Chapter 340

Gavin’s POV

Me: He’s bidding for the Fire Cry necklace. Starting at $100,000. He’s pushing the bid higher.

Taylor: Eliana is auctioning off her grandmother’s pendant??

Me: Apparently. That’s not important right now. Is the transfer complete?

Taylor: Give me a second.

As soon as the transfer is complete, we have the proof we need to convict Levi once and for all.

He thinks he has the upper hand, but really, I am a step ahead of him. Everything is going to work out according to plan; I could feel it in my bones.

“Am I hearing $160,000?” Edward asked the audience.

I could feel Judy looking at me, her eyes wide.

It was no secret that she was feeling overwhelmed; I could feel it through our mate bond.

My phone buzzed again.

Taylor: Transfer complete; right about now, he should be getting an alert of his account update, and I’m downloading the proof, which I’ll forward to the other chairmen. They are already on their way to the auction like we planned, but at least now they have real proof of his deceit.

Me: Good; make sure to block his account. What’s the ETA on Mica and Jeremy?

Taylor: two hours.

Me: Keep me posted; I’ve already spoken to Edward, and he’s not processing any of the funds until after the charity banquet.

Every charity auction holds a charity banquet right after; it’s just a get-together for the guests, who have food and drinks. It’s another opportunity to collect donations and bid on some extra stuff that didn’t make it to the auction, along with a few of Cassandra’s works of art.

Taylor: I also got hold of Eliana to ask about her family heirloom she’s selling. I guess she’s been having strange dreams. She fears it brings the ghost of her dead grandmother, and it freaks her out, so she decided to get rid of it. She put a $500,000 cap on it, though; she won’t accept anything more.”

“Going once… going twice…” Edward announced. I glanced at Levi, who had a smug smile on his face, and the annoyance was almost too much for me to handle. I stood with my paddle high in the air.

“$500,000,” I said, confidence booming in my voice.

Everyone turned to gawk at me, including Levi. His eyes soon flashed dangerously in my direction. I knew Judy was staring at me with her jaw on the ground as well, and I tried not to look at her as I kept my eyes on Levi.

Levi was about to open his mouth to bid higher, thinking he had the funds to do so… but Edward spoke first.

“Sold; to Alpha Gavin Landry for $500,000,” Edward announced.

There was some clapping, but mostly everyone was stunned.

“I can bid higher,” Levi complained, his eyes narrowed at Edward.

“Sorry, Alpha,” Edward said, clearing his throat. “Madam Eliana put a cap on this item. She doesn’t want it to be sold for anything more than $500,000.”

“Why the hell not?” Levi asked, a bite to his tone.

“You’d have to ask her for yourself. I am unsure,” Edward said before turning his attention back to the audience. “Okay, let’s bid for our next item.”

“Are you insane?” Judy asked in a whisper. “That is not why we are here… Why would you buy a necklace for $500,000??”

I shrugged casually.

“I thought it’d look nice on you,” I told her. “I figured you could wear it to the Luna ceremony.”

Plus, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to piss Levi off, but I kept that part to myself.

Her cheeks flushed an adorable pink at my words, and it took everything I had not to close the distance and press my lips to hers.

“I can’t wear something that expensive,” she said, her eyes shifting to her hands. “I’d feel a bit uncomfortable.”

“You deserve it,” I told her, taking hold of her hand. “Humor me, okay?”

She looked up at me with her big doe eyes, and my heart melted. What I wouldn’t give to pull her onto my lap right about now.

There were a ton of other things that were auctioned at decently high prices; some of which Levi bid and won. I allowed him to bid for those items, hoping to humiliate him myself once this auction was over and it was time to pay.

When he finds himself without money, right before his arrest, it’ll be the cherry on top.

Soon, Cassandra was bringing out the Moon Gem; everyone fell silent with awe as my gorgeous family heirloom was presented. I swallowed when I saw it; I hadn’t laid eyes on it since my father was alive. He told me it would be mine one day, but he died before he ever got the chance to pass it down to me.

Judy sucked in a sharp breath at the sight, her eyes wide.

“Is that it?” She asked, her voice nothing more than a soft whisper.

I nodded; my words caught in my throat. I wasn’t prepared for the level of emotions I would feel upon seeing it; it shouldn’t be in an auction, and fury rose inside of me. My fists clenched; when I got my hands on Daisy, she was going to pay for this. She stole from my family, and that wasn’t something I took lightly.

“Next up on our auction is a very rare find… one of the rarest,” Edward began as he stood next to the gem. “This is the Moon Gem. I’m sure most of you have heard the rumors of this gem; the one who holds this gem holds the power to be the most powerful Alpha in the world. It was donated by Miss Daisy Baldwin, and the gem itself goes for about 1 billion dollars. So, we will start the bid at 1 billion.”

