This time, it was Alexander who broke the silence.

"Naturally."

His piercing gaze locked onto Amy, those obsidian eyes mirroring her reflection - intense, searching, as though he could strip away every layer of her carefully constructed facade.

"She's being truthful. Every bid she placed came from her personal funds. After all..."

Though Alexander addressed the room, his attention never wavered from Amy.

"She has access to a hundred million fortune. The money is hers to spend as she pleases."

Amy's dark lashes fluttered like butterfly wings, but her expression remained composed, only the faintest curve gracing her lips.

She didn't contradict him. Instead, she countered, "So, Mr. Blackwood, do you intend to continue bidding?"

Alexander's mouth twisted into a cold, detached smile, but his eyes turned glacial.

"With Ms. Sinclair throwing around money with such reckless abandon, it would be foolish of me to continue."

Amy's smile deepened. "I've allocated eighty million for this piece. Doesn't that tempt you, Mr. Blackwood? To make me spend just a little more?"

His voice cut through the air like an arctic wind.

"So you can withdraw at the last moment and leave me holding the bill? If you're willing to pay eighty, why not bid it now? No one would challenge you."

Amy tilted her head. "But I appreciate a bargain like anyone else. If I can secure it for forty, why pay eighty? Money doesn't magically replenish itself, you know. Saving forty million would ensure my comfort for decades."

The realization struck Victoria like lightning - Amy truly was obscenely wealthy.

Not long ago, this woman had threatened Alexander with her own life to extort that hundred million! Of the items Amy had won tonight, she'd spent barely ten million - leaving nearly ninety still at her disposal.

She could outbid everyone in this room without breaking a sweat.

And who's to say she wouldn't pull the same stunt she'd used on Nathan - drive the price up only to abandon the bid at the last possible moment?

Amy was playing high-stakes poker. The others weren't willing gamblers.

The thought made Victoria's fingers twitch with the urge to wrap around Amy's throat.

First, she'd reclaimed her mother's necklace. Now she was stealing Victoria's cherished Poseidon's Lament right from under her.

Sensing Victoria's venomous stare, Amy turned to her.

"Is something troubling you, Ms. Langley? Care to place a higher bid?"

Victoria's smile looked like it might crack her face. "...No, if you desire it so passionately, Ms. Sinclair, by all means."

Amy corrected sharply, "You misunderstand, Ms. Langley. You're not granting me anything. I'm winning this fairly. Unless you'd prefer to continue bidding? We could have a proper competition."

Victoria's nails bit into her palms hard enough to draw blood, but the pain barely registered.

This witch is doing this deliberately. She wants to humiliate me.

The metallic tang of blood filled her mouth from biting her cheek.

Alexander had clearly reached his limit. His voice dropped to a dangerous timbre. "Amy, I'd suggest you exercise some restraint. Push too far, and the consequences may prove... unpleasant."

Amy didn't flinch, her defiance shining bright.

"I'll take my chances. I look forward to seeing what you consider 'unpleasant.'"

A glacial light flashed in Alexander's eyes. He wasn't one for empty threats - his gaze lingered on Amy for a long moment before he turned away.

Soon, an attendant approached, carrying Poseidon's Lament on a velvet cushion as though it were made of spun glass.

One wrong move, and Amy could refuse the purchase - everyone knew the rules.

Forty million dollars. The weight of that sum made hands tremble.

Every eye in the auction hall fixed on Amy, waiting to see if she'd honor her extravagant bid - or find some last-minute excuse to back out.