Chapter 75

In the hall, after the host finished warming up the crowd,it was finally Tristan's turn to take the stage.

Unlike many company heads who loved long speeches, Tristan simply said a few words before announcing the start of the charity/auction.

Jeffry hadn't originally planned to attend, but since he had shown up, he made a token effort by purchasing a few items to show support for Tristan.

The Pearson Group was no longer something Jeffry wanted to oppose.

Instead,they preferred cooperation whenever possible.

Others shared the same attitude-eager to win Tristan's favor and take part in the auction.

The atmosphere in the hall grew increasingly lively,especially when Riley's masterpiece was unveiled.

At that point, it wasn't just about charity or flattery-everyone genuinely wanted to own that painting.

Leyla wasn't particularly interested in art herself, but she knew who Riley was, and more importantly, Davin was both fan and disciple of Riley. If she won this work for Davin, he would definitely be tou ched.With that thought in mind, she gently coaxed Hector

Hector had never been stingy with money. If you like it, I'll win it for you," he said, lifting his paddle without hesitation. However, after several rounds of bidding, a man stepped up to whisper something to the auctioneer. The man was none other than Doran, Tristan's right-hand After hearing Doran's words, the auctioneer nodded and signaled two assistants. The assistants moved quickly and brought a display d onto the stage. The auctioneer raised his microphone. "Mr. Shaw has it the fuse on this work!" Instantly the previously enthusiasticcrowd fell silent,even Hector lowered his paddle. Leyla blinked in confusion and tugged at Hector's e. "Hector,why did you stop bidding? What does light the fuse＇ mean？ Why is everyone suddenly quiet？

Before Hector could respond, a girl seated nearby scoffed. "Mr. Clarke, your date doesn't even know what 'lighting the fuse' means? That's funny.What is she-straight off some farm?"

Leyla's cheeks flushed pink, embarrassment flooding her. She worried Hector might be irritated by her ignorance.

Fortunately, Hector didn't waver. "Leyla isn't some country girl. It's just that if she wants something,I usually buy it outright-she's never needed to attend auctions."

The girl, silenced, stood up and left.

Leyla's unease only deepened. She glanced at Hector."Do you know her?"

"She's not a local, now working on a project with our family. My dad asked me to always look out for her,which apparently caused a misunderstanding. But 1cleared it up with her yesterday."

Leyla nodded,though a sliver of anxiety twisted in her chest. No wonder the girl had spoken so rudely-she obviously lied Hector. Thank goodness his heart was still with herself. Otherwise, another woman could easily have snatched him away. She clenched her fists,more determined than ever to win the competition today. When no further bids were made, the assistants confirmed the status and carried the artwork backstage.

Soon after, the next auction item was brought out-a painting by a foreign artist.

Hector explained, "In auctions, lighting the fuse means that no matter how high others bid, that personwill top it-without limit-until everyone elsegives up."

Leyla's eyes widened. "So even if we went up to a hundred million, he'd still bid more?"

Hector nodded.

She stared, stunned by such boldness and wealth."Aren't they afraid someone might drive the price up on purpose?"

Hector chuckled. "Anyone who dares to do that doesn't fear a bidding war. If you don't have serious firepower, you don't even think about it."

Leyla lowered her gaze. "I didn't even know any of this. Did I embarrass you?"

Hector shook his head. "I've been to countless auctions over the years, and this is only the second time I've ever seen it happen. It's not your fault." "You've seen it before? Who did it?"

”Tristan."

Leyla instinctively looked toward the front row and saw Doran leaning in to whisper to Tristan. "Is that man Tristan's assistant?"

"Yes," Hector confirmed, then added thoughtfully,"That's strange."

"Strange? Didn't you just say Tristan did it before?Why would that be odd?"

Hector explained, "Because the last time he did it-was also for this work of Riley."

Leyla froze. The same painting? That was odd,really.

And this piece had originally come from Tristan's own collection.

If he'd wanted to keep it, he could have simply left it out of the auction.

Instead, he put it up for charity... only to buy it back at an astronomical price.

Clearly, Tristan had his own unique way of thinking Otherwise, he wouldn't have spoken up at the Murray family banquet on Eliana's behalf. It was a shame Leyla couldn't buy the painting for Davin. What she didn't realize was that Tristan's logic made perfect sense-to him.

He had only discovered today that Eliana was actually Riley.

Tristan had always admired Riley's work and collected many of her pieces.

That was exactly why Corner of Broken Stones ended up in the auction-he'd acquired several.

But the moment he found out Eliana was Riley,everything changed.

He would never allow someone else to own her artwork, no matter how many he already possessed.

If he had known sooner, he never would have donated the painting.

With Tristan lighting the fuse, no one dared bid again.

An hour later, the auction wrapped up quietly, with all proceeds going towards building a school for disadvantaged children.

Once the gavel came down, the host stepped forward with the microphone. "The auction has concluded.Now we move on to the second part of today's program1..." The host introduced the oil-painting competition.

When he announced that the champion would be responsible for the exterior and logo design of the Pearson Group's new product line, the room stirred.

"I thought the top prize was just a million in cash-now the winner gets to design for Pearson Group?"

"That new product's an electric car, right? So the winner designs the emblem!"

"Whoever snags that deal is incredibly lucky."

"Shame I can't paint-I'd sign up on the spot."

Leyla listened to the excited chatter around her,heart bubbling with anticipation.

So the new product was an electric car.If she won the competition, she'd make a name for herself in the country.