Who would be so crazy?!

Jake couldn't understand it. 

Old business veterans were sweating their gray hairs out because they all wanted the estate but this weirdo here and his equally weird secretary who had obviously been infected by his boss were leisurely watching stocks?!

"What would happen if these old goons knew about this?" He asked as he pointed at Daniel's phone but was expectedly ignored.

"Ah, I suddenly want to see their reactions though," Jake said, his lips pulling into a sly grin. 

Just as he was reveling in his mischievous thoughts and fantasizing about the animated reactions of the old businessmen, he locked eyes with a pair of familiar aging eyes.

'Dad?!'

In a panicked attempt to stifle a scream, he clutched at Lucas's blue checked tie using it to muffle his surprise as he tumbled to the ground, inadvertently pulling the hapless secretary along with him.

"Ouch!" Lucas grunted, trying to suppress a cry of pain as he landed, clutching his back.

However, probably because of Wilford's professionalism or the existing tension in the hall, Jake's antics went unnoticed by the majority of the attendees. 

Except for Lucas of course who was sitting on the ground nursing his sore backside and Daniel who rolled his eyes nonchalantly, promptly resuming his activities.

"Jake, you do know you're harassing my staff, right?" Daniel's voice was steady, his eyes not leaving his phone screen for a second.

"Bro! I think my dad saw me. Can't you pretend to ignore me just this once? Do you really want to see me get skinned alive that bad?!" Jake dramatically complained in a hushed whisper.

"Your personal predicaments aren't justification for endangering one of the prized assets of my company. What if K incurred any damage from your reckless antics?" Daniel's phone was discarded, and he reclined in his seat, legs crossed.

Lucas touched at Daniel's words, gazed up at him with teary eyes brimming with gratitude. 

'This moment shall be etched in my memory forever. Mr. Daniel acknowledged me as a valuable asset!'

"Thank you, Mr. Daniel." He sniffed.

Meanwhile, Jake gasped in disbelief, "What?"

"The tablet. What would you do if I lost important information accumulated over the years?" Daniel stoically asked, piercing through the brief moment he didn't even know his secretary had.

Jake and Lucas simultaneously glanced at the tablet that had slid under one of the chairs at one point speechless.

'Sigh… what was I even thinking?' Lucas thought with a slight pout.

Donning an air of calm authority, Daniel subtly gestured to Lucas who gingerly retrieved the tablet and sat to put his attention back on the auction. 

As the drama between Daniel, Jake, and Lucas ensued, the auctioneer, Wilford, surged back into the limelight, his voice booming through the hall.

"Ladies and gentlemen, brace yourselves for the climax of tonight's spectacle! Behold, the illustrious Valentina Estates! The starting bid is 100 million." Wilford's fervent announcement punctuated the charged air, followed by the projection of an extremely beautiful vineyard, and immediately, the bidding commenced.

"150 million!"

"180 million!"

"200 million!"

"205 million!"

"210 million!"

Wilford excitedly looked at the businessmen raising their placards in the audience and smiled widely, 'I should have told my wife to buy the gold-plated selfie toaster before I left. By tomorrow morning, we will be eating toast with our selfies imprinted on it!! Oh, how exciting!'

"We have 210 million! 210 million going once….." Wilford began to speak, his hands moving animatedly before he was interrupted, "300 million!"

At the drop of those words, many sucked in a cold breath. 

The estimated price for the vineyard should be at most 200 million but bidding 300 million for a vineyard that may or may not flop was too over the top.

They all turned to look at the bold bidder and soon understood. 

It was Simon Nielson, one of the richest men in the business world.

"Haha! I'm still the best in town! These old fossils are still lacking! See? I told you Sil, your father cannot be outdone!" Simon laughed contentedly, his hand dropping light pats on the back of Silver's palm while he subtly gestured to Rodrigo with a raise of his brows.

Silver smiled wryly at her father, however, her eyes inadvertently drifted to Daniel's side, 'He hasn't made a move yet.'

She didn't know why but her gut told her that it was too soon for her father to celebrate.

Wilford on the other hand, didn't care about all the thoughts of these scheming businessmen and voiced excitedly into the microphone, "We have the bidder over there with 300 million! 300 million going once, going twice…."

