The words "twenty million" hung in the air, heavy and suffocating. A collective intake of breath swept through the auction hall. Heads swiveled back and forth between the front row and the dark corner in the back.
Brooklyn sat perfectly still in the shadows. Her index finger tapped once against the wooden armrest. She didn't blink. She didn't hesitate.
"Thirty million," she said. Her voice didn't rise in volume, but it sliced through the murmurs like a blade.
The crowd erupted into frantic whispering. That price was already lightyears beyond the emerald's market value.
Sterling grabbed Giovanni's forearm, his fingers digging into the expensive fabric of Giovanni's suit. "This is insane, Giovanni. Let it go. The price is completely irrational."
Giovanni ignored him. His blood was rushing in his ears, a hot spike of adrenaline hitting his veins. He stared at the back of the room. He wasn't just bidding on a stone anymore; he was bidding against the absolute lack of fear radiating from that woman. He wanted to break her composure.
"Forty million," Giovanni said, his voice a dark, commanding growl.
Brooklyn's lips curved upward by a millimeter. The smile didn't reach her eyes.
"Fifty million," she countered instantly.
The auctioneer's hands were visibly shaking as he gripped his gavel. "F-fifty million! Do I hear more? This is a historical piece, ladies and gentlemen!"
Ezio leaned in, his breath hot against Giovanni's ear. "Sir, this is a terrible investment. The board will ask questions-"
Giovanni held up a single hand, silencing Ezio instantly. He raised his paddle, his dark eyes burning into the shadows at the back of the room.
"Fifty-five million." The authority in his voice left no room for argument.
The hall went dead silent. Everyone waited for the woman in the back to fold.
Brooklyn let the silence stretch for three agonizing seconds. She felt the weight of hundreds of eyes on her. She felt Giovanni's intense, predatory stare trying to pin her down.
She leaned forward slightly, the gold rims of her glasses catching the stage light.
"Sixty million."
The room practically exploded. People gasped out loud. Sixty million dollars for a single, unmounted stone.
Giovanni's hand froze halfway up to raise his paddle again. His eyes locked onto her silhouette. He could feel it across the massive room-she wasn't bluffing. She wasn't sweating. She was completely, terrifyingly calm.
He slowly lowered his paddle. He shook his head at Sterling, but the dangerous smirk on his face only widened.
Bang!
"Sixty million! Sold! Congratulations to the representative in the back!" the auctioneer shouted, wiping sweat from his brow.
A spotlight swung wildly and hit Brooklyn. She immediately turned her head, letting the high collar of her trench coat and the glare on her glasses shield her face. She stood up smoothly and walked toward the exit.
Giovanni stood up immediately. He leaned toward Ezio. "Find out exactly who she is."
As the crowd began to disperse, buzzing with gossip about the "sixty-million-dollar mystery buyer," Brooklyn was escorted into a private, heavily guarded payment room.
She pulled the heavy, unbranded black card from her pocket and slid it across the polished mahogany desk.
The senior manager picked it up. His eyes dropped to the encrypted numbers. His pupils dilated instantly. The color drained from his face as he realized what level of clearance this card held.
"R-right away, ma'am," he stammered, bowing so low his nose nearly touched the desk. "Please, give me just a moment."
Brooklyn gave a curt nod. She walked over to the window, looking down at the street below.
Giovanni's massive black SUV was pulling out of the VIP lane. The back window rolled down, and she could see his sharp profile scanning the exits.
"New York money," Brooklyn muttered to herself, her tone dripping with dry amusement. "Loud and arrogant."
The manager returned, handing her the card and a secure, biometric lockbox containing the emerald. Brooklyn took it without a word and walked out.
She turned the corner into the dimly lit, carpeted hallway leading to the back exit.
She almost collided with a solid wall of muscle.
Ezio immediately stepped forward, his hand hovering near his jacket, blocking her path.
Giovanni raised a hand, waving Ezio back. He stepped into Brooklyn's personal space. The scent of his sharp, expensive cedar cologne washed over her.
Giovanni looked down at her. He studied the trench coat, the glasses, the tight set of her jaw.
"Sixty million without blinking," Giovanni said, his voice a low, vibrating hum. "You are very interesting."
Brooklyn tilted her head up. She looked straight through the clear lenses into his dark, calculating eyes. Her stomach didn't flutter. Her heart rate stayed perfectly flat.
"A fortune to you," Brooklyn said, her voice dropping to a freezing whisper, "is just a string of numbers to me, Mr. Morton."
Giovanni's breath hitched slightly. His eyes widened a fraction of an inch. She knew exactly who he was, and she didn't care.
Before he could say another word, Brooklyn sidestepped him.
"Good things belong to those who can hold them," she threw over her shoulder, her heels clicking away down the hall.
Giovanni turned, watching her disappear into the shadows.
Ezio stepped up beside him. "Sir, I couldn't get a name. She's registered as a private rep for 'Mr. B.' The payment came from a top-tier encrypted account. Untraceable."
Giovanni rubbed his jaw, his eyes still fixed on the empty hallway. "'Mr. B'? Interesting. Philadelphia is hiding some real monsters."
Outside, Brooklyn slid into the back of Garret's grey sedan. She pulled off the glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Let's go. Home," she ordered.
Garret glanced in the rearview mirror. "Boss, that was Giovanni Morton. Did he recognize you?"
Brooklyn let out a short, cold laugh. "He recognizes sixty million dollars. He doesn't recognize me."
