A Warm Marriage After Rebirth

Mr. Adler followed his instructions. When he saw the price Joel Xavier had given him, he was stunned! ’The big boss actually wants to acquire this cash cow at such a low price? That’s impossible!’ He voiced his concerns to Joel Xavier, but all he got in return was, "This is the big boss’s decision. Just do as you’re told, and the Galloway Family’s auction house will be ours."

He put on a confident front, but deep down, he wasn’t sure at all.

When Miles Galloway heard that the company was a new startup, a plan immediately formed in his mind. ’The news is already out. No one wants to offend the Grant Family, so no one else is going to come and buy my auction house. If I don’t sell to this man, the company is guaranteed to go bankrupt on my watch!’

’Besides, this boss is clearly a novice. Running an auction house is no easy feat—it requires years of experience. If this Mr. Adler runs it into the ground, I can use the funds from this sale to start over. It might even be possible to buy the auction house back from him then!’

"Since you’re new to the business, Mr. Adler, and can’t spare much capital, I’ll transfer the auction house into your name! I’ve already prepared the contract!" Miles Galloway was anxious to lock this down. He worried that if Mr. Adler went back and heard about the Grant Family, he might change his mind and back out of the deal. He had the contract ready to go.

"In such a hurry?" Mr. Adler hadn’t expected it to actually happen, just like that. And the other party was clearly desperate. ’This is unbelievable!’ He was getting more and more eager to meet this legendary big boss.

Thinking Mr. Adler had seen through his desperation, Miles Galloway quickly explained, "I have to go abroad tomorrow for a long time, which is why I’m in such a rush to offload the company!"

The two men signed the contract with remarkable speed. When Miles Galloway saw the money in his account, he heaved a huge sigh of relief. ’If I hadn’t been so quick on my feet and duped that Mr. Adler, I probably wouldn’t have gotten a single penny!’

Just as Miles Galloway was congratulating himself on his shrewdness, Mr. Adler had already arrived at the hotel, contract in hand. Joel Xavier and Seraphina Sterling were already waiting for him.

"Pomelo, this is incredible! To actually buy the Galloway Family’s auction house for half price... If I hadn’t signed the contract myself, I wouldn’t believe it! Who the hell is our big boss? He’s amazing! It’s like he can see the future!" Mina Adler had been buzzing with excitement the whole way over. He’d never done anything this thrilling in his life!

"Forget about meeting the big boss for now. You’ve got the Galloway Family’s auction house, so you should focus on running Apex Auction House first! Put your work first! Don’t get distracted by other things. I’m the one who recommended you, so don’t you dare drop the ball and make me lose face in front of the big boss! Besides, if you do a good job, the big boss will surely meet you then."

Joel Xavier patted Mina Adler’s shoulder. When Seraphina Sterling had needed someone for the job, Mina was the first person who came to his mind. They were college classmates and knew each other inside and out.

He knew Mina Adler was very capable. The only reason Mina hadn’t made a name for himself yet was a lack of capital to start his own auction house, and established companies didn’t trust his methods. Now that he had such a golden opportunity, Joel hoped he would make the most of it.

"Don’t you worry, my friend. I will absolutely not let you down! It’s just running an auction house, right? Relax, that’s nothing for me! Just you wait and see what I can do!"

Mina Adler was still buzzing with excitement. The thought that he could meet the prescient big boss as long as he ran the company well filled him with boundless motivation.

Seraphina Sterling observed Mina Adler from the sidelines. She had always been extremely cautious. She would never easily reveal her identity to newcomers or people she didn’t know well, just to avoid any potential trouble. ’But from the looks of it,’ she thought, ’this Mina Adler seems trustworthy.’

And just like that, the once-dominant Galloway Family auction house had changed hands. It had been acquired by the recently registered Apex Auction House, which was a major event in Sanford. If not for the acquisition, it’s likely no one would have even known that a company called Apex Collections had opened in Sanford.

In other words, the successful acquisition also served as a massive advertisement. Almost every industry insider in Sanford now knew about this new auction house.

With the Galloway Family, a titan of the industry, gone, the auction market in Sanford immediately caught fire. Perhaps Miles Galloway had suppressed the market for too long; with him gone, everyone felt suddenly liberated, resulting in a flurry of activity. When peers compete fairly, the strongest companies will naturally win the day.

The boom in the auction industry fueled a similar fire in the collectibles trade. Trinity Street was bustling every day. The shop with the most customers was Apex Collections. The shop with the most sales was also Apex Collections. This was the lingering effect of the antique exchange. Before anyone knew it, Apex Collections had already claimed a vital position in Sanford’s antique market.

However, Seraphina Sterling only heard about all this from Joel Xavier’s reports; she hadn’t witnessed it herself. She had already left Sanford and returned to Tollan Town. The New Year was fast approaching, and she needed to be home for the holiday. Of course, she also had to take care of the unresolved issues from the fire. The money was in hand now; it was time for her to pay the compensation to the two families.

On her very first day back in Tollan Town, Seraphina Sterling was eager to handle this matter.

She had started the fire herself, so of course she knew the truth. She had deliberately asked the police to investigate simply to buy herself time. She couldn’t come up with the three million back then, but now that she had the money, it was time to put this matter to rest.

However, Seraphina Sterling never expected that the police would actually find evidence that the fire was arson.

"Miss Sterling, after a thorough investigation, the police have discovered that the fire was deliberately set. It was arson. Your home’s electrical wiring was tampered with. The perpetrator’s methods were quite sophisticated, but we still found the evidence. The police have officially opened a criminal investigation," Jenna Hanson announced professionally.

Seraphina Sterling was shocked. She hadn’t touched the house’s wiring; she had only tampered with the heater’s circuit board. ’How could there be a problem with the electrical lines? Could there be another layer to this incident?’