Chapter 2
Vanessa had won. Next, she marched up to the stage, snatched the Bennett Family Chronicle, and leafed through it carelessly. Her lips curled in disdain. "Fourteen generations, so what?
"This book is full of old-fashioned ideas. Keeping it around messes with people's minds. Might as well torch it and get rid of the problem for good."
As she spoke, she took out a lighter, threatening to set the book ablaze.
"No!" I lunged forward, but Edward stopped me.
He stepped in front of me and frowned. Acting all high and mighty, he said, "Claire, Vanessa's childish. It's only a book. Do you have to make such a big deal out of this?"
"Childish?" I nearly laughed, but my eyes stung with tears first. "Edward, you know better than anyone that the Bennett Family Chronicle is the heart of my family, passed down for fourteen generations.
"My grandpa was still thinking about it on his deathbed."
"So what?" Edward replied indifferently. "It's only an object. You're from a family of scholars. Why get so worked up over some old book? You're embarrassing yourself in front of everyone."
"Mr. Sinclair is right. Ms. Bennett, you're making a fool of yourself," Vanessa said, batting her eyes with fake innocence, though the malice in her gaze was unmistakable. "This book is old, falling apart, and reeks of mildew.
"Let me burn it for you, so you don't have to drag around all these old rules and customs. Must be so tiring, living like that."
With a flick of her finger and a sharp hiss, the lighter sparked to life, and she pressed the flame up to the edge of those yellowed pages.
The flame greedily devoured the yellowed pages, burning up fourteen generations of the Bennett family's legacy. It shattered my grandpa's dying wish and the last bit of hope I had left.
The paper curled and blackened in the fire, fluttering down as cold, black ashes. The scene was like a snowstorm from hell.
I froze, rooted to the spot.
Gasps and whispers echoed around me, but nobody dared to step forward.
Edward stood there like a protector, guarding his academic muse and letting her finish her little spectacle.
"Ms. Reed!" The organizer finally snapped out of it, stumbling over with a ghastly look. "This is a historical treasure. It's worth a fortune. You can't burn it."
Vanessa tossed the last scraps of the book to the floor and crushed them under her heel.
She grinned with innocent malice. "It's only a book. I bought it, so it's mine. I can destroy it however I want. What are you gonna do with me?"
Edward finally turned around, wearing his usual air of composure, and dismissed it with a wave of his hand. "No need to panic. How much? I'll cover it."
He said it with the same careless ease as when he tore down my old family estate three years ago, and with the same indulgence he'd shown Vanessa all this time.
He acted as if everything he destroyed was never something I treasured, but some worthless thing that didn't matter at all.
The organizer grabbed the walkie-talkie, his hands shaking uncontrollably. Moments later, the auction house manager rushed over, clutching his tablet, visibly trembling.
The manager stammered, "P-Professor Sinclair, according to the rule of placing an unlimited bid, Ms. Reed must pay ten times the final bid: 3 million dollars in total."
Edward didn't even flinch. "Whatever."
"But," the manager said, taking a deep breath. His tone was suddenly grave. "Ms. Reed maliciously destroyed a historical treasure.
"According to the contract, she owes thirty times the appraised value, plus the loss of market reputation. That brings the total to 100 million dollars."
"100 million dollars?" Edward repeated in disbelief.
The air went dead silent.
Vanessa's smile froze on her face.
Edward's usual calm expression shattered like glass.
"H-How much?" Vanessa stammered, her voice trembling.
"100 million dollars," the manager repeated. "And that's the minimum, out of respect for the Sinclair family. If we go to court, it could be even more."
"You're ripping me off. How could a book be worth 100 million dollars?" Vanessa screamed and whipped around, giving me a vicious look. "Claire, it's you.
"You must be behind this. You teamed up with the auction house to set me up."
Edward looked at me, undisguised doubt thick in his eyes. It pricked relentlessly at my already numbed heart.
Sure enough, no matter what, he always believed her.
I smiled, icy and sharp. "Ms. Reed chose to place an unlimited bid herself, and she was the one who set the book on fire.
"Hundreds of people saw it. Did I force her to burn it?"
"As for the 100 million dollars," I said, looking up at Edward while pronouncing each word clearly. "That's the auction house's rule.
"Anyone who places an unlimited bid should take the risk by themselves. She should have known better before she did it."
The manager quickly chimed in, "Professor Bennett is right. The rule must be followed. Professor Sinclair and Ms. Reed, you have three days to settle the compensation. Otherwise..."
He paused, his voice turning cold. "We'll have to call the police."
"Call the police?" Vanessa laughed, as if the idea was absolutely ridiculous. "Mr. Sinclair is the Sinclair family's heir. Do you know what kind of family that is? A true scholarly clan.
"Their ancestors served as royal tutors for three generations. And now, the family elders still hold top positions in the cultural authorities."
She stood with her hands on her hips, chin raised high.
Her attitude was more arrogant than when she'd burned the book earlier.