“Yeah...”
"Why are you so calm?!" Vega shouted as she grabbed her hair and frantically ran her fingers through it. "It's Xavier! Xavier of the Blaze family! The one we know!"
"I know! I was watching TV just now!"
"Then why are you so calm?!"
"What else should I be?" Serena scratched her forehead and casually glanced at the man beside her. "What do you think my reaction should be?"
"Of course, you should rush to confront Xavier!" Vega huffed, as if her own man had cheated on her. "Ask that scumbag why he keeps saying he loves only you, yet secretly flirts with a female celebrity! What does that even mean?! I thought he was a pure-hearted man and admired him quietly for years. If I had known he was like this, I would’ve—"
"Would’ve what?"
A lazy male voice interrupted, and Vega froze mid-sentence.
"Uh... How... How did you...?"
Xavier remained lying back on the couch, looking entirely laid-bac
Serena’s lips parted slightly, but she didn’t know how to explain it.She herself had no clue how it happened—how she suddenly seemed to possess some kind of supernatural ability, able to see through the outer layer of raw gemstones and clearly discern their internal structure.“What’s this? A secret technique you can’t talk about?” Mr. Bryan asked casually, his tone slow and deliberate as he noticed her hesitation.Serena let out an awkward laugh. “Uh… yep! Exactly! It’s a family secret. Can’t be shared!”“Ohhh…” Mr. Bryan stroked his beard thoughtfully but didn’t press any further.In the world of gemstones, there were indeed some unspoken rules. Some families had been in the gem appraisal business for generations. After centuries of refinement, they developed their own unique methods for evaluating stones. These techniques were their bread and butter&
The man turned slightly, glancing at her with a mix of curiosity and suspicion. “That stone could yield a flawless Paraíba core,” he said. “Even at two million dollars, it might still be a bargain.”“Please,” Serena said. “Trust me—don’t buy it.”He blinked. “You’re young. You don’t look like someone who’s spent decades in gemology. Why should I listen to you?”“Just this once,” she replied steadily. “Believe me. If it turns out I’m wrong—if there’s a flawless core in that stone—I’ll reimburse your bid. Every cent.”She wasn’t bluffing. The divorce settlement from Clint had left her with ten million. A few million? She could afford that.Something in her tone, her eyes, seemed to disarm him.He hesitated—then slowly lowered his paddle.Up on stage, the auctioneer raised his
A low, restrained outburst rang out, and the group of girls turned around in disbelief.“Christan, she... she bullied you like that! We were just standing up for you, how could you still... take her side and yell at us?!”The girls looked utterly aggrieved.Christan lowered his voice and said, “The police are here. Watch what you say!”“But, that woman—”“That’s enough!” Serena waved a hand impatiently. “Girls, you need to learn some restraint! Look at him—he knows how to read the room and assess the situation! If he acted as brainlessly as you all just did, who knows how much trouble he'd get into in his circle?”The girls were even more indignant when they heard that.“What are you talking about?! We’re loyal fans of Christan! How could we ever cause trouble for him?!”“This isn’t causing trouble?” Serena lifted h
Christan pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth, tilted his head, and gave her a look full of impatience. “I told you, I’ve seen plenty of tricks like yours. Drop the act!”“Hah.” Serena’s last ounce of patience vanished. She stepped into her car without another word.Bang! The car door slammed shut as she pulled it closed. She reached into the handbag on the passenger seat, grabbed her phone, and dialed 111.Outside the car, Christan watched her every move with cold eyes, sneering with a crooked grin. “Still putting on a show? With so many actresses in the entertainment industry, every single one of them could act better than you. Let’s see how long you’re planning to drag out this whole ‘hard to get’ routine.”Once the call was made, Serena rolled down the window. “Let me ask you one last time—are you going to move your car or not? If you move it now,
Frowning, Serena honked her horn, but the Jeep didn’t budge.Time was running out. With no choice, she rolled down her window, stuck her head out, and called, “Hey! Mind moving your car? You’re blocking the road!”Suddenly, the backseat door of the black Jeep opened, and a man dressed entirely in black stepped out, his baseball cap pulled low over his face.Serena’s heart skipped a beat. She quickly retracted her head, rolled the window back up, and instinctively locked the doors.Yep. He was definitely here for her.He stopped just outside her driver’s side door and knocked lightly on the window. His voice was deliberately lowered, “Miss Knowles, do you have a moment? Let’s talk.”“Who are you?” Serena asked warily, trying to make out his half-hidden face under the cap.“You don’t need to worry about that right now. Just come with me. Once we’re there, you’ll know.”The way he said it, so confident, like he was sure s
Exclusive Clinic, VIP Reception RoomThe expansive room was luxuriously decorated. Xavier lounged lazily on the semicircular sofa, his posture casual and unbothered.Henry paced back and forth in front of him, hands clasped behind his back, head lowered.“Dad! Stop pacing already! If you’ve got something to say, just say it!”Henry halted, glaring angrily at his son. “This is a huge deal, and you’re still acting like it has nothing to do with you? Can you ever stop giving me headaches?!”“I don’t think it’s that big of a deal,” Xavier replied nonchalantly.“Hmph!” Henry’s brows furrowed. “That Celia isn’t just some ordinary little star! The Ryder family has been in the arts for generations—they were once the presidential entertainers. They’ve got real backing and resources.”“She publicly