Chapter 182: Chapter 182: Next time, I will.
Chapter 182 – Next time, I will.
The Auction ended soon after the departure of Cassius and Isolde.
At the end, Meadow had chosen the bid of a renowned Manager in the Model Industry, who gave her the authority to choose three upcoming Models for his Agency without any consequences.
It was a completely unexpected bid, which made Meadow even more fond of it. She accepted without much hesitation. Already, she could see the benefits of having three models of her choosing in the Model Industry.
That would mean extending the Devil’s Advocate Company beyond its current domain. And all of that had been achieved in a single Auction.
Many people who owned auction houses of their own were surprised by such efficiency.
Some of them were already planning to do the same as Meadow: to change their bidding currency and broaden it. While others knew well that this was only possible because of Meadow Wealth’s background.
For her, money was not a problem. She could run the entire company with her own money. However, for most of them — to not say all of them — they needed the money they generated to fund their business, or they would go bankrupt.
Beyond the money problem, there was also the fact that copying — or rather, taking inspiration from, as others preferred to call it — the manner of the Devil’s Auction House would mean becoming their rival. And they honestly doubted they could offer the same quality.
It would certainly be a losing endeavour.
Just like that, they abandoned the idea, and wondered why some people achieved things so easily while others needed to work more than half their lives only to fall behind.
Some of them, like Elder Horace, owner of the Black Clover Auction House, and Madam Fiona, owner of the Pink Lotus Brothel — the most famous brothel far beyond Bliss’s House — found themselves watching Meadow from a distance as she spoke and mingled with other influential figures, their faces taut with unreadable emotions.
The two of them were old, past sixty, and had spent their entire lives building their businesses. Watching a girl still wet behind the ears, only eighteen years old, achieve such a thing simply because of her background made their mouths sour and their expressions even worse.
They said nothing, not even pleasantries, and disappeared from the Devil’s Auction House, their thoughts entirely unknown.
Slowly, the guests began to leave, having witnessed a future powerhouse with their own eyes.
In his VIP room, Emrys Stormblessed was dazzled by Meadow. The moment she had begun to speak, his eyes had been unable to leave her face. He was completely entranced, and found his heart beating faster than normal.
Love de Bayard noticed the look and instantly understood its meaning. A deep worry and fear knotted inside her, wondering whether she was going to lose her place to Meadow after only just managing to push Anesthesia aside.
Her face became like frozen ice, growing colder as it settled on the smiling figure of Meadow, a whole new feeling emerging inside her heart.
Jeanne, meanwhile, was completely unbothered. Instead of Meadow, her golden eyes were fixed on Omm Min Jambar. The man had the mannerisms and aura of someone who had not grown up in wealth — that much she could tell instantly — yet something about him felt inviting.
So inviting, in fact, that she found herself wondering who he was. And that was something that had never happened to Jeanne Safara before.
Not even with Emrys sitting right beside her, whose only redeeming quality to her was his strength, for which she respected him. Not even with Cassius Desdemona, whom she could instinctively feel she should not get close to, and so she had crushed any curiosity about him before it could take root.
Omm Min Jambar was different. He looked interesting, and more than that, he felt harmless.
So Jeanne found herself smiling strangely, trying to carve the face of Omm into her memory.
As for Cole, Veronica and Faye, the three of them moved toward Meadow and other influential figures to build connections. Thanks to Cole’s presence, Faye managed to build a few minor ones, nothing too significant, but she was still pleased and considered it a step forward.
She had tried to approach Meadow Wealth directly, but the young woman’s presence was so intimidating that Faye had given up, and then cursed herself for backing down from an eighteen-year-old.
Because of that, Faye turned her attention toward Omm Min Jambar, seeing him as a gateway to reach Meadow.
She approached the young man and used all of her mature charms to engage him and managing, by the end of the conversation, to obtain his phone number.
Faye was beyond thrilled.
And she was not the only one. Many others had done the same, and Omm, every single time, found himself unable to say no after being subtly pressured.
Almost an hour after the Auction ended, every guest had gone, leaving only Meadow Wealth and Omm Min Jambar in the amphitheatre.
Omm sat on the floor, his back against the wall, while Meadow sat across from him, also on the floor.
Both their faces were gripped with exhaustion.
"Do... do I really have to do this every three weeks, Miss Wealth?" he asked, plainly nervous.
