There was an audible gasp in the room and then a moment of silence as the velvet curtain was drawn and the vase was unveiled. The white sphere in front of them was hundreds of years old and yet the clarity of the diamonds that encircled it were still astounding. The auction began and paddles were raised in the air, each bidder hungrier than the last to claim it for themselves but it was already hers — she would not be leaving without it.