Ch. 131..135: Rebirth_ Dancing In My Destiny Chapter 131-135

Chapter 131: What Exactly Happened?

Presidential Suite at Dream Hotel.

"Tonight, I’m going to sleep here, Rose!" Evan’s words were like a piece of music dancing in Rose’s mind. Teasing her till she can’t hold her blushing cheeks exposes her deep sultry thoughts.

Rose closed the main bedroom door behind her with a pounding heart. She held her warm cheek, trying to calm her irregular heartbeat from the joy of knowing that Evan would be sleeping with her. It felt like there was a firework party inside her.

Rose slaps her cheek a few times to wake her consciousness which is now shrouded in her sultry thoughts.

Who can resist a man as sexy as Evan? Seeing him wearing his slim-fit white shirt could make her want to tear apart his shirt and see what was behind the cloth.

And tonight, Evan said he wanted to sleep with her... Of course, as a grown woman, she was looking forward to it. However, Rose’s happiness disappeared in just a nanosecond, replaced by disappointment, remembering that she was on her period.

Evan knew this! The man couldn’t possibly touch her, right?

Not wanting to think about it, Rose shook her head. She quickly walked into the bathroom. It’s already 11 pm, and Rose must wash cleanly to sleep early. She has an important meeting tomorrow.

When Rose saw her naked body in front of the mirror, traces of bruises all over her body were visible. But what caught her attention the most was her neck. With trembling hands, she touched her neck, which was previously smooth, fair skin. Now, there was a clear red stretch.

Now Rose realized why Evan was so irritated when he saw her neck; apparently, seeing it alone made her blood boil. She was fuming. Instantly her stomach felt sick, imagining what happened this afternoon. The image of the man in the black hat holding her, flashed in her mind.

With all her strength, Rose rubbed her body with her hands, trying to get rid of the traces of the man in the black hat touching her skin. Especially the neck. She was disgusted.

A few minutes later, Rose came out of the bathroom wearing only her bathrobe with her wet hair wrapped in a white towel. Her bare feet felt so cold when she walked on the cold marble. She hurriedly took her nightgown from the wardrobe and put it on.

Just before she finished drying her wet hair, she heard a knock on the door.

"Are you done?" Evan, who was standing leaning against the door, asked Rose.

Rose looked in the direction of Evan’s voice. She was mesmerized by Evan’s home casual clothes, a white T-shirt paired with gray training pants. This was the first time she looked at him in this style. He looked simple, but his good looks and aura still made him look noble.

"Yes..." Rose felt nervous because they were going to sleep together for the first time.

"Alright..." Evan walked to Rose and let her lay on the bed. "Rose, you sleep first. I still have plenty of pending work. I will work in the study room... call me if you need anything."

Rose nodded in a hurry. Feeling guilty that Leon had to leave his job to follow her here arose in her mind again. Not wanting to take his time, Rose immediately asked Evan to leave her, and she closed her eyes. But her whole body was tightening when a kiss landed on her forehead.

"Rest well, Rose! I love you...."

Rose bit her inner lips, trying to hold her hand from her inner self, which almost pulled Evan to stay with her.

After Rose heard the bedroom door close. She slowly opened her eyes as she got out of bed, took her cell phone, and sat on the sofa in the room.

"Oliver! I know you must suspect something right?" Rose had wanted to ask Oliver earlier at the hospital, but this man disappeared as soon as Evan arrived.

Rose was confused. She could guess that the incident that happened to her this afternoon seemed to be covered up. The presence of the four people who helped her and the man in the black hat trying to make her a human shield was unknown. They only know she passed out. A passerby brought her to the hotel because they found the Dream Hotel room key in her bag.

Why is there no CCTV recording of that incident? This question popped into her mind when she heard Evan’s explanation.

Something odd with this incident. This incident can’t be that simple, right? Were the people who helped her not random people whose identities were kept secret? Or, are the criminals who held her not just ordinary criminals?

All these things made Rose’s brain numb. She needed to talk to Oliver. She was sure Oliver would have known that what happened this afternoon wasn’t as simple as she thought.

"Gosh, boss! Can we discuss it tomorrow? It’s almost midnight. I can barely open my eyes now!"

"Don’t lie to me, Oliver. I know you like vampires... You’re actually active at night like now." Rose chuckled when Oliver tried to avoid talking to her. "Tell me, what happened after my accident? Why didn’t Sam and Evan know what exactly happened to me?"

