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Chapter 457 Adding to the Trouble

Time passed slowly, and after the archbishop's address, the invited guests took the stage to give speeches, which was the core part of the banquet.

Traditionally, they would deliver a humorous speech similar to a roast show, teasing their opponents and presenting their viewpoints.

In non-election years, former politicians, members of parliament, and well-known public figures are invited as keynote speakers to share their ideas on public welfare and social issues, as well as criticize opposing factions.

Finally, the awards and charity event will take place, where special awards will be given to recognize those who have made significant contributions to charity, and the amount of money raised that night will be tallied and announced.

At this point, the dinner is basically coming to an end.

Next, the banquet will enter a free dining and conversation period, which will not be broadcast on television, as it is too vulgar and would offend the audience's eyes.

This year's Alsmiths charity gala was a little different from previous years. The archbishop, who was presiding over the event, once again slowly walked to the front of the stage and announced to the audience with a smile, "Distinguished guests, this year we have specially added a special auction session to the regular program, hoping to add a new force to this charity event."

Then, the archbishop carefully took out a slightly yellowed envelope from his pocket and showed it to everyone. "This envelope you see now carries a special story. It comes from Ms. Winblad, who has always given positive help and strong support to the charitable work of our Alsmiths charity."

"Ms. Winblad made a request to us that this letter be auctioned at tonight's dinner. For her, this is not only to put a final end to a chapter in her past and begin a new chapter in her life, but more importantly, she hopes to contribute her small share to our charity and show her love to those in need."

The archbishop paused, his gaze sweeping over each guest present, a look of admiration on his face. "After learning of Ms. Winblad's idea, I was deeply moved, so I did not hesitate to grant her request and add this special auction to tonight's dinner program."

The archbishop on the platform was still eloquently recounting the story behind the letter, but Ernst felt as if his gaze was constantly sweeping over Bill Gates from side to side.

Ernst looked at the archbishop with amusement, but his mouth didn't stop. "Just how much money did this woman donate? It's enough to make the Alsmith Charity risk offending Bill Gates by making such a subtle hint. They almost ruined his name."

"You're overthinking it." Richard knew far more about these things than Ernst. "You know, this is only Bill Gates' second time attending this dinner. The last time was five years ago, and there was some unpleasantness between them."

Knowing what Ernst wanted to ask, Richard replied, "He was a very stingy fellow. Even when he did charity, he had a specific purpose. So he didn't donate a single penny to the Alsmiths charity; the only thing he contributed was the ticket price."

Although it was an invitation, the guests invited by Al Smith still had to pay for tickets, since there was a formal meal after the dinner, and they couldn't be expected to pay for it.

"So, Alsmith doesn't care about offending anyone; he just wants to make a quick buck?"

Richard nodded, and the archbishop on the platform finally finished his rambling.

"The auction begins now, no reserve price!"

The auction finally began, but to Ernst's surprise, the atmosphere was incredibly lively and enthusiastic.

"$5000!" A guest was the first to raise his paddle and announce his bid, thus beginning the auction.

"$8000!" Immediately afterward, another guest, not to be outdone, quickly raised the bid.

"$1!"

"$3!"

"..."

Watching the heated bidding, Ernst couldn't help but tease Richard beside him, "Looks like everyone's really interested in Bill Gates' love life! Forget selling software, why not just publish a love biography? It'd be a bestseller, maybe even more profitable than his software business!"

Richard rolled his eyes at Ernst's teasing, then, as if suddenly remembering something, a sly smile appeared on his face. He chuckled and said, "Speaking of publishing books, you're a well-known bestselling author. Why don't you personally write a love story biography for Bill Gates? That book would definitely cause quite a stir."

Ernst ignored Richard's joke, as his attention was now drawn to a stranger sitting at the same table.

"$15!"

Just as the bidding reached $5, the previously rapid pace of price increases slowed down noticeably, and the last bidder to offer $10 was an executive from IBM.

He vaguely remembered this person, but he had forgotten his name.

But the person in front of me immediately raised the offer to $15.

Ernst looked at Richard, who also seemed puzzled, and shook his head slightly when they met each other's gaze.

Don't you recognize me?

Ernst hadn't expected this response. It was rather unbelievable that someone they didn't even know, someone with extensive connections on Wall Street, could appear on their desk.

"$15 for the first time!" The archbishop on the stage began to announce the bids in accordance with the auction procedure.

Then, looking around, he asked, "Are there any other guests willing to bid? This isn't just an item up for auction; it's also a strong support for charity!"

A brief silence fell over the scene. Spending money was fine, but it needed to be meaningful.

