"I'll keep that in mind, Mr. Kwan," she tells him, and indicates Gray with her champagne glass. "But for now, I think our host is ready to begin."

Sure enough, a few minutes after Gray enters the other room, two of his men pull open the double doors and hold them as Gray return. "Dear friends," he says, smiling. "The auction will begin momentarily. Kindly make your way to your seats. Only one representative from each group, I'm afraid."

She turns to hand her glass to Steve, keeping her expression neutral. "Kindly wait for me out here, Mr. Devlin," she tells him, and smiles at Kwan as he puts a light hand on the small of her back to guide her towards the auction room.