5

I stared at Sebastian’s hand resting on Stanford’s small waist, and for the first time, I felt a slight sting over something that wasn’t even supposed to hurt. This feeling was so new to me—and I hated it. I knew exactly what it was. I was jealous of her.

And I shouldn’t be. Not over Niu’s brother, who was practically like a brother to me, too.

I looked away and turned my gaze to Stanford’s face. I think this was the first time I ever felt annoyed by her. She was one of our best clients because she was obsessed with fine jewelry. I used to like her because we shared the same passion—a love for jewelry.

But now, I wanted to take that back. I hated her. I hated her now that Seb’s arms were around her.

I smiled at her and greeted her, deliberately ignoring Sebastian. I didn’t want to look at his face and get distracted again. If I could roll my eyes at him, I would’ve done it ages ago.

“Hi,” I said to Stanford with a bright smile. “How are you?” I asked as I led them toward the VIP room where she could browse my latest collection of rare stones. That’s what Stanford liked about her jewelry—she chose the perfect gem, and I’d design the piece for her.

“Never been better, thanks to this very handsome gentleman here,” she said flirtatiously, running her hand along Sebastian’s chest. The bastard looked like he was enjoying it too—he whispered something in her ear that made her giggle.

I wanted to scrunch my face in disgust at what I was witnessing. They were flirting right in front of me!

I cleared my throat loudly to get their attention. Sebastian glanced at me with sultry eyes while Stanford clung to him, her arm draped around his neck. I rolled my eyes at him and cleared my throat even louder.

“Would you like to check our display first or head straight to the VIP room?” I asked her politely. As much as I hated her at the moment, she was still a client—I had to treat her right.

Stanford immediately pulled away from Seb and turned to me, wrapping her arm around him again in a showy, girlish way. “Let’s go straight to the VIP room. Seb and I have somewhere else to be after this.”

“Follow me, then.” I turned around and walked ahead, hearing her giggles trailing behind me.

I didn’t expect her to act like this—she always came off as strict and snobbish. This was the first time I saw her acting flirty. I shook my head. Sebastian Altamirano really was something else.

Donnie, one of my first employees, opened the VIP room for us. Once we were inside, I had them sit on a two-seater sofa before I stepped out to get the newly arrived luxury gemstones. Stanford had always been clear—she wanted unique pieces, and she even threatened to sue if I replicated any designs made specifically for her.

I signaled Amelia to bring and display the precious stones. These gemstones came from all over the world—from the common to the rarest—and this was why our clients kept coming back.

While I presented each piece to Stanford, I noticed Sebastian staring at me. He was seated beside her, making it easy for him to look my way without her noticing. I ignored him and continued explaining each gemstone.

“This pink diamond is a 68-carat oblong cut from Russia. It’s one-of-a-kind because of its size,” I said, handing it to her. She looked amazed, clearly fascinated by how massive it was. Stanford really had an eye for rare pieces—her eyes sparkled as she examined the stones.

“What do you think, Seb?” she asked him.

I looked at Sebastian, who was still staring at me and ignoring Stanford completely. I glared at him, worried she might catch him looking at me. I didn’t want to lose a client for something this ridiculous.

He simply curled his lip into a smirk before turning to Stanford, who was now occupied with another gemstone.

“This one’s better.” He picked up the red beryl and held it near Stanford’s neck. “Don’t you think so, sister?”

He looked at me darkly, as if there was some hidden meaning behind his words.

“Uhh, yeah. That one is a 50-carat heart-cut red beryl,” I answered nervously. I didn’t want to draw attention to myself—not in front of a client.

“Especially if you wore nothing but this,” Sebastian added.

My whole face turned red at what he just said—his eyes were locked on mine while he said it. And Stanford didn’t even notice.

“Okay, I’ll have this one. I want this gem hanging from my neck at Seb’s birthday party,” Stanford beamed.

His birthday was in two months—he would be turning 39.

I smirked at the thought. Sebastian nearing his forties only made him look more powerful and attractive. Aging was definitely working in his favor.

“Of course, Miss Stanford. I’ll send you the designs next week. Thank you so much for always trusting our shop. It’s a pleasure.”

Sebastian smirked at me one last time before walking out of the VIP room, his arm once again around Stanford’s waist.

My face soured at the scene.

He was flirting with me—he shouldn’t be—but then he had his hands all over Stanford.

And the most frustrating part? I was affected.

I didn’t want to entertain these feelings, but with Seb around, it was just too hard to ignore.