"After today’s event," Meadow replied, smiling strangely, "yes, definitely, Shepherd. I, however, am never doing this again. Ever. Did you see how all of them were looking at me? They spent entire conversations lying. And I had to act like I didn’t notice. Never again."
Omm smiled awkwardly. "...many people asked for my phone number, Miss Wealth."
"I hope you didn’t give them your personal one."
"I don’t have a phone."
Meadow paused, looking at him with surprise. "You don’t?"
"I do not, Miss Wealth." He smiled shyly. "I use my mother’s phone to contact you. I plan to buy one before the Academy though."
"Then what number did you give them?" Meadow asked with some nervousness, hoping Omm had not been foolish enough to give his mother’s number to these sharks.
"Well, I told them I didn’t have a phone, but they still insisted I give them a way to contact me." He said. "So I gave them the phone number of the bank reception."
He stroked his chin pensively. "I mean, Miss Wealth, they can still technically reach me that way, can’t they?"
Meadow stared dazedly at Omm before bursting into laughter, not expecting that answer at all.
"At least you have basic survival instincts, Shepherd. Now, I cannot let you go without a phone a moment longer. Come, come close to me, let me show you the various phone brands and tell me which one you like. Consider it a bonus for your good work today."
"No no, Miss, there’s no need—!"
"I am not asking your permission, Shepherd. Come."
Omm sighed under his breath, feeling once more the weight of his Miss’s generosity, and silently vowed to never disappoint her expectations.
He walked toward her and thought inwardly.
’It’s alright. I will just give it to mother and take her old phone. She will like that, yes?’
That thought put a gentle smile on his face.
And at the back of his mind, he began to wonder what he should buy his parents to celebrate this first day.
...
At the same time, Cassius arrived in front of the Amaris household. Isolde was still sleeping, making it plainly clear just how exhausted she was.
He continued to hold her gently and stood before the large door, looking at Sophia Amaris who was leaning her back against it.
A smile appeared on her face the moment she noticed Cassius step out of his carriage with Isolde in his arms.
"Dear," she said, "it has been a long time since we last saw each other, hasn’t it?"
"A long time, yes, mother-in-law." Cassius said, showing nothing of his inner thoughts. "How have you been? You look even more beautiful than before."
"You are one to talk," Sophia replied with a chuckle. "That new look of yours is splendid. Your eyepatch seems special, though, dear."
"A gift from a lovely family member."
"Someone who loves you very much."
"I suppose so."
"Now, why are you standing there holding my daughter? Come inside. I remember you owe me a little performance. You didn’t forget, did you?"
She smiled sharply.
Only then did Cassius recall that Sophia had indeed gifted him a flute. He still hadn’t played it, having been occupied by so many things since that day. He controlled his expression and acted as though he hadn’t forgotten entirely.
"I didn’t forget, mother-in-law." He said with a smile. "Unfortunately, my father is waiting for me urgently. I came only to bring Isolde home safely. Next time, I will."
"A shame." Sophia said, stepping forward to take Isolde into her arms.
But Cassius did not let go.
Sophia paused and lifted her black eyes to meet Cassius’s right crimson eye.
She was more focused on his hidden left eye; she could feel a familiar power behind the eyepatch.
"You are right, mother-in-law." Cassius said, smiling, though his smile carried a subtle, quiet edge. "I care about Isolde more than you can possibly imagine."
Their eyes held each other.
"She seemed particularly sad today." He followed, his smile warming now. "Can I ask you to make her smile when she wakes up? I would have done it myself if I were not so pressed by duties."
"Don’t worry." Sophia replied, finally taking Isolde from Cassius’s arms. "She is my daughter. Of course I will."
"Then I am relieved." He said, bowing his head slightly. "I won’t take any more of your precious time, mother-in-law. It was lovely to see you. And I promise, next time, I will play it for you."
"I shall hold you to that. Go, and send my regards to your mother."
"She will hear of it."
After the pleasantries, Cassius turned and boarded his carriage, which pulled away.
Sophia stood there, Aissatou nervously at her side, her black eyes resting on the sleeping Isolde.
Slowly, her mind drifted, and memories of the past, when Isolde was just a baby, came to her, overlapping with the now twenty-one-year-old face before her.
A slow smile appeared on her lips as she noticed Isolde frowning, as if uncomfortable in her embrace.
"Too late already." She whispered, turned and entered the house. "Let’s just keep going as it is, Isolde."
—End of Chapter 182—
