She Was the Treasure All Along novel Chapter 623

First place: Macrostar Production, 1.8 billion.

Second place: Sampson Properties, 1.75 billion.

Third place: Cosmos Construction, 1.7 billion.

When the final shortlist was revealed, the top three bids were remarkably close. Most of the disqualified companies stayed in their seats; after these two crown-jewel parcels were sold, the surrounding plots would be auctioned off. Everyone wanted to witness this historic moment.

Whispers rippled through the hall as people speculated about this "Cosmos Construction" that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. No one in Metropia had ever heard of a firm with the massive capital required to swallow billion-dollar real estate.

Those in the know assumed it had to be a shell company newly registered by Stellar Trust; nobody else wielded that kind of aggressive financial power.

Amidst the murmurs, Loyce arrived gracefully late. She took a seat by herself, her eyes landing on the massive screen. Seeing Cosmos Construction listed, she gave a subtle lift of her brow.

This was Lucian's doing. To make the bidding war look authentic and to prevent the Sampsons from fighting alone, he had set up a dummy corporation. Its sole purpose was to drive up the price and split the pressure, forcing Edgar to believe the competition was exceptionally fierce.

Seeing Loyce walk in only cemented Edgar's belief that she was his primary rival. After all, Stellar Trust never took a loss; if the price went too high, they would undoubtedly back out.

The second round was a timed, live-action bid. The three finalists would take turns raising the price within a set countdown until they hit their limits. When the clock ran out, the highest bidder would claim the land.

The sixty-second clock started. Macrostar struck first, bumping the price to 1.9 billion. Byron waited until there were only ten seconds left before casually matching the increment.

Cosmos Construction, however, immediately spiked it to 2 billion.

The room collectively realized Cosmos wasn't playing games. In the next cycle, Cosmos aggressively pushed the number to 2.2 billion. Edgar, realizing this was going to blow past his budget, gritted his teeth and matched it. Byron, maintaining his rhythm, waited for the final ten seconds to equal Macrostar's bid. All three stood at 2.2 billion.

Then came the final sixty-second countdown.

Macrostar's analyst pleaded with Edgar, his voice frantic. "The company's financials aren't what they used to be! 2.2 billion is our absolute ceiling. Any higher and we'll be in severe distress. Mr. Lonsdale, please, we need to fold and focus on the secondary parcels!"

Edgar glared at his board members. "And you? Are we going to risk it all to win this land, save our stock, and expand our empire, or are we going to surrender and let Macrostar die?"

If the company went under, these legacy shareholders who relied on its dividends would be ruined. After a tense exchange of looks, they gritted their teeth and decided to push forward.

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