Chapter 7 - THE UNMASKING AT THE GALA
Gasps echoed through the marquee as Eleanor raised her bidding paddle without a single trace of hesitation.
Carter pushed his way through the crowd of billionaires, his face contorted in a mix of fury and total desperation.
"You can't buy my family home, Eleanor!" Carter yelled, his voice cracking beneath the pressure. "You're doing this just to humiliate me!"
"I don't need to humiliate you, Carter," Eleanor said softly, her blue eyes piercing right through him. "You did a fantastic job of that all by yourself."
"Thirty million!" Carter shouted frantically to the auctioneer, despite not having a single dollar of liquid capital available.
"Mr. Sterling, your line of credit has been revoked by Chase Manhattan Bank," the auctioneer announced politely over the microphone.
Laughter rippled through the high-society crowd, hitting Carter like a physical blow to the chest.
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"Sold to Mrs. Eleanor Vance for twenty million dollars!" the gavel slammed down with a loud, definitive thud.
Carter collapsed into an empty chiavari chair, covering his face with his trembling hands as Eleanor walked past him without a second glance.
