Chapter 186: A Keen Eye

Chapter 186: Chapter 186: A Keen Eye

Vesper Grayson scanned the selection. The raw stones with flashy rinds and prominent "moss" veins were all on the pricier side.

A five-thousand-yuan stone was a bit of a gamble.

’I should have asked for a bigger budget. This is making it hard to choose.’

Finally, her gaze landed on a rather unremarkable raw stone in a corner of the shelf. The stone’s overall appearance was plain, its grayish-white rind looking simple and dull. It had no exaggerated "pine flowers" or eye-catching patterns, blending in completely with the other stones, making it easy to overlook.

But she noticed its rind was tight and fine, with a uniform and mature sand layer. It felt heavy in her hand, suggesting it was exceptionally dense.

She raised the jade-inspecting lamp and slowly shone it on the stone. The light was reserved and gentle, not shallow or scattered. A warm, gelatinous quality seemed to glow from within. There were no messy black spots, nor any obvious cracks.

Combining the tips the manager had just taught her with the experience she’d gained from years of watching live streams, she could tell this stone had a clean base and a mature, reserved quality. It might just hold a hidden treasure.

The price was also appealing: nine hundred ninety-nine yuan and ninety cents!

Jared Hawthorne followed her gaze, and a muscle in his temple twitched.

"This is the one!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Honey, I have money. You don’t actually have to stick to a tight budget. You can pick something better."

For someone dressed in an outfit worth millions, picking a raw stone that cost less than a thousand yuan was somewhat unexpected.

Vesper Grayson said, disgruntled, "Weren’t you the one who just told me to pick whatever I wanted?"

"Fine! As long as you like it." Jared Hawthorne didn’t have high hopes, but in any case, he could afford to lose.

Rex Lambert had chosen a stone for four thousand nine hundred yuan. Seeing she had only picked one for nine hundred ninety-nine, he couldn’t help but chuckle.

"Mrs. Hawthorne, are you letting me win on purpose?"

"Not at all. I think this one is quite good."

"You can still exchange it before it’s cut. Are you sure this is the one?"

"No need. I’ll take this one."

’I spent all this time searching and finally found one I like. There’s no way I’m changing it now.’

"Alright, let’s go get them cut then." Rex Lambert hefted the raw stone in his hand. Though it was only the size of a goose egg, it was Moxi Sha material and showed good signs: an old-mine "cement" rind, tight and oily skin, and it was translucent with fluorescence under the light. It shouldn’t be too bad.

It was a stone that was almost guaranteed to increase in value once cut. As for how much, that was up to fate.

The stone in Vesper Grayson’s hands was twice the size of Rex Lambert’s. It looked dusty and gray, and if you tossed it in a pile of rubble, it would probably be mistaken for an ordinary rock.

The manager immediately arranged for a craftsman to cut the stones on-site.

"Ladies first!" Rex Lambert gestured for her to go ahead.

Vesper Grayson pressed her lips together. "Mr. Lambert, you already yielded to me once. You should go first this time."

Rex Lambert smiled and handed his raw stone over.

The craftsman secured the stone. The grinding wheel slowly began to turn, sending bits of stone flying.

A single, clean cut sliced the stone in half. The cut surface revealed a decent "water head" and fine-textured jade. While it wasn’t a top-tier piece, its quality was upper-mid-grade. It was worth several times more than its purchase price.

Someone in the crowd shouted, "I’ll give you fifty thousand for that stone! What do you say, pal? You selling?"

Rex Lambert didn’t answer. His gaze fell on Vesper Grayson, a playful, confident look in his eyes as if victory was already his.

Vesper Grayson bit her lip and placed the unremarkable stone in the craftsman’s hands.

The craftsman, following standard procedure, made his cuts cautiously, avoiding the stone’s grain as he slowly ground down the rind to open a "window."

The grinding wheel worked meticulously, peeling away the coarse, sandy rind layer by layer. The moment the dusty gray shell was gone, a streak of clear, translucent, deep blue was unexpectedly revealed.

Its color was rich and pure, its texture clear and flawless. The crystal was translucent and clean, its luster both warm and coolly stunning. It wasn’t jadeite—it was an extremely rare, natural raw sapphire.

The entire room fell silent.

"My god! What kind of insane luck is that? They actually cut an aquamarine!"

