“Huh?!” Benedict almost bit his tongue from shock. He looked down at his outfit and felt like he was wearing a suit made of money instead of fabric.
Bonnie casually said, “You can bid on anything you like.”
Then, one of Orson’s paintings appeared onstage with a starting price of four million dollars. Benedict was stunned beyond words, thinking that it was just a painting. ‘Just how expensive can it be?’
Bonnie saw his reaction and thought he liked it. She said, “Three million dollars!”
He gasped. “S-Sis?! Do you like that painting?”
She asked back, “I thought you liked it?”
His jaw dropped. Of course, he was moved, but he hastily explained, “N-Not really. I was just surprised that a painting could be worth that much.”
“Oh, so that’s what it was. I guess I’ll stop bidding then. I don’t even have to bid on it, either. I know Orson personally, so it wouldn’t have been an issue to ask him to make a painting for me.”
Benedict was astounded, thinking, ‘I know Bonnie’s incredible, but the more I learn about her, the less I think I know her.’
Harold and Yolanda heard Bonnie’s bid from the auction floor. They glanced toward the private room, and Yolanda asked in exasperation, “Who was that? She’s dumping loads of cash where it’s unnecessary. Jeez, she could’ve bought something else to show off her wealth.
Why does she have to steal Master Orson’s painting from us? Not only that, but she also raised the price too high. How are we supposed to bid on it now?”
“Lower your voice. The people here are the wealthiest and most influential in their respective cities. We, however, don’t belong here. People like us only manage to enter through unconventional means. “That means people with private rooms are worlds above us regarding social status. There are a lot of ears here. If anyone catches us dissing someone we’re not supposed to, we might drag our whole family down.”
Yolanda shut her mouth and scanned her surroundings. Once she was sure no one had heard her, she sighed in relief and said, “You have a point. I should watch my mouth around here. Still, it’s a shame we couldn’t get Master Orson’s painting.”
Just the thought of it upset her. She continued, “It’s all Bonnie’s fault. Why else would she have torn Master Orson’s painting during the party? I still can’t believe she rejected us when we asked her to get another painting from him.”
“I don’t think we can pin everything on Bonnie.”
“What about everything that has happened? I don’t know how you can still defend that girl. Don’t tell me you still consider her one of us.”
“That’s absurd. Bonnie has brought so much shame to us. I can’t even consider her one of us. I hate the fact that our blood runs through her veins. The thought of it makes me want to bleed her out.” The disdain in Harold’s eyes was evident.
“So, why did you say we can’t blame everything on her?”
As he looked at the painting on the stage, he explained, “I think we both know Bonnie can’t even ask Master Orson to make a painting for her. She must’ve used dishonorable means to manipulate his granddaughter.
“Maybe that’s why she couldn’t do it more than once. Wouldn’t she have asked Master Orson to make another painting if she could? Don’t you think she would’ve used it to suck up to us and keep her place in the family?”
“You have a good point. Hold on, aren’t you forgetting about something?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re forgetting that Bonnie is the miracle doctor.”
He snorted disdainfully. “Miracle Doctor is but a flashy title. She’s so young, and she’s just a student. Could she have found the time and energy to study medicine?
“Becoming a successful medical practitioner takes a long time and abundant experience. As far as I’m concerned, she got lucky to earn that title. She must’ve accidentally treated a big shot.” “Didn’t she treat your condition as well, honey?”
“Like I said, it’s just dumb luck. It was a coincidence that Bonnie knew how to heal me-that’s all.” He refused to believe Bonnie was so capable.
