that were all paid for by James.


    As time went by, James began to feel bored. His patience was running out, and he couldn''t wait for


    the auction to end any longer. He looked at his watch and was about to stand up to leave when the


    lights in the auction hall suddenly went out.


    Then on the stage, a hollowed-out revolving vase from the Qing Dynasty was revealed. The bidding


    price soared up to five hundred million dors at once. And it was still going up. Since all the lights


    were still out, the audience burst into an uproar. Everyone became vignt. The assistant of YL


    Group''s CEO alerted the security guards at once. They all groped in the darkness and rushed to the


    stage to protect the vase.


    Someone from the audience took out his mobile phone and turned on the shlight. Then a loud


    bang was heard at the center of the stage.


    It was followed by the sound of porcin being shattered into pieces.


    Everyone knew that something was happening to the item on the stage.


    The rest of the crowd also turned on the shlight of their phones and aimed towards the stage. It


    was only then that they found out that a brawl was already happening up there. Chaos filled the


    entire auction hall of a sudden. Almost all of the men were wearing ck suits, so it was difficult to


    identify who were the enemies and who were not.


    Women had lost their poise, screaming in fright and running around. But before any of them could


    reach the exit, the lights suddenly went on.


    N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    Such an unforeseen urrence baffled everyone. Someone from the crowd who recovered from


    the shock shouted, "Who could have done this? How could everything be destroyed?"


    The crowd subconsciously turned their heads towards the stage. It was only then that they noticed


    how messy it was. The ss showcase and the hollowed-out revolving vase at the center were all


    smashed into pieces.


    Jonathan Jiang, the CEO of YL Group, calmly ordered his men to clean up the mess while telling


    his assistant to seal off the area.


    He then picked up the microphone and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I''m terribly sorry for what


    happened just now. This vase is actually my private collection. Sadly, it''s broken now. But of course,


    this won''t stop us from pursuing our purpose. The bid for this vase of mine has reached five


    hundred million dors, and I will pay for it. The proceeds of this auction will go to the poverty-


    stricken mountain areas under the name of YL Group. I want to thank everyone for supporting us in


    this event."


    Loud apuse broke out in the auction hall. And everyone said enormous words ofpliments.


    People couldn''t help admiring Jonathan''s kindness. He had lost an antique vase, yet he would still


    donate five hundred million dors to the poor. With such a good deed, he uplifted his own


    reputation and hispany as well.


    When James turned around, he saw that Maria was still in her seat. She was looking at the stage


    with a sarcastic smile on her face.


    Perhaps she felt that he was looking at her. She immediately stopped smiling and red at him


    expressionlessly.


    James rubbed his nose and withdrew his gaze. He then sat up straight, feeling strange. He couldn''t


    understand why, but he had a hunch that what happened just now had something to do with Maria.


    The vase was broken into pieces. The intruder really smashed it hard with something, and the


    shattered pieces mixed with the scattered ss showcase. It was impossible to repair it at all.


    After Jonathan''s people finished cleaning up the mess, the auction continued. He walked down the


    stage in a gentlemanly manner.


    What the audience didn''t see was that the moment he stepped down the stage, he felt weak all over


    and almost fainted. If his assistant and bodyguards weren''t quick to support him, he would have


    fallen to the floor.


    Trying to put up with the dizziness he felt, he asked, "How''s the investigation going?"


    "The police are still looking into it. The wires connected to the surveince system were cut off two


    minutes in advance, and the staff in the control room were nowhere to be found. The police believed


    that the crime was premeditated."


    Jonathan was taken aback. He was lost in thought. Who could have done this to him? He hadn''t


    offended anyone recently.


    No matter how much he racked his brains, he couldn''te up with a possible suspect. Whoever


    did it must have hated him so much. If not, he wouldn''t suffer a loss of hundreds of millions of


    dors.


    The auction was still going on, but Maria stood up and walked to the bathroom through the back


    door.


    Inside the toilet cubicle, she casually leaned against the wall, took out her phone, and sent a few


    messages. She then pretended to flush the toilet.


    When she came out, she saw Dani. From the looks of it, Dani was waiting for her.


    Maria threw the tissue into the trash can and asked with a smile, "Ms. Song, I didn''t know that


    you''re also here. Did you get anything from the auction?"


    Dani''s rage red up the moment she saw Mariae out. She snapped, "Maria, why do you


    have so much money? Tell me the truth, are you involved in illegal activities?"


    "Oh, that? Well, I have so many men. Isn''t it possible that each of them gives me one billion dors?


    Ms. Song, it''s such a pity that you''ve gotten yourself a stingy boyfriend. He doesn''t even want to buy


    you a coat worth only two million dors. I will never date such kind of a man even if he pays me.


    Do you want me to introduce you to someone else?" Maria took out a cigarette from her handbag, lit


    it, and took a drag.


    Dani''s eyes widened in surprise. She was in a daze. "You even smoke?"


    "Yep! Want one? Here, I can give you."


    "No way! I don''t smoke, okay? Maria, just tell me. Where is your moneying from? You seem to


    have so much of it." Dani was so persistent to know the answer. She was so jealous that she


    inadvertently showed her usual tart and mean demeanor.


    Maria didn''t want to waste her time on Dani anymore. What if she had be rich? What did it


    have to do with Dani? She took another two quick puffs at her cigarette and stubbed it out on the


    trash can. She then walked away in her high heels without even sparing Dani a nce.


    "Maria Song! You..." Before Dani could say the word "bitch," two men walked towards them, so


    she had to shut her mouth.


    Dani reached out her hand and grasped the back of Maria''s dress. Maria didn''t notice it, so when


    she took a step forward again, a crisp sound of a fabric being torn resounded through the hall.


    Everyone was stunned to see that Maria''s dress was ripped up.


    Her dress was not poor-quality. But its style was designed beautifully that both ends were just


    connected with a thin piece of silk. It could easily be pulled apart. But who would dare to tear up


    such a stunning dress, anyway?


    Ethan was about to walk towards Maria to greet her when James suddenly covered his eyes. "Hey,


    James, what are you doing?" he snapped, trying to pull James'' hand away. He didn''t hear the


    ripping sound, so he was not aware of what was happening.


    "Close your eyes!" James hurriedly ordered.


    "What is going on?"


    "Ask me again, and I won''t pay for those things you bid. " James'' warning made Ethan shut up and


    cover his eyes obediently with his own hands.


    Maria looked at her skin that was already exposed. A hint of rage shed across her eyes as she


    asked coldly, "Dani Song, are you out of your mind?"


    Upon realizing that she had gotten herself into big trouble, Dani hastily let go of Maria''s dress.


    When a passerby not far away came over, Maria leaned against the wall and wrapped her hands


    over her waist, trying to prevent exposing too much of her skin.


    Dani was scared out of her wits that James would get even with her for what she did to Maria. So


    she held the hemline of her dress and sneaked away.


    The passerby didn''t notice what was happening in the corner and just went straight to the men''s


    room.


    The only men left standing in front of Maria were James and Ethan. She looked at James with eyes


    wide open, silently asking for help.


    With a faint smile, James arrogantly said, "Beg me!"


    "What? James, what do you mean?" Ethan asked in confusion. He thought that James was talking


    to him, so he put down his hands that were covering his eyes and looked at James.


    Much to his surprise, James quickly covered his eyes again and said crossly, "Don''t open your eyes


    unless I tell you."


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