Chapter 6 The Three Million Dollar Smile

Their eyes widened at the sleek black card in Mason's hand. This wasn't just any old piece of plastic - it was the mythical Platinum Pinnacle Card. Whispers rippled through the crowd: only seven of Chicago's most powerful players possessed such a thing. Smart folks started inching towards the exits, suddenly very aware they might've just ticked off someone who could squash them like bugs. The bolder ones? They leaned in, hungry for drama. Olivia snorted, firing a disdainful look towards Mason. "Oh, please," she hissed. "Drop the act, Mason. I know you're full of hot air. You might fool everyone here, but I see right through you. You're as hollow as your promises." Mason only smiled, and nodded to the auctioneer. 'Carry on,' his eyes seemed to say. Ethan, not one to be outdone, jumped in. "Babe, I told you don't waste your breath on this loser." He smirked, puffing up like a peacock. "That card? It's as fake as his self-respect. Hell, even my family doesn't have one of those. Only the seven big dogs in Chicago do. So how'd this mutt get his paws on it? If this brainless, idiotic soon-to-be ex-husband of yours thinks he can boast here, he's only going to make a fool of himself even more." The power couple was on a roll, slinging insults like they were going out of style. They wanted to see Mason break, to watch him crumble and admit what a worthless, shameless skull he was. But Mason? He was getting good at this game. Still, a part of him ached. How had Olivia, the woman he once loved, become so hellbent on destroying him? "Is it a crime to be so poor and unworthy? Clearly, a poor man can't survive in this world." Mason pondered. The auctioneer returned, bearing a box that screamed 'stupid expensive.' Inside, nestled on a bed of midnight blue velvet, lay the most exquisite necklace Mason had ever seen. A teardrop-shaped diamond, easily the size of a quail's egg, hung from a delicate platinum chain studded with smaller diamonds. It caught the light, throwing rainbow fractals across the room. "Congrats, sir," the auctioneer said, clearly impressed. "You're now the proud owner of the Aurora Borealis Diamond. Only three of these babies exist in the whole world." The room went quiet. You could've heard a pin drop - or a jaw hit the floor. No one dared join the power couples in humiliating Mason any further. Ethan's face did a dance between disbelief and fury. "No way," he sputtered. "This has gotta be some kind of trick! Did he really buy the diamond?" The auctioneer, caught between a rock and a hard place, obvious that he didn't want to get entangled into whatever was going on between this two, cleared his throat. "With all due respect, sir, Mr. Rivers here did indeed purchase the Aurora Borealis Diamond. It's, uh, one of only three in existence." Showing him the receipt. Mason nodded, snapping the box shut with a satisfying click. He turned to leave, savoring his moment of triumph, when Ethan's voice sliced through the stunned silence. "You!" Ethan snarled, all pretense of composure gone. "How the hell did you pull this off? What kind of game are you playing?" Mason raised an eyebrow, looking bored as all get-out. "Game? I wasn't aware we were playing one, Mr. Langford. I saw something shiny, I bought it. Isn't that how these fancy parties work?" Ethan's face twisted, an ugly sneer distorting his handsome features. "Cut the crap, Rivers. Don't play dumb with me. You're a nobody, a washed-up contractor who can barely keep the lights on. Where'd you get three million bucks?" Mason leaned in close, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Maybe, just maybe, you don't know jack about me, Ethan. Maybe there's more to Mason Rivers than meets the eye." He pulled back, relishing the flicker of doubt in Ethan's eyes. Then, loud enough for their growing audience to hear: "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a rather pricey bit of bling to take care of. Have a lovely evening, won't you?" As Mason turned to leave, he locked eyes with Olivia. For a split second, he saw... something. A crack in her icy facade? Regret? Curiosity? But he made sure he delivered the message that this wasn't over. "You think this changes anything?" Olivia hissed. "You're still the same pathetic loser I left. Money can't buy class, Mason." Mason smiled, a genuine one this time. "You're right, Olivia. It can't. But it can buy a hell of a lot of other things. Like, say, a controlling interest in Langford Industries?" Ethan's head snapped up so fast you'd think he'd been electrocuted. "What did you just say?" Mason winked, enjoying the way Ethan's composure crumbled. "Oh, nothing. Just thinking out loud. Have a lovely evening, you two. Bye now." Sweet victory had never tasted quite like this. Mason stood alone in his moment of triumph, and somehow that made it even better – this quiet satisfaction of knowing he'd just knocked Chicago's golden boy down a peg or two. Behind him, the whispers were already spreading. "Did you see that? Some nobody just outbid Ethan Langford!" The gossip was music to his ears, each shocked murmur and scandalized gasp adding another layer to his satisfaction. His lips curved into a smile he couldn't – and didn't want to – suppress. This wasn't just about winning a necklace. This was about watching Mr. High-and-Mighty Ethan and his picture-perfect wife squirm as some "nobody" swooped in and snatched their prize. The look on Ethan's face had been worth every penny. Mason made his exit with unhurried steps, the velvet box warm in his grip. He could feel the weight of their stares – all those elite socialites who wouldn't have given him the time of day an hour ago. Now they'd remember his name, even if they had to whisper it behind their champagne flutes: Mason, the nobody who dared. And wasn't that just the sweetest part of all?