Married To My Billionaire Stepbrother - Chapter 85

Chapter 85: Banshee Over A Witch

“Yes, you two beautiful ladies,” the emcee continued. “All the young women here are invited to participate in the first bidding of the charity gala, and you both are included. Please join the other beautiful ladies at the front.”

“Would it be rude to say no?” Natalie muttered under her breath.

“Let’s just go see what this is about,” Mia urged, pulling Natalie along as they walked toward the center of the hall. A few young women from wealthy families were already there, including Briena, who stood confidently at the front.

“Great,” the emcee said, smiling as he gathered them. “We have five beautiful young ladies here. The first bidding of the night will be to claim the honor of the first dance. The man who bids the most on any of these five young ladies will have the privilege of sharing the first dance of the evening with the lady of his choice.”

A round of applause filled the hall as the men eagerly prepared to bid on the women standing before them.

“What the hell is this?” Natalie whispered to Mia, angrily. “Are we an object to bid on.”

“I’d love to smack that emcee in the head,” Mia muttered, equally annoyed.

Briena, standing nearby, leaned over and whispered snidely, “Don’t worry, Natalie. I doubt anyone would bid on you—at least, no decent man.”

Natalie ignored the jab, keeping her composure, but Mia wasn’t having it.

“Why don’t you shut your mouth, Briena? It stinks. You better hope the guy who bids on you doesn’t pass out from the stench when he dance with you. Though, with your fiancé bidding on, I guess that bastard deserves to faint.”

“You—!”

“Let’s begin the bidding!” the emcee’s voice cut through the tense exchange, drawing everyone’s attention to ladies.

“We have the two Ford sisters,” the emcee declared with a sly grin. “We’ll save them for later to see which one will fetch the higher bid, but let’s start with our other three lovely ladies.” He paused dramatically. “The bidding starts at fifty million.”

“Eighty million for Mia Wilson!” called out one of the businessmen.

“One hundred million for Mia Wilson,” another quickly raised the bid.

“What the hell, girl,” Natalie whispered to Mia, who looked just as shocked. “If I knew a simple ten minutes dance with you is worth this much, I’d have auctioned off one of your dance everyday to get capital for my poor company.”

Mia whispered back, “If I could keep that amount, I’d dance happily as well. We need capital for our new perfume launch—even if it’s in peanuts.”

Suddenly, a deep voice echoed through the hall. “Three hundred million for Ms. Wilson.”

All eyes turned toward the source of the voice. Steve Davis, son of one of the four wealthiest families, stood confidently in his expensive suit, his gaze fixed solely on Mia.

The emcee, beaming, asked, “Anyone want to raise the bid on our beautiful Ms. Wilson?”

But with Steve Davis in the game, everyone knew it was a lost cause, he would only take the bid to higher mark. He was not only wealthy but rumoured to be linked to Mia through their families, who were supposedly planning a marriage between the two. No one dared to bid against him.

Mia shot a glare at Steve, who stood unflinching, his expression calm and composed. What the hell is he trying to pull?

“Three hundred million going once… twice… and sold!” the emcee declared. “Mr. Steve Davis wins the bid to dance with Ms. Mia Wilson. However, we’ll see if they will be the couple to open the first dance of the evening. Ms. Mia, please stand with your dance partner.”

Reluctantly, Mia walked over to Steve, standing beside him with barely concealed annoyance. Fine. I’ll tolerate this jerk if it keeps Grandma quiet for a little longer.

The other two women fetched impressive bids, though none as high as Mia’s, leaving only Natalie and Briena to close the auction.

“Now, we have the beautiful Ford sisters!” the emcee continued, his tone filled with anticipation. “First up, we have Ms. Briena Ford—our beautiful star, renowned pianist, and the upcoming star in one of this year’s most anticipated films. Every man in this room would surely love to be by her side tonight, and I believe this bidding will reach new heights!”

As the emcee spoke, Briena’s face lit up even more, her confidence radiating. Her gaze drifted toward Ivan, who was watching her—though his eyes flickered to Natalie every now and then, as if against his will. It made Briena angry, but she hid it behind her smile.

Natalie stood there, calm and collected, not wearing any fancy, limited edition dress like Briena. Her confidence and righteousness was everything for her.

She wasn’t looking at anyone in particular, her expression unreadable. Her posture was flawless—back straight, chin held high with quiet pride. She wasn’t anxious or scared; if anything, she hoped no one would bid on her, so she wouldn’t have to be anyone’s dance partner.

“And we have Ms. Natalie Ford, the newly appointed CEO,” the emcee announced with a subtle smirk. “I’m sure you all know her well already,” he added, clearly referencing the recent scandals surrounding her.

Natalie remained unfazed, her face a mask of composure.

But on the other side, Mia bristled with anger, ready to march up and smack the emcee in the head. “That asshole…”

Just as Mia was about to move, a strong hand gripped her wrist, stopping her.

She glared at Steve, trying to yank her hand free, but his voice stopped her. “I’m sure you don’t want your grandma hearing how you lost your temper in public and then she decides to discipline you herself.”

“I don’t need your concern,” Mia hissed.

“I just don’t want my dance partner for the night causing unnecessary trouble. You can do whatever you want afterward.”

“Who told you to bid on me— a troublemaker?” she spat out.

“I had to bid on someone to keep up the family reputation,” Steve replied, unfazed. “And I’d rather dance with a familiar banshee than an unfamiliar witch.”

Mia fumed with anger. “You…Did you just call me a banshee?”