Truth behind the auction

Emma felt a jolt of surprise at Asher's words. Since the start, he had not revealed any information about the auction.

He only told bits and pieces here and there. Concealing all the mandatory information.

What was wrong with this auction? Why was it so secretive? There were other silent auctions as well but none of them had the same level of security or screening. Why were there so many regulations?

Emma wanted to know the reason why this auction was like this. But she knew she would not be able to get them so easily. Especially not from Asher.

She sighed contemplating whether it was the right decision to attend even. She didn't want to attract unnecessary trouble. Nor did she want to get tangled in a messy situation.

Ever since she came here with Asher there was this strong gut feeling that told her something wasn't right here.

It rose doubt and apprehension in her. Glancing at Asher who seemed to be messaging someone, Emma opened her lips wanting to ask him what he meant by that.

However, when Asher's gaze collided with hers and she couldn't bring up the courage to ask.

Emma sighed as she sat next to Asher.

"It'll all make sense later." Asher lightly tapped Emma's forehead. "Your brain might burn out if I tell you everything now." Asher's gentle voice relaxed Emma's tense nerves.

Their eyes locked as they stared at one another quietly. After a while, Emma was the first one to retreat. She nervously touched the back of her neck feeling awkward.

Asher patted her head and laughed lightly before getting up and going to the bathroom, leaving Emma in her thoughts.

Coming out of the bathroom, Asher said without any delay, "Get ready, Emma. We're leaving."

Emma was baffled by his words and looked at the time, "But it's only 7:30. You were the one who said that the auction starts at 9."

"And now I'm the one who is asking you to get ready. Don't ask questions." Asher dismissively said in a low voice while putting on his coat which he had thrown on the bed earlier.

"I swear I am never going to attend any gathering with you in the future." Emma didn't get how this man's mind worked. One moment he was all nostalgic and kind and the other he was overbearing and domineering, ordering her around.

Her brain was going to short-circuit if this continued. And why was he talking so rudely to her again?

Emma remembered how she had previously suffered at Asher's hands and her vanished fury resurfaced.

"Can I assume that you had planned to attend future events along with me formerly?" Asher asked conceitedly.

Haughtiness was dripping from his face possibly lathering the floor beneath as well.

Emma did not know how to react. She was enraged and wanted to get rid of his smug face but at the same time knew that she'll be getting the shorter end of the stick if she argued back.

Asher was slowly making Emma used to hearing his nonsense and not retorting.

But then again it was not like she could do anything to affect his unashamed self.

"Why would I assume something so horrendous?" No matter how much she tried, she could not help but retaliate against his outrageous statements.

However, she immediately regretted it after retorting when she saw him smiling smugly as if he had succeeded in making her lower her guard. Why did she always fall for his antics?

Asher smirked at her response. That was what he had been waiting for. He liked to infuriate Emma.

Grinning devilishly, he said, "How would I know? Maybe you fell for my manly charms and had already planned to covet my future." Asher crossed his arms against his chest in a defensive manner and acted embarrassed.

Emma was stupefied after hearing his claims and scoffed at his nonsense.

What kind of manly charms was he talking about? She had never been so disgusted by anything before. Even if he was somewhat handsome, it wasn't to the point where she would become a mindless goat and keep chasing him around.

She pondered for some time and then settled on completely ignoring his presence and got up to straighten her dress nonchalantly.

Asher smiled knowing well he wouldn't get a better response and gathered his belongings.

Asher locked the room and put the key under the mat after coming out of the room. Emma didn't question him this time.

Asher naturally took Emma's hand and proceeded to the elevator. They arrived at floor 108 where Asher identified himself.

Emma went ahead and confirmed her identity as well.

"Thank you so much for identifying yourselves. Now, I would like the owner of the pass to go to hall# 7 and the plus one to hall# 1. We'll be informing you shortly about the rules and give you a list of the things you can bid on." The middle-aged man who checked their IDs said politely.

"Thank you for your hard work." Asher expressed his gratitude and took Emma with him to hall#7.

"Asher, wait. He asked me to go to hall#1" Emma interjected his actions as she looked back and saw the same man observing them. She felt self-conscious by his gaze.

"Didn't you say that you wish to attend?" Asher stopped in his tracks and asked patiently.

He was feeling as if he had adopted a child and had to look after them 24/7 answering their absurd questions with a huge smile on his face.

"I did. But he said-"

"Have you followed their instructions up until now?" Asher interrupted her and asked. He felt a strong urge to explain the situation to Emma. Otherwise, she would not know how to behave and might get in trouble.

He instantly changed his direction and headed toward the bathroom.

Men's bathroom to be specific. Emma was stupefied and wanted to protest but Asher silenced her objections with a single hand.

The man was still keeping an eye on them. Asher winked at him and took Emma with him to the bathroom.

Locking the stall, he let go of the struggling Emma who looked like she could kill. Before she could yell at the top of her lungs, Asher once again closed her mouth with his hand.

"I believe I asked you to keep some patience in your pocket." Asher lightly reprimanded.

"Now, listen carefully. I know you have questions about my actions and I'm going to address them one by one. I want you to remain calm and not scream at me in the middle. Are we clear?" Asher whispered in her ear.

Although Emma felt an itch in her ear and an urge to distance herself, she stood by her ground as she was indeed curious about his behavior.

Thus, she nodded slightly in acquiescence. Asher removed his hand and sighed deeply.

"First of all, you must have guessed by now but this auction is not ordinary. You might not know but it is illegal to hold an auction without paying the royalties on all items being auctioned off to the government and in this auction none of them have been paid."

Emma didn't give any detectable reaction to his words. Instead, she listened attentively.

"What you saw before coming to the 67th floor was a demo. It was organized by the auction house to minimize the number of common people attending. This is done so they can get rid of the majority of the local people who ended up winning a ticket but don't have a certain standing in society. There are various traps to prevent people from attending that have been laid all over the place. What you saw at the check-in point and out just now are also examples of such traps. If you follow their instructions to the dot, you'll never be able to make it to the auction."

Emma frowned deeply. If they intended to reduce the number of people attending, why didn't they just give tickets to those people whom they wished to invite? Why did they have to go through such a complex and complicated way to achieve the same goal?

Asher read the questions in Emma's eyes and whispered, "That's because they want to show the government that this is a legit auction which can only be achieved by inviting people from all walks of life to the auction and making it like a huge lottery event. And they also don't want to get caught for smuggling and selling illegal goods which is what they are trying to do to be blunt."

"But it does not make sense. They don't want to pay the royalties but they also don't want to be caught doing illegal activities. How does it benefit them? Even if a millionaire attends, he can bid a small amount of money and still buy a priceless object." Emma whispered back.

Before Asher could answer her, they heard the washroom door open and became silent.

Judging from the footsteps, there seemed to be three people.

"How many tickets did you get from the elevator?" One of them asked.

"About 27." The one who answered was the same man whom they met on their way to the 67th floor.

"Wow, dude. I got like 93 and all of them were obtained with the consent of the possessors in a civilized and cultured way." Another voice resonated in the empty bathroom.

"Wait until they leave their rooms and find that they are not allowed to participate in the auction. Then these same civilized and cultured men and women will behave like country bumpkins." The bulky man from the elevator snickered as he said.

"They can do whatever they want, they'll not be able to attend."

Emma was not stunned at the discovery. She had inferred from Asher's words that the organization had planned all of this.

But the question was why?