"Five minutes remaining until the auction commences. We request that all attendees take their designated seats," the melodious female voice echoed through the hall once more.
A collective murmur rippled through the room as the influential guests nodded and made their way towards their assigned places. The focus of every gaze was the elegantly draped stage at the far end of the hall. In the coveted front row sat the patriarchs and matriarchs of the three most powerful families in the region, accompanied by their eldest offspring, both sons and daughters.
