Ethan took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.Olivia and Alicia were wearing exquisite silver gowns. In addition to the silver chains, they appeared oddly beautiful.Alicia's face wasn't covered, so her innocent face was shown on the huge screen.Everyone was mesmerized by her angelic beauty.She wasn't fed any drugs, so her beady eyes were crystal clear.Her hair accessory came with diamonds and feathers, turning her into a princess of an exotic country.Her innocent eyes indicated that she didn't know what was going on. She didn't cry. Instead, the curious girl scanned the surroundings like a lamb intruding on a lion's den by mistake.Her rosy lips parted, and Ethan read her lips. "Mom. Uncle Logan."Ethan's fingers were already touching his weapon. He wished he could fire his gun at Flora at this moment.Alicia's beauty surged the crowd into a commotion.A lot of them were even planning to renew their collection.Some of the twisted people planned to take her

Flora wanted to see Ethan getting anxious. He naturally didn't want Olivia's mask to be taken off as other men would see her face.If he didn't give the money, there would be others willing to fork it out. Thus, he had to give the one million dollars first.That figure was only the minimum. It was also Flora's chance to test Ethan.If he could pay so much money for a kiss, the following figure wouldn't be as little as this time. What could he use to bid later?If he were to save up the money for later to buy Olivia, someone else would kiss her.Flora had set her mind on disgusting Ethan. This was a hard choice for him to make.However, she underestimated something about Ethan. Although he yearned for love, he hadn't lacked money since his birth.The Millers had been running their businesses for decades, and he was a prodigy in the field. The Miller family was a prestigious family.It was not that Ethan looked down on the others, but they wouldn't be able to overthrow him

Dale was known to be a playboy. His strong background gave him more reason to be one.Ethan didn't want to cross the Kingstons. Once things got out of control, Old Mr. Kingston would be a pain in the ass for him.Dale was the only person competing against Ethan. The price to remove Olivia's mask had reached up to four million dollars.Even Dale himself found it ridiculous. Frustrated, he asked, "Who's that fool competing against me?""We've looked into it, Mr. Dale. But we don't know who he is. He's mysterious. See how he bids a price as soon as you raise the bid? I think he's determined to win this round. Why don't we leave it at that and focus on the next round?"Dale snorted coldly. "Fine. Seems like I got a great deal for nothing. Let's see if that woman is worth four million dollars. If not, I bet he'll be infuriated."The bid ended with four million dollars. Everyone wished to know who spent so much money for a mere kiss.Some of them even doubted if the bidder could pay t

The light shone upon Olivia's face, adding luster to her exquisite makeup.She looked like she had stepped right out of a comic book. Even Ethan, who had always known how gorgeous she was, held his breath.She was wearing silver contact lenses, so she looked different.Her exposed skin was shimmering because of the glitter, conjuring images in his head.Her beauty was surreal like that of a beached mermaid, fallen angel, or a fairy."Fuck! I should've raised the bid earlier," Dale huffed.The person next to him hurriedly said, "Mr. Dale, she's beautiful, but she's not that young. Can't you see how old her daughter is already? So what if you can get a kiss from her? As long as you can buy her off, you can play with her however you fancy."Dale caressed his chin. "You're right. She can settle down at Pearl Mansion. We mustn't let those conventional geezers know about this.""That's for sure.""But don't you think she looks familiar? I think I've seen her somewhere before.""I

Following that was a whole new round of bidding. Flora's spur definitely stimulated the guests.The starting price of one million dollars soon increased by multiple folds. The figure increased faster than Usain Bolt.The huge screen was displaying Olivia. Her face was perfect no matter from which angle one looked.The high-resolution screen showed her forehead covered in beads of sweat. Her eyes were glazed over. The drugs were kicking in.Some of the men were willing to splurge money to have her without a care in the world.Dale wasn't one of the bidders. The bid went up to seven million dollars even before he raised his placard.The businessmen knew what they were doing. Once they were sick of Olivia, they could hand her over to someone else.A beauty like her could be sold around like hotcakes. It wouldn't be long before they could earn their capital back.Hence, the bids were raised higher and higher. It was going to exceed nine million dollars soon."Things are not look

