Fifteen minutes later.
The car stopped outside the museum where the auction was being held. I climbed out of the car. “Mrs. Featherstone, you go in first. I’ll join you soon,” said Joseph.
I nodded and fished the invite out of my bag. I tilted my head to admire the steps that seemed to extend forever. For some reason, architects liked to include long flights of stairs at the entrance when they were designing meaningful sites.
Were they trying to enforce the message that one needed to work hard in order to enter houses of knowledge?
Several people dressed in military uniform stood at the museum’s entrance, their backs ramrod straight.
A member of the staff dressed in a suit was checking out invitations.
I handed my invitation to him. He smiled and gave me a paddle before gesturing me to walk forward.
I entered the auction hall with the paddle in hand. Many of the seats inside were already filled.
I found my seat. Stacey had already arrived. When she saw me, she said, “I thought you weren’t coming.”
I gently sat down and looked around at the large number of people in the auction hall. I could not help but exclaim in surprise, “I didn’t expect this auction to be on a large scale. There are so many people here.”
Usually, only influential individuals were invited. However, the guest list seemed to be more complex this time.
She leaned into my ear and whispered, “All the VIPs are seated in front. The seats at the back are just glorified audience members.”
A smile tugged at my lips. I felt she was exaggerating and checked the number on my paddle. The number one hundred was inscribed on it.
Evidently, there were at least a hundred people present at the auction.
I scanned the surroundings and noticed that black was draped over items that were situated all around the area. I could not help but ask curiously, “What’s all those?”
She lowered her voice and said, “Those are the treasures collected by various specialty stores in J City. Once the auction starts, the black cloth will be removed to reveal the treasures. It’s so the participants can check them out.”
I nodded. This was my first time at such an auction.
My phone vibrated. The call was coming from Joseph. I picked up and he said, “Mrs. Featherstone, please come to the front.”
I was stunned and looked over at Joseph, who was standing near the stage. “I can sit at the back,” I replied.
“Mr. Featherstone has made the arrangements. You’ll have a better view from the front,” said Joseph.
Stacey noticed Joseph and said excitedly, “You’ll be able to see the items clearly from the front. Most importantly, you’ll be able to rub elbows with the wealthy people of J City.”
She looked at me with puppy eyes and whimpered, “Sienna, I know Mr. Featherstone has arranged everything nicely for you. Please bring me along.”
With my phone in hand, I was at a loss for what to do. I thought it over before asking, “Joseph, can I bring Stacey along?”
Joseph paused for a moment before nodding. “Sure!”
I thanked him, hung up the phone, and looked at the eager Stacey. “Let’s go!”
If not for the silence imposed by the large number of people present, she would definitely be screaming for joy.
She could only cover her mouth and whisper, “Great! You’re the best, Sienna.”
I smiled and walked to the front row with her.
The law, schools, and teachers always extol those things should be done fairly. Every citizen should receive equal treatment and people should judge their fellow man fairly.
But when I thought about it, I realized that equality was a mirage. From the moment that people were born, they were sorted into different classes. In school, the teachers favored the smart. In society, the disparity is all the more salient.
This auction was a good example. The point of being in attendance was the same. Yet, the people at the front were relaxed and served refreshments. The people at the back had naught.
Society established a pecking order, and one’s treatment was decided accordingly.
At the front row, Joseph switched out Stacey and my paddles. He handed me a black card.
I was confused and asked, “What’s this?”
“Mr. Featherstone said that you can bid on whatever attracts your attention. This card should cover it all,” replied Joseph.
“Damn! Mr. Featherstone is being so blatant!” blurted Stacey.
“How do you stand this?” she asked Joseph.
Joseph scratched his nose and coughed wryly before replying, “I’m used to it!”
Stacey gave him a thumbs up. “I salute you!”
I could not help but say, “Don’t be ridiculous. I won’t be using this card because I have no intention of buying anything. I only came here to watch.”
The minimum bids at this auction were one million. Besides, I had no interest in collecting artifacts. Even if I did, I would not splurge on an antique that I could only enjoy with my eyes.
All I could do was return the back card to Joseph. He did not accept it and said, “Hold onto it. Mr. Featherstone told me to give it to you. Even if you don’t use it today, you’ll be able to in the future.”
I knew he was not going to take it back and I did not insist. Almost all the people had arrived.
After the host onstage unloaded a lengthy speech on us, the auction began.
The first item up for bid was a gold hair ornament. It was supposedly the favorite accessory of a queen.
Stacey pursed her lips and muttered, “Only the Murphys are capable of auctioning off such items.”
I was slightly confused and asked, “What do you mean?”
She pointed at the gold hair ornament. “Items from that era are usually passed through the generations and most of them have been snatched up by museums. However, the Murphys are in possession of such a beautiful gold hair ornament and are even auctioning it off in a museum. Isn’t it ironic? If the Murphys were a less influential family, they would have been sought out by some organization ages ago and given some petty compensation in return for this artifact. Look at how blatant the Murphys are being. They kept this in their home for years and now they’re auctioning it off just like that.”
As the bids were continued to be yelled out, she whispered, “Listen carefully. The bid is now at ten million. Normal people won’t be able to offer more than five hundred.”
I pursed my lips and sighed. There were some rules that we could never change.
The higher one rose, the more unscrupulous affairs they would witness. One wrong slip and you would end up amongst the muck, an accessory to the thugs.
Finally, an elderly person won the gold hair ornament with a bid of ten million.
Such events were common.
There was no point in being surprised.
The second item up for bid was a blood jadeite. Apparently, Robert had brought it back for his wife when he went overseas for business in the nineties.
Although this was premium jadeite, it lacked a bangle. Thus, the bid only went up to five million.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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