Judy’s jaw was on the ground, and it would have been comical if I weren’t so focused on winning that gem and making Levi pay for what he was doing.

“2 billion dollars,” Levi said, loud enough for the entire room to hear.

“3 billion,” I said without hesitation.

Levi’s brow twitched.

“4 billion,” he said, his eyes snapping to me, a dangerous glint in his gaze.

“5 billion,” I replied, my eyes dancing with amusement. I wasn’t worried, at least; I knew he was going to keep bidding higher because he thought he had the funds. Joke's on him because not only does he not have access to my funds, but with his cards being cut off thanks to my hackers, he has no access to his own funds either.

As of right now, Levi was completely broke, and there was no chance he’d be able to pay for anything he was bidding for tonight.

“5 billion dollars…” Edward choked out, his cheeks flushed from the large number.

Before Edward could speak, Levi spoke instead.

“6 billion!”

There were gasps that echoed around the room, eyes wide.

My phone buzzed and I looked down to see that Taylor had texted me.

Taylor: Their flight landed. I just picked them up, and we are heading to the auction. We will be there in about an hour or so.

“Am I hearing 7 billion?” Edward asked. “There’s no cap on this item.” He added with a nervous chuckle. Sweat was beading on his head as he looked between Levi and me.

I leaned back in my seat, my eyes on Edward for a moment before I looked at Levi. He was staring at me with a curious yet smug expression. I knew he was expecting me to continue bidding; he wanted me to be the one to make a fool out of myself when it came down to paying. He thought he drained me of all my money, and I wouldn’t be able to afford any of this stuff; that’s why he didn’t argue too much longer when I won the necklace.

I had no intention of giving Levi what he wanted.

“6 billion… going once, going twice…”

The silence was deafening.

Judy grabbed my arm, getting my attention.

“What are you doing?” She asked, her eyes wide with horror. “You’re letting him win…”

I gave her a small smile, trying to push my feelings onto her so she knew to trust me. For a moment, she just stared at me, a silent conversation between wolves. Then, her body relaxed, and she let out a breath.

“Sold to Alpha Levi Churchill,” Edward announced.

Levi stood and accepted his applause; his smile growing wide. Lila stood and kissed him on the cheek. I allowed them to bask in their victory. I gave nothing away by my expression. Levi’s eyes found mine, and I could see the slight confusion in his gaze; he didn’t expect me to give up so easily, so he was suspicious of my motive.

He sat back down, turning his attention back to the auction.

There were a few more items being auctioned, and 30 minutes later, the auction itself was ending. The guests were being guided to the banquet hall for a feast while Edward wrapped up the items and prepared the bills.

“You’re not really letting him have the gem, are you?” Judy asked once we were in the banquet hall. “Because then all of this would have been for nothing.”

I gave her a small smile as I put my hands on her shoulders, rubbing her neck with my thumbs.

“I have a plan,” I assured. “I need you to trust me. He’s not getting his hands on that gem.”

“I hope you know what you are doing…” she breathed, her eyes remaining on mine.

Before I could say anything more, I heard Levis’ voice booming as anger coursed through him, directed towards Edward.

“Why are we delaying this any further? The banquet was supposed to be held after we had made our payments for the items we purchased. Why hasn’t our money been accepted yet?”

Edward’s eyes flashed to me briefly, and I raised my brow at him, willing him to keep silent. I paid him quite a bit to stall until I said otherwise; I told him I would give him a sign once I was ready for the payments.

“I apologize, Alpha… but we were having some technical difficulties on our end,” Edward lied smoothly, though there was a tremor in his tone as nerves consumed him.

“Well, fix it,” Levi said through gritted teeth. “We don’t have all night.”

“Y…yes, Alpha.”

My phone rang, turning my attention. I reached into my pocket to pull out my phone and saw that Alpha Mica was calling.

“Mica,” I greeted into the phone.

“Hey, just wanted to reach out and let you know we will be there soon. Jeremy and I just reviewed all the evidence you and Beta Taylor gathered. Including the bank statements. I had no idea it was that bad. I knew Levi was an asshole… but to take down your entire pack like that? We agreed he needs to be stopped.”

“That’s why I’ve upon you both for help. I might be the most powerful chairman, but I still wouldn’t be able to overthrow his territory without your help. It needs to be a vote, and then he needs to be arrested.”

“We’ll make sure he never sees the light of day,” Mica said grimly. “Just hang tight. By the end of the night, he will be in custody.”

My eyes scanned the room until they landed on Levi. His arm was around Lila, and they were talking to a few men across the room.

I smirked as my hold on the phone tightened.

It was show time.