Flora glanced at the scene. "Is there any bidder who'd like to raise the bid?"Dale wanted to raise his placard, but the person next to him pressed his hand down. "Give it a serious thought, Mr. Dale! We can't afford 30 million dollars. He's filthy rich. We should give up on this. It's just a woman. If you want to have her, we can figure out something else.""Fine." Dale had no other choice despite his sense of competitiveness.A man's best asset was his own capability.Ethan remained in his position with his legs crossed and his chin resting on his palm. He sat like a boss.Flora wanted to turn him into a laughingstock, but she became one instead."30 million dollars, once. 30 million dollars, twice. 30 million dollars, thrice … The lot is knocked down at 30 million dollars!" she announced the result reluctantly.She didn't expect that man to be able to pay such a high price.Ethan stood up, looking at Flora as though he was looking at a clown. "Can I take her away now?"Kelv

Although it was embarrassing, Olivia couldn't be bothered about it anymore.She simply wanted to cover her face so that others couldn't see her.Her long dress cascaded downward, making her look like an injured mermaid.While carrying her, Ethan took big strides out of the area. Joshua followed behind while carrying Alicia."Get a doctor. Hurry.""Got it."Ethan wanted to have Olivia, but not in such a situation, hence the annoyance.Besides, he didn't know what kind of drugs Flora gave Olivia and whether they would take a toll on her health.The doctor checked on her while Ethan gave them space. He lit a cigarette in the corridor.A lot of helicopters appeared above the dark sea.Joshua's expression changed. "Mr. Miller, did you hire mercenary soldiers?"He thought that Ethan would call over the army with his official identity, yet Ethan hired mercenary soldiers instead!That way, if things went south, the higher-ups wouldn't have the right to look into the matter.Joshua

The sea breeze blew over, giving Joshua goosebumps on his back.In the past, his job was to simply carry out orders from Ethan. He didn't know the complex story behind this.Just what kind of fray was Ethan in?Other than having a dysfunctional family, he had to face multiple schemes in business."Mr. Miller, what should we do now?" inquired Joshua.Ethan's eyes were dark, and his voice was icy. "Tell Brent to not hold himself back. Make himself at home. Destroy anything that has to be destroyed. I want to tell them that it isn't easy to gain that 34 million dollars."He threw the cigarette butt into the sea. His expression behind the mask turned gloomier. "Since they've taken what's mine, they should pay back with interest."Joshua's eyes brightened at Ethan's brilliant idea.During the past few days, Ethan got to know the number of enemies on the ship. If he took action now, he would have the upper hand.Even if the enemy called for backup, it would take at least six hours

Olivia's face turned beet red after she blurted that. Had she not built up her willpower through chemotherapy, she would've already lost control of herself.Ethan stared at the embarrassed woman. Despite knowing that she was acting this way because of the drugs, he couldn't help his racing heartbeat."I'll face my back at you then. I won't look at you." He turned around, gazing out of the window.The night sea was somber without the touch of gleaming sunlight. He could hear the whirring sound of helicopters approaching.The real party was going to begin.Almost ten minutes later, the sound of a woman moaning suddenly resounded behind him.Ethan hurriedly turned around, only to see her red face. Aside from her hair and body, her eyes were watery too. The corners of her eyes were red.She was fatally sexy."Miss, are you … alright?"The groggy Olivia wanted to get up in the bathtub, but her weak limbs wouldn't listen to her head.She fell the second she stood up."Be careful

Ethan hugged Olivia in silence. He had no intention of forcing her."Miss, now that things have come to this point, let's leave other matters aside. We can talk about them later. Now, we gotta solve your situation. I know you don't want to give yourself to others. But there's no other solution we can opt for."He took a breath before continuing, "I can guarantee you that I won't tell anyone about tonight. After today, nothing will change. Everything will be the same. If you don't like me, I can … ask others to replace me. Like Joshua or—"She covered his mouth, glaring at him. "If I have no other choice, I'd rather it be you."At least, they knew each other well.However, she didn't want to take it that far.Unlike her words, her body was following her instinct, grinding against his.Hugging the man's waist no longer satiated her need. The urge to proceed to the next step was killing her.Images of intertwining with Ethan on the bed flashed across Olivia's head. She wanted it