Chapter 56. Serpent’s Eye

Layla’s POV

As the next item was unveiled for the audience to see, the buzz of the just concluded bid quietened down with murmurs about the new piece replacing it.

The air crackled with energy, a palpable anticipation that sent a thrill through me as the auction began. I sat among a sea of elegantly dressed spectators, each one eying the treasures laid out like jewels on velvet.

The atmosphere felt electric as if the very fabric of the room vibrated with hidden promises and silent ambitions. Fortunes shifted like the tides with every raise of a paddle; a whispered bid here, a boastful claim there, each one building the tension further.

And then, it appeared—the Serpent’s Eye. The gemstone gleamed with an impossible fire, a swirl of color that seemed to capture the very essence of light.

It was nestled in a bed of deep burgundy velvet, and as the auctioneer introduced it, the room’s temperature felt as if it had risen several degrees. Even those w