Paragon Seven by Phoenix Ning

Author:Phoenix Ning [Ning, Phoenix]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Quinton Li Editorial
Published: 2023-05-29T16:00:00+00:00

Viridian Paragon

The auction was in full swing.

The warehouse was packed from wall to wall with patrons from all four sectors of the Federation. Men in shimmery suits and women in tight dresses sprawled on crimson couches, sipping wine. The auctioneer’s rapid-fire speech clashed with the bass-boosted pop songs blaring from the speakers. The live musicians had left thirty minutes ago. A long table laden with plates of leftover seafood ran parallel to a row of potted plants lining the side wall. It was dessert time, and attendees feasted on macarons and tarts.

Lanying raised her paddle for a porcelain vase, then lowered it when the bid soared above three hundred thousand. Junjie kept an eye on their briefcase of counterfeit cash. Chaewon and Azizi swapped jokes to distract themselves from hunger. The musty air rendered breathing difficult, and their masks didn’t help.

“Four hundred seventy thousand for this porcelain vase. Four hundred eighty thousand. Four hundred ninety thousand.”

A wave of paddles fell. Lanying resisted the urge to stare at the women munching on macarons on a couch nearby. She hadn’t had sweets since her freshman year. The Academy imposed a strict diet on all female students. No sugar. Low fat. Much protein.

“Porcelain vase at fifty hundred thousand. Going once. Going twice. Sold.”

The winner cheered and limped to the podium. He wore a mask and a black long coat, his salt-and-pepper hair tied back into a messy ponytail. The bald auctioneer congratulated the man and shook his hand. Beside Lanying, Chaewon gasped. The monster of fear possessed the actress, and her gaze snapped to the exit behind them, her fingers fidgeting.

“What’s wrong?” Lanying whispered.

Azizi kept joking about capitalism, but he stopped when Junjie placed a hand on his shoulder. Mirth died in Azizi’s eyes when Chaewon issued a quiet sob.

“That’s Crow,” the actress said.

Lanying tensed. “Are you sure?”

“The black feather tattoo on his neck.” Chaewon wiped away her tears. “It’s kind of hard to see from here, but I know it’s him.”

A lady started squealing, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. She pointed a bejeweled finger at the man who had just entered the warehouse. As if in a trance, every attendee rose to their feet and dipped their heads, the men beaming and the women blushing. Lanying and her friends joined in to avoid suspicion, but the serpent of disgust bared its fangs at Enzo Portelli’s lazy smile. The Vice Chancellor often claimed to champion minority populations with one breath then ushered in laws to oppress them with the next. The flippant Portelli heir settled on a crimson couch where two girls immediately draped themselves all over him. He was accompanied by half a dozen bodyguards with guns strapped to their belts. Everyone took their seats.

The urge to tear out the Vice Chancellor’s throat threatened to devour Lanying. And she would’ve done that two years ago had she not succumbed to the flu the day before her operation with Viviana. But so much had changed since then. Viviana’s reappearance puzzled Lanying, but she didn’t let herself dwell on the scorpion girl.

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