Oliver deeply exhaled as he stood up from his desk. He headed for the window, looking sharp at the dark sky outside.

After returning to the hotel, he continued to look for the CCTV footage that had been deleted. And just before Rose called, he managed to find it. But, the footage was blurry. He needed time to process the footage until he discovered what had happened to her.

"Rose! Tell me what exactly happened this noon...." Oliver can’t tell Rose that he is having difficulty dealing with people manipulating CCTV footage. And, asking Rose is a quick way to find out what’s really going on. From there, he will be able to find clues. He will thoroughly investigate the person who had confused him.

Chapter 132: Who Are These People?

Rose told Oliver everything she had been through, just as she had told Evan.

"Can you tell me more details about the clothes or weapons used by the four people who helped you?" Oliver asked.

He was more interested in the identity of the people with black shirts because he was sure that the man who deleted the CCTV footage was the person behind them. This means that his anonymous virtual teacher is in the same organization as the man in the black shirt.

"I don’t understand firearms, so I don’t know what weapons they use. It’s just that when the man in the black shirt shot the man in the black hat, I only heard the faint sound of his gunshots. Looks like he’s wearing silencers, right?" Ask Rose, confused.

When she faintly heard the gunshots, her mind and heart were filled with fear. Until she no longer pays attention to the slightest detail. All that was in her mind was that she should be able to escape the situation. And still alive, unharmed.

"Think more clearly, Rose!"

Rose was silent for a moment, trying to think of what she could remember. After a moment of silence, she finally remembered something that caught her attention when she saw the boots of the man in black approaching her. There was a strange emboss on his shoes. It was a sign that she rarely saw before, and it immediately caught her eye because it was so unique. She was sure it wasn’t a shoe brand because she had never seen a shoe brand bearing that mark.

"I saw a bird... no, I mean, Eagle emboss on his army boot." Rose was sure the embossing was Eagle, so she was interested in seeing it more clearly. But after that, she lost consciousness.

"An Eagle?" Oliver’s body tightens. He knows one of the organizations in Astington that uses the Black Eagle emblem. But, he didn’t know if this was true or not. He had to investigate it more thoroughly before concluding.

"Yes! I’m pretty sure... and before I lost consciousness, I heard one of the men calling the man who helped me, captain."

Oliver held his phone tighter after hearing Rose’s words. Now, he was sure that the one who helped Rose was the Black Eagle member. He couldn’t wait to investigate more details about the hacker behind the Black Eagle.

"Did you know something, Oliver?" Rose asked him after not hearing Oliver’s voice for a while. "Why does someone want to kidnap me? And Who is the man who rescued me?"

Rose is worried that the man in the black hat who wants to kidnap her is a member of the White Skull Gangster. Maybe they wanted revenge because Sam beat them severely.

"My Friend, from what I found... you’re just unlucky." Oliver chuckled slightly before continuing, "You’re in the wrong place. The villain who snuggled you just wanted to make you a shield when he was surrounded by his pursuers. Well, apart from your bad luck. You’re lucky too because the one chasing the man in the black hat was probably...." Oliver told Rose what he knew about the Black Eagle organization.

"Oliver, do you know about the White Skull Gangster? After returning from your place, I almost got robbed by them. But at that time, there was Sam who beat them all out. Is that man one of the White Skull members who wants revenge on me?"

"No. Did you know the White Skull Gangster has been disbanded?" Oliver knows about that gangster. A few days after the Rose incident, the White Skull Gangster was disbanded. Like some colossal power oppresses them, all the gangster members were arrested.

Oliver suspected it was Evan’s doing. That man has tremendous power behind him. Even he, a hacker, has never been able to deeply background-check Evan in detail. He knew that Evan was the only heir to the Collins Group, and even then, he knew it by accident.

Rose is surprised to hear that a considerable gangster in their city has finally been wiped out. That means, eventually, the government can also eradicate violent crimes in East City.

"Gosh! So, I’m really the unlucky one, huh!? Well, today is not my best day. After Willard Harper made a fuss on social media. I was also held hostage, and at the same time, I was in pain from stomach cramps. What a hectic day...." Rose could only shake her head slowly.

"Hahaha, Friend, don’t worry about Willard Harper. He already unfollows your Instagram account and makes announcements if he presses the wrong button to follow your Instagram account. He already asked his fans to stop bothering you...."