'If this pulls through, I'll be able to get the gold plated selfie toaster and a robot butler!' he thought excitedly.

Just then,

"650 million." A calm voice reverberated through the hall like a clap of thunder.

"6..650 million?! Who'd be so crazy…..?!" one of the businessmen turned to ask.

"It's Daniel Kozlov, sir!" his assistant quickly whispered into his ear, eliciting a coughing fit from the businessman.

"Ahem! I…I mean only the most bold and courageous can carry out such a feat! Haha." he laughed dryly as he glanced around nervously while drying his cold sweat with the handkerchief his assistant quickly handed him.

He had almost made a disastrous mistake. Offending Daniel Kozlov was the same as being jobless and he really couldn't afford that expense.

Simon and Rodrigo on the other hand frowned deeply as they exchanged glances.

This wasn't how they expected the bid to pan out. They had discussed earlier that Simon would bid 300 million and would definitely get the land but the brat Daniel had ruined their plans.

As Silver watched the unfolding drama, she couldn't help but sigh. Her father's reaction was a mix of shock, irritation, and a tinge of something she couldn't quite place. It was evident that he hadn't anticipated such a bold move from Daniel.

The auction hall erupted into whispers, shockwaves of disbelief rippling through the audience. Murmurs of "Daniel Kozlov!" and hushed discussions filled the air as bidders exchanged incredulous looks.

Amid this palpable tension, Daniel remained composed, his demeanor an embodiment of unwavering determination.

"650 million!" Wilford's voice tinged with a hint of disbelief as he struggled to maintain his composure, adjusting his glasses and attempting to reassert control. "650 million going once, going twice..."

"700 million!" Simon bid once more, not wanting to back down. Silver widened her eyes and hurriedly grabbed his arm, "Dad! You can't pull out more than 500 million or your business will suffer." She urgently said in a hushed tone.

"Don't worry Sil, I know you are worried about me but I will handle it," Simon said with a doting smile before facing the auctioneer with a determined gait.

At this point, Silver didn't know if she said that because she was genuinely concerned for her father or because she wanted to help Daniel. 

However there was one thing she couldn't deny, Daniel's bold move had struck another chord in her heart and was playing a melodious tune that she so wanted to immerse herself in.

This was the man she wanted to have and he kept giving her reasons not to give up.

'Oh Daniel, what do I do? You keep wrapping me around your finger.' Silver thought, a light blush creeping up on her cheeks.

"750 million!" An unknown businessman in a grey trench coat suddenly voiced throwing the crowd into another uproar.

"Has there always been so much money to throw around?" one lady asked.

"People keep treating money like it's trash these days!" another answered spitefully.

"Then I'd gladly be their trash can! I'll take all their garbage!"

"Have some dignity will you?!"

"Uhhh…no?"

"…."

Wilford eyes were shining as he screamed, "The gentleman over there…750 million!"

Simon who was clearly frustrated, harrumphed and leaned back in his seat with a scowl as Silver pacified him.

"Now who the hell is that dude?! He just came out of nowhere!" Jake asked as he curiously looked over at the mysterious guy.

"Is he trying to compete with you?" Jake scooted toward Daniel and shamelessly asked again even after he was blatantly ignored the first time.

Still retaining his composure, Daniel calmly raised his placard with an air of arrogance, "850 million."

'Compete? Heh…maybe in his next life.' He thought.

The hall erupted into another chaos as people murmured and whispered amongst themselves.

"At this juncture, I'll humbly place myself before Mr. Daniel's doorstep and tell him to adopt me."

"What?! A 60-year-old man wants to be adopted? Please, tell me what will you call Mr. Daniel? Dad? Hahaha!"

"Forget calling him dad, you'll find yourself behind bars for trespassing."

"Behind bars or locked in a mental asylum?"

Rodrigo carefully observed Daniel from across the hall before breaking into a smile. It seemed he had underestimated the little boy.

The guy in the trench coat also observed Daniel but didn't raise his placard anymore.

"850 million going once, going twice….SOLD! Valentina Estates to Mr. Daniel Kozlov for 850 million!" Wilford enthusiastically slammed the gavel three times closing the bid with a huge smile on his face.