Third person's POV
Her words, laced with provocation and temptation, were like adding fuel to the fire, causing the flames of Derek's long-suppressed anger to burn even more fiercely.
Matilda seemed to be walking further and further down a dangerous path from which there seemed to be no return.
Forrest did his best to hold Derek back, preventing him from acting impulsively, while silently praying for Matilda.
His demeanor was akin to lighting a stick of incense that foretold impending misfortune for her.
He knew all too well that the higher she climbed, the harder her fall would be.
Under Matilda's inflammatory rhetoric, the crowd began a new round of fierce bidding.
This round was significantly more intense than before. The starting price was set at ten million dollars, but it doubled rapidly as if by magic, soaring to forty million dollars in the blink of an eye and continuing to rise like a rocket.
The giant electronic screen displayed Tabitha's condition in real-time.
From every angle, her face was flawlessly beautiful.
Under the high-definition camera, beads of sweat could be seen dotting her forehead, and her gaze had become increasingly unfocused, indicating the drug's effects were taking hold.
Men driven by desire were now throwing caution to the wind, willing to spend vast sums for the chance to possess this beauty.
However, among the bidders, Baxter had not yet made a move.
Surprisingly, before the heavy hitters had even begun, the bidding price had already been driven up to seventy million dollars.
These businessmen had their plans. They knew that a woman as beautiful as Tabitha would be highly sought after. Even if they grew tired of her and decided to sell her later, they would quickly recoup their investment.
Thus, the bidding price continued to skyrocket, about to break through the ninety-million-dollar mark.
"Mr. Rios, this situation doesn't look good. Are these people crazy?"
"Crazy? I think they're very clear-headed. They just want to indulge themselves first and then let others profit for them."
"But with the price climbing so crazily, it's not easy for us to bid higher, right? If you use too much money at once, and if Sir. Rios finds out..."
"What can my brother do if he finds out? At worst, he'll just scold me. It's just a woman. What's the big deal?"
With that, he resolutely raised his bidding paddle and shouted, "One hundred million dollars."
It was then that the real fierce contention began.
Forrest whispered, "Alpha Derek, Mr. Rios has started bidding."
"Match it," Derek said firmly, his hands gripping the armrests of his seat. "Whatever he bids, we match it."
In terms of financial power, the entire Rios family could not compete with the Black Thorn, let alone Baxter himself.
Baxter quickly noticed that after he increased his bid, the other party also quickly started a new round of bidding.
Each increment was five million dollars, and as this cycle repeated, fewer and fewer people could continue to follow.
The bidding situation turned into a fierce confrontation between Derek and Baxter.
When the price reached one hundred and fifty million dollars, Baxter began to feel uneasy.
"Damn it, is he crazy? It's just a woman. Does he really want to fight me to the death?"
"Mr. Rios, shall we just stop? Where are we going to get so much cash if we continue to bid higher?"
"Stop? Are you willing to? I want to see who this blind fool is that dares to go against me like this. Bid, keep bidding higher!"
When he shouted out the high price of two hundred million dollars, the other party's response was always calm and unhurried, as if they were not discussing two hundred million dollars but just two hundred dollars.
This had already set a record for the highest auction price in history.
As time ticked by, Tabitha's gaze became increasingly dazed. Derek couldn't bear to let her suffer like this any longer.
So, under the astonished gaze of everyone present, Derek raised his bidding paddle for the first time in his life and shouted, "Three hundred million dollars."