If it's just a small amount of money, and the opportunity to see Bill Gates' love letters or proposal letters satisfies their curiosity, they won't care too much.

But $15 is already a high price; the Queen of England's love letters might even be worth that much.

charitable?

This doesn't mean anything to them.

Those who have business rivalries or personal grudges with Bill Gates, in particular, hope to drive up the price so that Bill Gates will spend more money in this auction, thus achieving their purpose of revenge or mockery.

However, the guy remained seated as steady as a rock the whole time and didn't call out a single price, which made them a little unsure, so they chose to wait and see for the time being.

"$15 for the second time!" The archbishop on the platform raised his voice again to announce, while repeatedly emphasizing the special value of the letter.

However, no one cared about the charity matters he was talking about, nor did they care about his gaze.

Ernst frowned slightly, sensing that something was amiss.

He glanced casually at his classmate who had offered $15, and a slight smile instantly appeared on his lips.

"15 for the third time..." The archbishop was about to announce the third time that the auction result of $15 was about to be finalized.

"One million US dollars." A crisp voice suddenly rang out in the banquet hall, and everyone turned to look in the direction from which the voice came, wanting to see who was so indifferent to money that they suddenly raised the price from 15 US dollars to 100 million US dollars.

When their gazes settled on Ernst's cynical face, they felt it was only natural that he deserved it; money was just a number to him.

"Are you crazy?" Richard asked in a low voice. "Even if you want to make an offer, you don't have to raise the price to one million dollars all at once."

Ernst wasn't crazy; this was exactly the effect he wanted.

Just now, when he glanced up casually, he noticed that the other person's gaze had inadvertently drifted in the direction of Bill Gates.

There was no hint of pride or smugness in his eyes; on the contrary, it clearly carried a sense of seeking credit, as if he were sending some kind of signal to Bill Gates.

He immediately raised the price to one million dollars just to verify his conjecture.

And just as Ernst had guessed, after he called out the price of $100 million, the stranger's first reaction was to immediately turn to look at Bill Gates, his eyes full of questioning.

Clearly, he had driven the price too high all at once, making him hesitant to make decisions on his own and forcing him to instinctively seek out someone who could make the final decision.

Ernst sneered inwardly: This old bastard is really cunning. He knows he has many enemies and is worried that if he participates in the auction directly, his opponents will deliberately drive up the price and he will waste money. He also doesn't want this letter, which may involve his personal privacy, to fall into the hands of others. He actually came up with the idea of ​​finding a middleman to bid on his behalf. He almost fooled him.

"A million dollars? Ladies and gentlemen, someone has now offered a million dollars! That's an exciting number!"

The most excited person in the room was undoubtedly the archbishop who was presiding over the auction.

"$110."

Before the archbishop could speak, the other party immediately offered 110 million.

Ernst shook his head, smiled slightly, and casually exclaimed, "Three million dollars!"

This time, Ernst added even more money, sparking much discussion at the scene. Many people suspected that Winblad might also be having an affair with Ernst.

Could it be that this letter wasn't written by Bill Gates, but by Ernst?

That woman must be almost fifty, right?

However, no one thought anything was wrong. In their circle, Oedipus complex is nothing; there are plenty of people with much more extreme tastes.

"310 million!"

Ernst noticed that the other person's forehead was covered in a lot of sweat.

"What exactly do you want to do?" Richard was stunned.

"That's no fun," Ernst said.

"What do you mean?" Richard didn't understand what Ernst was talking about.

"He can't afford to take such a big gamble. Do you really think there's any point in continuing to hide?"

"Five million dollars!" Bill Gates' voice rang out from behind.

Richard finally understood what Ernst meant earlier; he wasn't talking to him after all.

In an instant, not only him, but many others also figured out the whole story in their minds.

But they were even more curious about how Ernst had seen through the other party's scheme.

"$1000!"

When Ernst announced his bid, many people in the room gasped in surprise.

The archbishop on the stage, his voice trembling, said, "Mr. Ernst Garfield offered $1000 million. As the saying goes, an auction has a price, but true feelings are priceless. As a leading figure of the younger generation in America, he has shown us his sense of responsibility and commitment."

Sure enough, even an archbishop can be swayed by money in a capitalist society.

He usually acts like he's above worldly concerns, but now he's starting to fawn over people.

However, it's understandable, since the money was indeed in place.

The Al Smith dinner has a record of $647 million in donations, with the highest donations occurring in election years.

After all, no matter who is elected, if the amount of donations is not high, it would be a slap in the face for them.

Like this year, getting three or four million US dollars would be quite good.