"Really!?" Rose felt so happy. Finally, one of her problems was solved. And luckily, Evan didn’t know about her Instagram incident. If he found out, Willard Harper would definitely be in big trouble. She had to thank Brother Noah for keeping his promise to ask Willard to unfollow her.

After Rose asks Oliver to stop harassing netizens with his dangerous computer virus, she disconnects the call. At the same time, the bedroom door opened. In a hurry, she looked towards the door and saw Evan walking inside with a surprised look.

"Why are you still not sleeping, Rose?"

"E-Evan..." Rose panicked. Because earlier, she was pretending to be asleep. She immediately stood up and walked over to Evan, who was not far from her. "O-Oliver, he suddenly called me and discussed tomorrow’s meeting. You know my schedule, right? Tomorrow at 9 am...." Rose made Oliver her scapegoat. She had no choice.

"Let’s sleep now!" Evan took her hand and walked to the bed. At that moment, Rose’s heart suddenly beat erratically. Her sultry thoughts began to appear again, testing her patient.

She didn’t know if she could sleep comfortably tonight if there was a hot guy beside her. She would lay like wood, motionless. Like now, her eyes could only see the white ceiling above and wrap her body with a blanket. Not daring to look at Evan even for a moment.

What Rose worries about the most is her inner self. She can’t trust herself. She may end up lying in his broad chest if she lets herself off guard.

Chapter 133: Black Eagle

Next Morning.

When Rose woke up from sleep, she did not see the figure of Evan beside her.

"Did I dream?" She thought sleeping with Evan was just her dream. A faint smile frames her silly face, too shy with her imagination to sleep with him. Gosh!

Trying to get up, suddenly her eyes widened in shock when she saw the white pillow beside her.

"This is not a dream! Evan is sleeping with me!?" She murmurs as she buries her blushing face with her two hands. Even though nothing happened between them, she still felt embarrassed. What if she sleeps so chaotic? Or, what if she snores?

Rose took a deep breath as she looked around the room for traces of Evan. She didn’t see it. Immediately getting out of bed, she headed for the bathroom. But Evan wasn’t there either.

After washing her face and tying her hair into a messy bun, Rose rushed out of the bedroom. Her heart felt happy when she saw Evan sitting at the dining table typing something on his laptop. He looked so focused that he didn’t even notice her presence in the room.

Slowly Rose approached him with her small tiptoe. As she got closer to the dining table, her eyes saw a few dishes neatly arranged on the other side of the table. Instantly her stomach growled. She’s starving.

"Morning Rose..." Evan smiles at Rose as he glances at his watch. "It’s still too early. You can still sleep another hour."

"I’m not sleepy. But I’m hungry...." Rose shyly replies.

Evan immediately stood up and helped her to sit. He felt proud because he had asked the hotel staff to deliver breakfast a few minutes ago.

"Eat slowly. Why are you in a hurry? You still have plenty of time..."

Rose smiles as she slows down. Right now, she was hungry because she didn’t eat at all last night, just relying on the IV that went into her body. But when she woke up, suddenly her stomach seemed to protest loudly.

"Evan, what’s your plan for today?"

"I will go to my office. You know I have a branch here, right?" Evan glanced at Rose.

"Hmm, I know..." Rose was relieved that Evan could still work in this city. She was worried that Evan would be bored waiting for her in this spacious Presidential Suite. Moreover, she did not know what time her work would finish today.

"We will go somewhere for dinner tonight. So, don’t make any plans. And no need to ask Sam or others to follow us...." Evan wants to date his girlfriend. He tried to bring her to a nice place in this city.

Rose stopped eating and looked at Evan.

Did Evan just ask her out? She thought.

"What should I wear? I mean casual or formal?"

"Formal..."

Huh! Dinner with a formal outfit. It means this man will bring her to eat in the luxurious place he usually does!?

Rose felt excited and relieved because she had prepared some dresses for formal events if needed.

After breakfast Rose remembered the information about the Black Eagle. She asks Evan if he knows about them? She wanted to say thanks to the man who saved her.

"Why do you suddenly ask about Black Eagle?" Evan frowns, slightly surprised to know Rose asks about that special force in this country’s military. Not many people know about the existence of this unit. Because their mission is always top secret.

