The Almighty Dominance

Kelly threw back her head, laughing so hard it practically echoed in the room. "Five million for a piece of rotten "root? That's the best joke I've heard all year," she sneered, her eyes flashing with glee.

She had zero sympathy for Clara-she'd been waiting for the perfect moment to see her crash and burn.

Clara's glare could've sliced through steel. "Shut your mouth. Before I shut it for you."

"Ooh, scary," Kelly drawled, raising a brow.

"Try it, sweetheart. See if you can get within two steps of me without breaking a bone. Yours, obviously."

Clara's cheeks turned a furious red, and she looked ready to fling the withered root at Kelly's face.

Florence, sensing things could only get uglier, jumped in.

She flashed a desperate smile at Kelly, like a drowning woman begging for a hand. “Miss Kelly Kington, we're from the Lancaster group-your partner in a few deals, remember?"

"Didn't you say you wanted the Verdantheart Root? We'll sell it to you for just ten million. A bargain, right?"

Florence shoved the boxed root toward Kelly, her face hopeful-almost pleading.

Kelly scoffed like Florence had just handed her trash from the gutter. "Ten million for worthless garbage you bought for five? I'm rich, but I'm not stupid." Her derision hit them like a slap in the face.

Jack, never one to keep his mouth shut, stomped forward.

"I tried selling it to Kelly before for ten million, and she was all for it until your 'smart' sister here threw a tantrum! We could've made a killing!"

"Jack, shut it," Clara snapped, but he just puffed out his chest as if he'd done everyone a favor.

Florence, sweating bullets, hustled back to Kelly.noveldrama

Her voice shook with desperation. "Alright, fine, if ten million is too high, let's settle

on five million. I know your Kingston family has money to spare-you won't regret

it. And the root did come from some foreign king's land, right? That's gotta be worth something."

"Ten million is too high? That's hilarious. You honestly think I'm short on cash? Please-I'm so 'poor' that all I have is money."

Kelly rolled her eyes. "Yet, a withered weed from some no-name kingdom? Wow, what an investment. Hard pass."

Florence's face paled. She dropped her gaze, swallowing her pride. "Two million, then. Two million to take it off my hands. Please."

Kelly's lip curled in disgust. "Do I look like I'm running a charity? That thing isn't even worth a penny. You'd have to pay me to haul it away."

Florence's voice cracked, tears brimming as she glanced around at the crowd.

"How about half a million? Half a million dollars-please, someone!" She could almost taste her own humiliation, but she had no choice.

Better to salvage something than eat a total loss.

Kelly snorted, crossing her arms. "This must be a new world record for pathetic." Just when Florence looked ready to collapse, someone spoke from behind Kelly.

"I'll take it for half a million," Alex said, stepping forward.

Kelly shot him a disbelieving look. "What? Are you sure?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "We might be able to save a portion of it. Research, you know. Even if it's dried up, it could have some samples worth studying."

Florence, not about to question her good luck, shoved the wooden box into Kelly's hands and wiped the sweat off her brow.

"No take-backs! I'm transferring ownership right now!"

Kelly shook her head in disbelief but sighed. "Alright, I'll wire the money. Give me your details."

In the blink of an eye, Florence rattled off her account info, and the funds were sent.

The official receipt popped up on her phone, showing half a million dollars.

Relief washed over her features-though it was a bitter victory.

Kelly peered at the sad, crumpled root in her hand. "I really hope there's something usable in this nasty husk,"

she muttered.

Alex gently took it from her, ignoring the curious stares all around.

He knelt, prying open the brittle exterior.

For a moment, he rummaged inside, and the crowd watched in tense silence, half expecting dust to pour out.

Then he stood up, cradling more than a dozen tiny emerald green beans in his palm.

They gleamed under the overhead lights, as if lit from within.

One of them even showed a slight crack, a seedling beginning to sprout.

"Wait, what the hell are those?" Kelly asked, forehead creasing.

Mr. Walter, the shop's owner, froze in place. His jaw fell open. "No way... Are those what I think they are? Emerald Verdantheart Root seeds?!"

That single sentence slammed the brakes on every conversation in the shop. People craned their necks for a better look, eyes widening in shock. "Emerald Verdantheart Root?" someone whispered, half in awe, half in disbelief. Walter nodded, excitement buzzing in his voice.

"Yes! The rarest strain of the Verdantheart Root," Mr. Walter breathed, eyes shining with awe. "A normal Verdantheart is already invaluable, but an emerald variant? That's practically legend-worth a hundred times more. And these aren't just remnants; they're seeds, the promise of new life. An astounding find, truly."

A ripple of astonishment swept through the crowd. Some gasped; others looked suddenly sick with envy.

"Hundreds of times more valuable?" Kelly repeated, her voice almost squeaking. "You're serious? How much are

these seeds even worth?"

Mr. Walter's gaze shone with excitement as he pointed toward the glowing seeds. "I've only ever read about these in ancient tomes," he said, voice trembling with

awe.

"But if you brought these to auction, the bids would easily kyrocket past a hundred million dollars-maybe even higher. People everywhere have been dying to grow the rarest strain of the Verdantheart Root."

A stunned hush washed over the room. People stared, jaws lack, at those tiny green seeds that were suddenly more valuable than all their fortunes combined.

Florence looked like someone had just punched her in the gut. "H-hundred million...?" she stammered, voice cracking.

Mr. Walter nodded grimly. "At least. There's just no telling how high the bids could climb."

Clara felt her knees go weak.

She grabbed the counter to steady herself, her face ghost-white.

The notion that the “trash” root she'd just offloaded for half a million might actually

be a king's ransom made her stomach twist.

No one spoke. The magnitude of what just happened spread through the crowd

like wildfire, leaving everyone rattled.

Especially Clara and Florence.

They'd held a fortune in their hands, only to hand it over on a silver platter-and

with that last horrifying realization, it was all they could do not to scream.

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