Hollywood Zenith



He reached the second half of the brochure, which was a bit interesting. His eyes shone, looking at intricate pictures which took up most of the space along with their specific names.

Alfa Romeo 8C2900 from 1938.

Aston Martin DB4 from 1959.

Bugatti No. 41 "Royal" from 1931.

1938 Drehaye 165 Convertible

Ferrari 250 from 1958.

These were all classic cars that you couldn't find in the market. It was impressive that Christie's could bring them all at once; even one of them could be the main item for any auction.

Samuel curled his lips; he understood why all these big shots were gathering today. It looked like he was lucky. Istanbul and Antonio, on his side, were going at the manual together, they had some information about the items, but it was best to discuss before bidding.

" What about you?" Samuel turned toward Darren and asked.

" Hmm, it's interesting, but we have most of the cars, and the one we don't have yet is outside my budget! How can I ask my mother for millions to buy one car? She will never agree, and you are to blame for it!" Darren grumbled.

" Why me?"

" Because you have your own business, she always hangs this fact over my head whenever I ask for a little more money!" Darren piled on, setting aside.

" Really? Your allowance is more than a million dollars per month, not adding common necessities; it's enough for a student, right?" Samuel replied.

" How do you know that?"

" Is that important? Alright, you can borrow my cars except a few, but you have to convince Aunt Aubrey first."

" She would never agree; why do you think she never let me drive our supercars?"

" It's your problem, but I will call her. She kept forgetting 'our' son has grown up." Samuel wiped his hypothetical tears. 

" Brother, how are you? Did something catch your eye? You can tell us beforehand so we can avoid fighting a bidding war." Istanbul leaned toward Samuel and asked in a low voice.

" I have some items in mind. Which ones are you interested in? Don't worry; I will concede for my brothers." They became very close over one drinking night. Samuel could form meaningful relationships quickly because he could literally see inside a person's soul if they had any ill intentions toward him.

"The 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C2900 and the 1938 Drehaye 165 convertible are good; we were thinking about these two." He was talking about both his and Antonio's choices.

" Really? I was thinking about Ferrari 250 and this Bugatti Royale; these look good." Samuel's choices were evident.

" These cars are good, but they don't have much horsepower for modern times. Also, there is the problem of their numbers, it is too small. I am afraid that there will be a price war which will make it harder for us to win. I think it is better to concentrate on these two cars." Istanbul shrugged; his family was loaded, but spending millions on cars was extravagant even for him.

He had to take out his emergency funds for today's occasion. If his old man knew he was using it for a car, he would be cut to death on the spot!

Darren only chuckled hearing their conversation; he knew why they were like this. Even people who knew about Samuel didn't know about his own business. They always thought he was using his family money which was why they thought Samuel was near their level in terms of personal wealth.

" I see. I will keep it in mind." Samuel was humble.

" I am here too! I will support him!" Darren tried to make himself useful.

" Also, if you truly want to buy a Ferrari, you can look at the last page. The one you pointed out first is Ferrari 250 from 1958, but it is inferior to the 250 GTO that came out in 1962; there were only thirty-nine produced that year, and they are highly coveted by collectors." Istanbul informed him Samuel didn't know much about these differences, but it did intrigue him.

" Good, I should get that."

" hehe, it will cost you a pretty penny. You can guess it is the main item for today's auction." Antonio chuckled.

" Okay, I will 'try' to get it."

While they were chatting, going over the brochure, a commotion started at the entrance of the auction. A short man arrived, surrounded by a few tall, overly muscled bodyguards, while other people kept whispering and staring at him entering the auction.

Samuel could tell that the man was haughty, looking around with slanted eyes and observing everyone in the room. He smirked and followed his men, coming toward the front row.

" Oh, it's the gas giant." Samuel recognized him immediately. He was sure about his identity by looking at the two blonde beauties by his sides. They were extra affectionate, with small pieces of clothes covering only their essential parts.

The bodyguards were slicing open a path and surrounding him, making him look intimidating. Antonio also looked at him, and his expression showed a visible reaction.

" You know him?" Samuel asked.

" Yeah, we have to know important Russian individuals." His eyes were sharp with a trace of contempt when he said it.

" Any recent beef?" Istanbul asked.

" You can say that." He was a little cautious as it was an ongoing event. It was not suitable to open this can of worms.

Mikhail was the head of a Russian Alpha group empire and was one of the nine existing oligarchs. Mr. Fridmansky was among Russia's top ten wealthiest people, but his actual wealth was unknown. 

He reached the front row with his people and looked around to see his competition. The blonde girls were still hugging his sides, showing compassion; he nodded to his bodyguard, who immediately understood what his boss wanted.

"Gentlemen, our boss is also in the first row, but we need two more seats for his companions. Can we please discuss among ourselves and give up two seats?" the bodyguards who stepped forward said politely but with a subtle hint of command.

Fuck, was this bodyguard a fool? Were they under the impression that it was still Russia? Everyone who heard it stared toward the front row. A storm was about to brew, and they might see a main event even before the auction started!