"If I’m not mistaken, the man who helped me yesterday is from that organization. If you know Black Eagle, I need your help finding the man who helped me. I feel like I owe them my life. So I need to say my gratitude to them."

Evan listened in silence. He was shocked, knowing the group who rescued Rose was the Black Eagle’s team.

Last night he was too busy meeting with his people in the capital about office affairs, so he forgot to check the CCTV footage of the incident.

Now, this girl said Black Eagle rescued her!? This makes Evan want to immediately watch the CCTV footage.

"I know someone in there..."

"You do? Waah... Evan, can you look at that person? I could faintly hear the man who helped me being called Captain by his men. I think you will definitely find him easier, right? I want to meet him in person and say my sincere thanks." Rose’s eyes are beaming, looking at Evan. He couldn’t wait to meet the man in the black shirt. That man is her savior. She promised to treat him to lunch or dinner.

Evan felt displeased when he saw Rose’s eyes beaming when talking about another man. What’s more, the man she is talking about, someone he knows so well.

There was only one person he knew in Black Eagle, and that was the Black Eagle captain. Evan already thought of him as his big brother, but looking at his girl’s glimmer eyes annoyed him. He is jealous of his big brother.

Now Evan is uncertain whether he should bring Rose to meet the Black Eagle Captain? What if the man is attracted to Rose?

"Alright, I will try to find him...." Evan could only say that. "But, now, you better go wash, or you will be late for your appointment." Evan rubs the hair on top of her head gently.

After Rose ran into the room. Evan walked to the glass wall and took his cellphone. He makes a call to someone with his eyes looking at the scenery outside. A blue sky with some clouds seems so beautiful. It calms his restless heart.

"Bro, are you in Vale city?" Evan asked without greeting him.

"Morning, Evan..." The man on the other end replied with a chuckle. "Yeah! How do you know? Are you in this city too?"

Evan’s hand tightens, holding his cellphone.

"Hmm..."

"Let’s meet. I’ll treat you to a meal. I want to thank you because you reported to me about the gangsters in East city. And my followed-up action on that report has earned me a huge achievement reward from the High Command."

"Alright! I will tell you the place of our meeting later." Evan hung up the phone.

Chapter 134: The Plan

When Rose finished getting ready, she went to the living area and found Evan neatly dressed in his white slim-fit shirt with gray trousers. Evan’s sharp gaze was fixed on her but this time his gaze was so gentle and charming it made Rose flutter.

While on another sofa, there’s Sam. He is also neatly dressed in his black suit with his back facing Rose.

Rose joined them. She sat beside Evan. But the moment her eyes looked at Sam, she was surprised. Sam looks miserable like someone has just scolded him badly. She could only chuckle silently in her heart, wondering if Evan was punishing Sam for a mistake he didn’t commit.

"Morning, Sam!" Rose greeted Sam cheerfully, but Sam awkwardly answered her greeting.

Rose felt weird looking at the forced smile framing Sam’s gloomy-looking face. She was pretty sure Evan really got mad at Sam. Feeling sorry for Sam, she looks at Evan. She draws closer to him and whispers.

"Evan, stop scolding him. Yesterday’s incident was purely my fault. Not Sam’s fault. I feel bad to see his gloomy-looking face." Rose’s voice was so low that only she and Evan could hear. However, Sam was so worried when he saw Boss Evan’s expression was the same, stolid.

Rose felt relieved when she saw Evan nod, understanding what she was saying. She didn’t want others to be blamed for her mistakes.

After reassuring his girl not to worry, Evan turned his gaze at Sam opposite him with an expressionless look. He said, "Sam, can you take off that gloomy face of yours?" His voice was soft, but Rose and Sam could hear how cold and intimidating his words were.

Sam was confused by Evan’s words, but he didn’t say anything. In a hurry, he tried adjusting his expression to the happiest face he could manage to show. But, Boss Evan’s last words are like a big blow hitting Sam’s head,

"My woman can’t stand your gloomy face, so never ever show that expression again before her... do you understand?" Evan continued his words as he stroked Rose’s back. His gentle smile is like asking Rose to praise him for his actions.

Sam immediately nodded quickly without forgetting to smile widely. "L-Lady Boss... don’t worry, I will never show my gloomy face again." His cheerful tone echoed through the room.

