The price of betrayal (Jack and Ashley) novel Chapter 85

"They've all lost their minds. This is crazy! What's even going on right now?" someone said, struggling to believe what they were seeing.

"Yeah, seriously, what just happened? If I hadn't been here the whole time, I'd swear I missed something big," another person chimed in, just as confused.

"Are these rich people just playing games with us? Is this some kind of weird charity thing?" someone else wondered, trying to figure out why the bidding was getting so out of hand.

The room was full of people whispering and trying to make sense of it all.

Meanwhile, Megan and Jeanne were feeling pretty foolish. Not long ago, they were laughing at Nolan, thinking he was about to make a fool of himself. But now, it seemed like the joke was on them.

"Jeanne, do you have any idea what's going on? Did everyone lose their minds, or are we missing something huge?" Megan asked, her frustration showing.

Jeanne didn't have any answers, and Megan felt totally out of her depth. Everything happening around her just didn't make sense anymore, and it left her feeling completely lost.

Jeanne was just as confused as Megan, but Megan wanted answers, and she needed something that made sense.

"Megan, maybe the Baxter family planned all of this," Jeanne suggested. "Since it's their event, maybe they wanted to make sure everything went smoothly. So, they used Nolan's situation to show off how powerful they are.

"And those people making the big bids? Maybe they're in on it, too, just going along to make the Baxters look good. Mr. Archie even said he'd owe them a favor—that's like promising them something in return."

Jeanne's idea made some sense, but it still felt like a stretch.

"If Nolan really had that kind of influence, Shaun would be trying to get on his good side. But instead, he's glaring at him. Clearly, Nolan isn't as powerful as we thought."

The more Jeanne thought about it, the more she was sure she was right. It seemed like the truth.

Her explanation helped Megan start to look less worried.

"If that's the case, then Nolan doesn't really matter. They could have used anyone to make this happen. Nolan is just a puppet they're using to get what they want. He's nothing but a puppet.

"It's too bad he got to show off in front of Audrey. Nolan probably thinks he's impressive now, and Audrey might think so, too. We need to expose this. Audrey has to know Nolan is nothing special."