Angel flicked her gaze from the screen to Viola, raising a brow. Lyra, meanwhile, blinked in confusion. "Wait, it's just… clothes?" she asked.

Viola shot her a look, sharp enough to silence her instantly. "Not just clothes," she said, voice low, almost trembling. "That machine was used to weave the Veil Threads. Do you know what that means? That's… that's legacy. That's history."

Xavier leaned back, a smirk tugging at his lips as he glanced at her. "Guess you're about to make me broke tonight, huh?"

Viola didn't even argue. She kept her eyes locked on the floating image, already plotting.

Angel, however, stiffened when she felt Xavier's hand sneak higher under her dress. She shifted in her seat, gripping the tablet tighter, torn between focusing on Viola's fixation and the heat crawling up her thighs. Xavier didn't even look at her, like teasing her was just another casual habit.

The auctioneer's voice boomed, calling for the first bids.The numbers flashed across the display, and within seconds, hands from across the private booths started submitting their bids.

Viola leaned forward so quickly her mask nearly fell on the floor. Her finger slammed the switch in her hand, entering a number far higher than the base price. The board lit up with her offer, and she didn't blink, didn't even breathe, just stared at the machine like it was the only thing in existence.

"Damn, Viola," Xavier muttered, amused at how unhinged she looked. "That serious?"

She didn't even acknowledge him. Another bidder raised the price, and immediately, she countered. Fast, sharp, no hesitation.

Angel tilted her head, a smirk forming as she watched Viola go into obsession mode. "She's acting like it's a lover slipping through her fingers."

Lyra just blinked. "She really wants… that?"

"Yeah," Xavier said, stretching his arms lazily over the backrest, his eyes flicking between the hologram and Viola's feverish expression. "Guess we all found her weakness tonight."

The bidding war escalated. Viola's eyes grew darker with every counter, her voice finally breaking out in a hiss when one masked guest kept driving up the price. "Whoever that is, I'll tear their hands off if they think they're walking away with this."

The auctioneer's tone carried excitement now, playing up the intensity as the price hit figures that would make even the Astraeus elite hesitate. Viola didn't stop—she bid again, and again, her grip on the switch so tight her knuckles whitened.

Xavier couldn't help but grin, leaning closer. "You look like you'd burn this whole place down just for a sewing toy."

Her head whipped toward him, eyes blazing. "It's not a toy. With that, I can create what nobody else can. Don't you dare mock it."

That was the first time Xavier had ever seen Viola snap like that—not in battle, not in politics, but over a machine. It was raw, obsessive, and weirdly human.

The auctioneer's hammer was about to drop, the crowd buzzing with tension. Viola raised the bid one last time, her voice sharp as she confirmed it into the tablet, cutting off the final competitor.

The screen flashed. SOLD for 2 Billion.

Viola exhaled hard, almost trembling. She leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes for a second like she'd just fought a war.

Xavier chuckled, shaking his head. "Guess you really did need it."

She finally turned toward him, eyes softer but still burning with that quiet obsession. "You'll understand when you see what I make with it."

The auction carried on, the holographic display shifting between exotic items that made the auction filled with whispered excitement.

There was a Chimera Feather Cloak, its fibers shifting color with movement; a Siren Glass Necklace, fragile and glowing faintly with inner light; and a Vermillion Candle Clock, a bizarre clock that supposedly bent time slightly for whoever owned it. Each item drew gasps, bids, and furious rivalries in private booths across the hall.

Meanwhile, Viola leaned back in her chair, still riding the high of the Aurora Prism Loom. Her fingers drummed lightly on the tablet, checking the settings and imagining what she'd create first. Lyra, sitting across from her, tilted her head with genuine curiosity.

"You're not going to tell me you can make me something, are you?" Lyra asked, voice casual but edged with amusement.

Viola blinked, then smirked faintly. "If you behave, maybe. But this isn't a toy. What I make with it… it's serious work."

Xavier, lounging on the couch beside Angel, couldn't help himself. He leaned toward her, teasing low and playful. "You hear that? Behave, or you don't get anything. Think you can manage that, Angel?"

Angel's lips twitched, but she didn't look at him directly. Instead, she adjusted slightly closer, her hand under the table finding him again for a brief touch. "Don't worry, I'll behave," she said, voice a little rough, still watching Viola and Lyra more than him.

Xavier grinned. "Uh-huh. Sure you will," he muttered, pressing just a little harder with his hand under the table. Angel stiffened slightly, biting her lip, but didn't pull away.

Behind them, the auction continued. The Chimera Feather Cloak went for a shocking sum before the Siren Glass Necklace was snatched up in a flurry of masked hands. Guests murmured, some cursing their losses, others celebrating their wins. The Vermillion Candle Clock came up next, its strange, flowing numbers and crimson flame making the entire room pause for a beat before bids shot sky-high.

Hours had passed, the hum of the auction blending with quiet murmurs and the occasional cheer or groan as rare items went for obscene sums. Xavier leaned back, eyes sweeping over the holographic display, then turned toward Lyra, who had been lounging too comfortably in her seat after having some snacks.

"Now that you are energetic after eating," he said, voice low but sharp. "Start paying attention to the items. The real valuable shit's coming now."

Lyra blinked, stretched her legs, then yawned. "I can do that while eating more."

"Let's hope my trip here was worth my time. All the items so far are useless to me if I have no use for them."

Meanwhile, in one of the rooms, Victor was laughing out loud, waiting for his items to be auctioned.

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