Rose was utterly speechless. She glared at Evan as if she scolded him with her sharp gaze; How could you say that to poor Sam?

Now Rose felt awkward facing Sam. She quickly stood up from her seat and said goodbye to Evan. She didn’t want to linger in the room, afraid her boyfriend would continue to bully her assistant.

"Let me take you there..." Evan stood up, walking with vast strides. With only a few steps, he was already walking right beside Rose.

"Evan! No need, Sam and Oliver are going with me. I will call you when my business is done. We can have lunch together later...." Rose didn’t want to trouble Evan. Besides, Sam and Oliver were going with her.

"Alright! But, you can’t go alone. Make sure Sam is always with you...." This is Evan’s more significant concern now, her safety. After yesterday’s kidnapping. He was also worried that Willard Harper’s fans would discover his lover’s identity.

Another problem that gave Evan a headache yesterday was the fuss on social media about a new actor following Rose’s private Instagram account. Evan has used his network to threaten Willard Harper’s Entertainment Agency. If those actors don’t make a statement soon, the Agency will go bankrupt in a short time, and Willard will be boycotted from this country.

"Evan, I promise you, I will stay beside Sam!" She buries her head in his embrace as she smiles silently.

Rose liked when Evan was very protective of her, but sometimes she also felt like a fragile person. She didn’t like being treated like a weak woman. She wants to be a strong woman physically and mentally.

For the mentally is no doubt. But physically? She needs extra practice. Apparently, she had to speed up to make her body stronger. Or she should find something that can be mastered quickly to protect herself.

Rose saw Sam standing beside her as soon as the elevator doors closed. His face was still grim.

"Did Evan scold you?"

"Y-Yes, My Lady Boss!"

"Well, Sam... you have to remember. You are currently working for me. No need to worry about Evan’s threat. I got your back."

Sam saw Lady Boss’s face. A smile framed his face for a moment. "Thank you, Lady Boss, you are such an angel. I promise you... an incident like this will never happen again. I will be around you no matter what!" Sam’s promise wholeheartedly.

Rose could only chuckle slightly. How could he follow her everywhere? What if she goes to the women’s restroom? Can this big man disguise himself as a woman?

Rose’s laughter almost broke when she thought of Sam in a long wig and women’s clothes. Gosh!

"Sam, do you know how to quickly learn how to protect me?" Rose glanced at Sam. "Don’t tell me. I have to practice martial arts or any other self-defense skills. But it takes a long time to master it, and I need to master it faster...Is there any self-defense skill that I could master quickly, Sam?"

Sam nods, "Y-Yes, Lady Boss! I might know one skill you can learn faster than martial art...."

"Really!?" Rose felt excited. She turned to look at Sam with sparkling-looking eyes. "What is it?"

"Shooting with pistol or gun skill!"

Instantly, Rose’s shoulders slumped. She never held a pistol or any firearms in her entire life. In fact, it was the first time she had seen guns with her own eyes when an incident happened yesterday. And she immediately fainted as soon as she heard the sound of gunfire, even though it only sounded faint at that time because the firearm used was using a silencer.

What if she heard an actual gunshot? She might faint forever. Gosh!

Suddenly another idea appeared in her mind. Archery is an option other than shooting guns. This could be an option. She can learn it quickly, and there are no horrible sounds when she shoots an arrow. But... wouldn’t it be weird if she carried a bow in her daily activities?

If something like yesterday happened, the criminal would have shot her first before she could draw the bow. NO! Archery is not an option for self-defense.

Sam was right. The quickest is to learn how to shoot a pistol.

But the question is, will she be able to deal with her fear of hearing gunshots?

****

In the Presidential Suite.

After Rose left with Sam, Evan immediately took out his cellphone and called Gavin, his assistant. "Gavin! Change of plan! Move the event to the Rose room in Dream Hotel. And execute it now...." Evan said as he walked into the study room.

"B-Boss! Are you sure? I think I need more time...."

"Do whatever it takes before Rose comes back from her meeting," Evan said as he smiled sweetly, imagining his plan for his beloved woman today. He couldn’t wait...

Chapter 135: A Problem (1)

At City Hall.

Rose and her team arrived at the meeting place. Today they will hear an announcement from the local government about the final requirements to participate in the buying process of the company being auctioned off. And according to the statement they got before the auction, the document submission process will be open from today until tomorrow at 5 PM local time.