"She’s truly blessed by the heavens. How long has it been since The Jade Pavilion cut a stone like this?"

Sounds of envy murmured through the crowd.

The smile on Rex Lambert’s face froze, a trace of astonishment filling his eyes.

"It seems my wife’s luck in stone gambling is far better than mine."

A faint smile touched Jared Hawthorne’s lips. He looked at Rex Lambert and said flatly.

"You lose."

Vesper Grayson finally snapped out of her utter shock, only to be overwhelmed by a tidal wave of joy. She subconsciously squeezed Jared Hawthorne’s arm.

"Honey, pinch me. Am I dreaming?"

She had thought it was a total loss, never imagining the tables would turn so dramatically. This sudden, delightful surprise hit her with full force.

How could Jared Hawthorne ever bear to hurt her? He gently stroked the top of her head, his voice low and soft. "It’s real. Mrs. Hawthorne is having a very lucky day."

Just as he finished speaking, a sudden, crisp round of applause broke the surrounding atmosphere.

"A good eye, and good luck."

"To cut a top-grade aquamarine from an inexpensive raw stone that cost less than a thousand yuan... Miss Grayson, it’s truly breathtaking."

Vesper Grayson turned toward the voice, and her eyes filled with astonishment when she saw the person’s face.

"Mr. Whitman?"

"Miss Grayson, it’s been a while."

Chadwick Whitman walked over slowly. His gaze paused for a moment on Rex Lambert before he gave a composed nod of acknowledgment.

"To think Mr. Whitman has time to personally inspect his stores." Rex Lambert’s expression was indifferent, his tone laced with a hint of cold sarcasm. "The standard of your store’s appraisers is worrying. To overlook such a high-quality piece of raw material..."

"No one is infallible. Even with vast experience, it’s inevitable one will make a misjudgment from time to time."

Vesper Grayson took the opportunity to lower her voice and whisper a reminder to Jared Hawthorne.

"He’s Chadwick Whitman, the son of the richest man, Jenson Whitman."

Jared Hawthorne’s eyes narrowed slightly, but he remained silent.

Chadwick Whitman’s gaze returned to Vesper Grayson. He spoke sincerely, "Miss Grayson, forgive my forwardness. This top-grade raw aquamarine is exceptionally rare. I was wondering if you would be willing to part with it? I’m prepared to buy it at a high price."

Top-tier treasures were always found by chance, not by searching.

"Of course."

Vesper Grayson agreed readily.

Back at the hotel, the Whitman Family had helped her escape smoothly. If she had fled alone back then—penniless and with nowhere to go—the consequences would have been unimaginable had her kidnappers found her.

She had remembered that favor.

A flicker of surprise crossed Chadwick Whitman’s eyes. He then motioned for his assistant to bring a blank check and a pen, wrote out a check for one hundred million, and handed it to her.

Vesper Grayson was stunned. "This price is far too high."

’The stone only has a window cut into it; it hasn’t been fully opened yet, so there’s still risk. What if the inside is full of cracks and impurities, isn’t fully formed, or has faults? Wouldn’t he be taking a huge loss?’

This was the first time Chadwick Whitman had ever seen someone complain about being paid too much. One hundred million was already the ceiling price for such a stone. A large part of his reason for offering it was to repay her for saving his father, Jenson Whitman.

"Miss Grayson, please don’t worry about it. Consider the extra amount a token of gratitude for saving my father’s life."

’When I saved Jenson Whitman, it was also a way of saving myself, so we were even. But he’s so sincere. If I keep refusing, I’ll just seem pretentious and calculating.’

For the son of the richest man, a fortune of hundreds of millions was nothing more than a drop in the bucket.

"In that case, it would be rude to refuse."

Vesper Grayson stopped demurring. She reached out, took the check, and carefully tucked it into her purse.

Just then, Rex Lambert’s phone rang.

After a moment on the phone, his expression turned grim and cold, and a harshness settled over his features.

"Jared, I have to deal with something urgent. As for that mine, I’ll have someone handle all the paperwork and transfer it to your name immediately."

"Don’t worry about it. Go take care of your business," Jared Hawthorne said with a slight nod.

After Rex Lambert turned and strode quickly away, his figure disappearing through the doorway, Chadwick Whitman spoke gently, his eyes filled with a bit of curiosity.

"And this must be Miss Grayson’s husband?"