Chapter 546 Destroy Your Clan
Desmond listened to what Leslie said, and the former’s expression became worse and worse as time passed. There were only a handful of people in Summerbank that Desmond couldn’t offend.
Unfortunately, Leslie was one of them. The reason behind that was that Leslie’s father, Charlie Hart, was the governor of Summerbank.
The Jensen family might be extremely powerful, but at the end of the day, they were just businessmen, and they were no different from other regular citizens. Citizens could never win a battle against officials, and that fact would never change.
Naturally, those as powerful as the Jensen family had already built a rapport with most politicians. That was why, despite being a family of politicians, the Hart family would still have a hard time going up against the Jensen family.
Desmond grinned a little when he saw how calm Leslie was. “Well, if that is how you want to play it, Ms. Hart, then I will bid for ninety million.”
As Desmond spoke, he waved his hand at two of his subordinates. Those two subordinates made their way to Jonathan. It seemed Desmond had no intention of leaving Jonathan alone.
At the time, however, no one was paying attention to Jonathan. Everyone had their eyes on the auction and wondered who would win the first spot. Leslie raised her hand once more.
“One hundred million. This will be my last bid. If you can go even higher, Mr. Jensen, then the victory will be yours. I will gracefully accept defeat.”
Everyone turned their gazes to Desmond after they heard what Leslie said. The two of them represented the epitome of power and wealth in Summerbank. Their competition that day had caused the bid to reach the hundred-million threshold.
Since they had to spend at least a hundred million to win the bid and ask for a favor from Triplex Manifesta, it was evident that what was happening right then was not as simple as an ordinary competition between two parties who were at odds with each other.
The Hart family was a righteous family, and it was one of the most powerful families in Summerbank. Yet, Leslie had a problem that even someone as powerful as her couldn’t solve, which left her no choice but to go to Triplex Manifesta to ask for help. That meant something horrible was going to transpire in Summerbank.
Leslie might’ve said that she would accept defeat gracefully, but her tone made it obvious that she was threatening Desmond with her power.
Unfortunately, it was obvious that Desmond wouldn’t do her a favor and let her have her way.
“Leslie, under any other circumstances, I would let you win. It’s not a big deal. Today, however, I will not back down. I will pay one hundred and ten million for this!”
Desmond shouted once more and raised the price by another ten million.
He kept a nonchalant expression on his face, but on the inside, he was cussing nonstop.
If it hadn’t been for Leslie, he could’ve won the auction with just eighty million.
Even though Leslie had already promised not to raise the bid anymore, Desmond still couldn’t win the bid by paying just a few extra thousand.
After all, the Jensen family was a prominent family in Summerbank, just like the Hart family.
If Desmond had only won the bid by offering a few more thousand, or even a few hundred thousand, the Hart family would assume that he was deliberately doing that to embarrass them.
That was why Desmond had to spend an extra ten million, even though it was really burning a hole in his pocket.
Pin-drop silence filled the temple after Desmond shouted his bid.
That was the highest bid in the temple’s history. Up until that point, the record for the highest bid was only ninety-eight million.
Something had made the Jensen family so desperate that their representative would rather risk offending the Hart family just to win the bid. The spectators didn’t even have the guts to wonder what that something could be.
Every powerful figure, regardless of their level of influence and power, was well aware of one thing.
They understood that sometimes, the less they knew, the better off they’d be.
Leslie held her cigarette between two fingers and brought it close to her lips. When she heard Desmond’s bid, her hand holding the cigarette trembled a little.
A hint of hostility flashed past her eyes. Furious, she shoved her cigarette to the bodyguard standing beside her.
“The Jensen family’s wealth is truly impressive. This time, you win.”
The price had gone ridiculously high, but for families as powerful as the Jensen family and the Hart family, raising the bid by another ten million wouldn’t hurt them much.
However, Leslie understood that there was no point in keeping the competition going on because Desmond had outbid her even after she threatened him. That proved her effort in raising the bid would be futile.
Desmond stood up and bowed to Leslie when he saw her leaving.
“Thank you for doing me this favor, Ms. Hart.”
Leslie turned around to glance at Desmond. Her eyes glowed with immense distaste.
Just then, someone else shouted from the other end of the corner.
“One hundred and fifty million.”
Those few words from Jonathan made Desmond’s smile freeze right away.
Desmond wasn’t the only one who was surprised. Even Leslie, who had already reached the door, paused and turned around to look at Jonathan.
Everyone else, especially those who were sitting somewhat close to Jonathan, had moved aside to keep their distance from him. It looked as though they were worried about him dragging them down and getting them in trouble as well.
Desmond had a gloomy expression on as he glared at Jonathan.
“You punk. You’ve been such an eyesore. How dare you cause trouble now! Do you have a death wish or something?”
“Anyone, regardless of their age or gender, can bid, and the first spot belongs to the highest bidder. Those are the rules, right?” asked Jonathan as he grinned at the young monk standing on the stairs.
The young monk was steady and grounded, but at the end of the day, he was just a teen. Upon hearing Jonathan’s bid, the monk couldn’t help but get excited.
“That’s right. Anyone can bid, and the first spot belongs to the highest bidder,” replied the monk excitedly.
Desmond, who had been standing at the side, lost his temper at that moment.
“Oh, f*ck this. Are you kidding me? Do you really think a guy like him would have that much money? If he is so rich and powerful, why have I never heard of him before?”
Jonathan ignored Desmond. The former fished a black card out of his pocket and tossed it to the young monk right away.
“There is no limit to this card. The pin number is 888888, and you can transfer the money straight away.”
“Please wait for a moment. I will go check the validity of this card.”
The young monk bowed respectfully before he hopped out of the place. Within a few seconds, his figure had disappeared from sight.
Meanwhile, Desmond was so angry that his face twisted in anger.
“Punk, let me win this bid, and I will let you go,” offered Desmond as he waved at his bodyguards, who were right beside him.
Six bodyguards, all armed with a dagger, had Jonathan surrounded. They were ready to attack at any time.
“Get lost!”
That single command was followed by a powerful spiritual energy that flushed right out of Jonathan. The spiritual energy engulfed the entire temple soon after.
Every single pair of eyes in that place glowed with fear. It was as though the air in the temple had suddenly frozen. The bodyguards surrounding Jonathan felt as though an invisible and humongous hand had gripped them by their throats. Immense horror seeped out of their eyes as their faces turned red.
Desmond, who was standing some distance away, bulged his eyes in surprise when he saw how his men reacted.
“What is wrong with you? What are you waiting for? Why aren’t you attacking? I didn’t pay you to—”
Slap!
Before Desmond could finish his sentence, his body was sent flying to the side.
The bamboo chairs scattered. Desmond screamed in agony after he slammed into them. His nose bled, and he looked as though he was in immense pain.
Jonathan, a cultivator who had achieved the level above the Grandmaster Realm, could use the spiritual energy within his force field freely and flexibly.
Jonathan slapped Desmond to teach that spoiled brat a lesson.
The former needed Triplex Manifesta’s help, so he didn’t want to commit murder on its holy soil. Otherwise, he would have thrown that spoiled brat out and finished off the latter once and for all.
“I don’t care how powerful the Jensen family is. If you keep bullsh*tting in front of me, I will destroy your entire clan!”