The meeting room was so big with a long stage at the end of the room. There is a long table in the middle of the stage, and several mikes are perched on the table. In front of the stage, many chairs are neatly arranged to the back.

When Rose arrived, the room that could accommodate about 100 people was nearly packed. Even though the event will start in 30 minutes. Rose was surprised to see how enthusiastic the businessmen in this room were. She could see some familiar faces of businessmen she usually sees on television or the internet.

Her guts are shriveled if she has to compete with many companies for Rapid Realty. Well, maybe the competition will be fierce. Still, fortunately, today, not only one company will be auctioned, but more than ten.

The auction rules are also different. Entrepreneurs will submit bid documents to the auction committee. And the committee will see the proposal with the highest bid that will benefit the government most and be selected as the winner.

Rose is not worried about this rule because she has a talented hacker, Oliver. They can quickly know the bidding numbers of their opponent. Rose is confident she will get what she wants by buying Rapid Realty.

There are no seating rules for today’s event. All participants present can choose their own seats. Rose and her team decided to sit in the back, near the entrance.

"Sam, are all the required documents ready?" Rose asked Sam, who was sitting on her left side for the umpteenth time. Somehow her heart felt uneasy before knowing the final conditions for this auction.

"Yes, Boss! Don’t worry, I have prepared all the documents. I also have prepared our bidding proposal..." Sam raised a thumbs up and a big grin to reassure Rose. Although they will not submit documents today because they are still waiting to see the offer price from their opponents.

"Boss..." Oliver whispered suddenly to Rose beside him. Rose glanced at Oliver, who looked worried.

"We have a problem! In the last minutes, the committee changed the document’s final requirement. And it seems that the Wilson group can’t participate in this auction...." Oliver, who had just hacked the committee’s computer system, was surprised to see this change. Whereas yesterday when he monitored, there was nothing suspicious.

"Are we the only ones affected by this rule?"

Oliver shakes his head, "So far, there are 10 companies registered for Rapid Realty bidding, and 5 of them are affected by this new rule, including us...."

Rose felt something fishy was happening here! It is as if this rule was deliberately made to cut down the bidders so that the competition is not too harsh.

"Oliv, can you check which companies will benefit the most from this new rule?" If her guess is correct, then the company that benefits is the auction’s winner in her previous life, Global Group.

"Global Group! A local company, but one of the shareholders is a politician in this city...." Oliver typed fast on his laptop again. A few moments later, he shifted his laptop to Rose. "Check this one, and you will understand...."

Rose accepted the laptop and started reading something that surprised her.

"Oliv... this!? Are you sure this isn’t a fabrication?"

"I can prove it by video. So, I believe Global Group bribed the committee to get info about the value of the offer and made ridiculous rules at the last minute." He couldn’t believe this kind of practice also existed in this city. He thought, as an industrial city, Vale City would not side with the company. But in fact, he was wrong.

Instantly Rose realized that she had thought that Global Group just casually bought Rapid Realty because the price was lower. Apparently, this company had been eyeing Rapid Realty from the start. This made her suspicious that the Global Group already knew about the gold mine, and they were behind the scenes making this company bankrupt. And to secure this company, they dared to bribe the committee.

Apparently, she had to tell Oliver why they had to get Rapid Realty. But will Oliver be suspicious of her rebirth? Rose fell silent, deep in thought.

At the same time, on the stage, five people in suits were sitting on the chairs provided. One of the people in the middle started to open the event with all sorts of information, he said, but Rose didn’t hear his words. Her mind sank with the following steps that she would take. Rose is still determined to follow the bidding. She wouldn’t give up because that mere Global Group bribed the committee.

Suddenly the room that had been silent became noisy. It was caused by the announcement of the change in terms of participating in the auction. Nearly half of the businessmen in the room protested.

"Sir! Why did you change the conditions all of a sudden?"

"What is this? Almost every year, I participate in auctions in this city. This is the first time there are conditions like this. Why? This is ridiculous...."

"Wow... what should we do? How can we get a branch in this city in one day?"

"I can’t believe it! This costs us so much...."

"Sir! We will protest and take legal action if you keep making this rule..."

"Damn it! Why did the committee do this?" Sam, who had been shocked, now joined in to voice his opinion.

Meanwhile, Rose remained calm in her chair. She knew there was no point in protesting because these conditions were final and had been set even before the auction began.