The lights flickered back on.
The moment they did, gasps echoed across the auction hall.
The center of the stage… was empty.
The glass frame that had once held the legendary Mosalina was gone—completely vanished.
"W-What!?" Arion stumbled back, nearly dropping his mic. "Where… where is the painting?!"
He turned, shouting toward the side of the stage. "Check everywhere! Every room! NOW!"
Staff members rushed in all directions. Panic spread like fire through the hall.
"Seal the exits!" Arion barked. "Nobody leaves! Not a single guest, not even VIPs!"
Security guards sprinted to every exit, locking them down as murmurs and panic grew louder.
Trevor inside VIP Room 8 was frozen in disbelief. "It's gone… the painting's really gone!"
Gregory, face twisted in confusion, immediately dialed a number. "Master…" he said as the call connected, "is this your doing? Is this part of the plan?"
On the other end, silence.
Then, finally, a calm voice spoke. "Yes."
