Chapter 686 - 682: Who Is the Better Buyer?

The attendant hesitated for a moment. Only after confirming Lord Quincy was serious did they bring the tray over to Cecilia Sterling and carefully place it on the coffee table in front of her.

Cecilia Sterling was meticulous. She first took a wet wipe from her pocket to clean her hands, then used a dry tissue to wipe away the residual moisture.

’She didn’t know if it would make a difference, but it was, at the very least, a show of respect for the treasure before her.’

The onlookers exchanged bewildered glances. ’Lord Quincy must be insane,’ they thought. ’To actually believe a young girl like her? To think she’ll really buy it?’

Just then, Cecilia Sterling slowly raised her hand. The eyes of everyone present immediately locked onto it, and Lord Quincy found himself growing unaccountably nervous.

Ignoring the surrounding distractions, Cecilia Sterling’s full attention was captivated by the beautiful jade before her. Up close, it was even more translucent and lovely, seeming to radiate a faint halo under the lights.

The moment her fingers brushed against the jade, a cool, refreshing sensation pooled at her fingertips. Its texture was exceptionally supple and smooth.

She had caressed exquisite gemstones set in high-end jewelry before, but she had never felt anything like this.

She traced a light circle on its surface with one finger. The jade remained translucent and refreshingly cool, never warming from the friction of her touch. ’How magical.’

The next moment, Cecilia Sterling set Yoda aside, reached out with both hands, and lifted the "pigeon’s egg."

The crowd gasped at the sight, and even Mr. Cole went rigid.

Lord Quincy’s pupils contracted. Just as he was about to speak, Cecilia Sterling looked up at him and said nonchalantly, "Lord Quincy, sell it to me."

Lord Quincy’s mouth fell open, and he swallowed the words that had been caught in his throat.

"What?"

"I like it." Cecilia Sterling cradled the pigeon’s egg in both hands and repeated earnestly, "Sell it to me."

A collective gasp swept through the onlookers.

"Is she for real? She’s just going to buy it?"

"What family’s heiress is she? Even if you’re rich, you can’t be that impulsive, can you? Buying something just because you like it?"

Lord Quincy was stunned as well. He forgot to tell Cecilia Sterling to put the item down, and he forgot to give her an answer.

After admiring it to her heart’s content, Cecilia Sterling gently set the item down and looked to Lord Quincy, awaiting his reply.

After a long moment, Lord Quincy suddenly laughed. He shook his head, momentarily speechless, then nodded.

"Young lady," he asked suddenly, "do you... know anything about jade?"

Cecilia Sterling shook her head. She truly didn’t.

"But does that matter?"

’In Cecilia’s eyes, it was a simple transaction. As long as one party was willing to sell and the other could afford to buy, what more was needed?’

Lord Quincy pursed his lips, clearly having his own thoughts on the matter. He looked at Cecilia for a moment before speaking slowly, "Young lady, you’ve had your chance to touch this treasure. That should be enough."

With that said, he shot a look at the attendant. The man nodded and, right before Cecilia Sterling’s eyes, lifted the item away.

Cecilia Sterling’s brow furrowed in confusion. "Do you think I can’t afford it?"

"That’s not it," Lord Quincy denied, shaking his head. "When I agreed to let you handle it, I was already mostly convinced you were serious."

"But... when you actually said you wanted to buy it, I found myself hesitating."

"No offense to your youth, but I personally feel this treasure deserves a better owner."

In other words, he felt it would be a waste to sell such a masterpiece to a novice like Cecilia Sterling.

Cecilia Sterling was far too clever not to understand, and no one else in the room was a fool, either. As tactfully as Lord Quincy had phrased it, everyone could read between the lines.

Cecilia Sterling laughed outright. It wasn’t a laugh of anger, but one of pure amusement at his ridiculous way of thinking.

In the next instant, the smile vanished from her face. When Cecilia Sterling looked up again, the amusement in her eyes was gone, replaced by a powerful aura that belied her age.

For a moment, Lord Quincy was taken aback by her sudden change in demeanor.

Cecilia Sterling nodded slowly, her tone laced with contempt. "Lord Quincy, the item is yours. It’s your right to sell it or not. No matter how much I may like it, I can’t exactly force your hand and make you sell it to me."

"But as your junior, I must say this: there is no such thing as a ’better buyer.’ This is a transaction. No matter how precious it is to you, in the end, it is a commodity. The ultimate meaning and value of a commodity lies in fetching a good price—specifically, the ideal price you’ve set for it."

With that, Cecilia Sterling glanced at Mr. Cole opposite them, her lips curling into a scornful smile. "Mr. Cole is obviously the more *ideal* buyer in your mind, Lord Quincy, yet he feels your ’treasure’ isn’t worth the price."

"I, on the other hand, am not haggling. I am willing to pay your asking price, which means I acknowledge the item’s value."

She turned her gaze back to Lord Quincy, raising an eyebrow. "So, from that perspective," she asked coolly, "between Mr. Cole and myself, who is the better buyer?"

Her words left Lord Quincy lost in thought.

The onlookers were dumbfounded, scarcely believing that the young woman who had been so polite and demure just moments before...

...could, in the blink of an eye, unleash such a powerful presence and refute Lord Quincy to his face without even flinching.

Her every word was firm and measured, neither servile nor overbearing. Her logic was sound, and every sentence she uttered was perfectly reasonable.

Instead of growing angry or embarrassed by Lord Quincy’s condescension, she had turned the tables and schooled him with her crystal-clear reasoning.

Such composure and audacity, all from a young woman who looked to be in her early twenties. And yet, it didn’t feel contradictory in the slightest, because the Cecilia Sterling standing before them was the very picture of innate, unquestionable authority.

After a moment, Lord Quincy seemed to realize how poorly he had spoken and tried to save face. "Young lady, in truth..."

But Cecilia Sterling was clearly not interested in what he had to say, nor in the "pigeon’s egg" any longer.

She simply raised a hand, cutting him off. "You don’t need to explain anything to me. Because the issue is no longer whether you are willing to sell. It’s that I no longer wish to buy."

With that, Cecilia Sterling scooped up Yoda, rose to her feet, and turned to leave the seating area.

The people behind her, awed by her presence, instinctively stepped aside, clearing a path for her.

"A pity, Lord Quincy," Mr. Cole couldn’t help but say with a sneer. "I’d say that young lady is quite remarkable. Selling to her would hardly have been an injustice to your ’treasure.’"

Lord Quincy flushed with embarrassment. "Please, Mr. Cole, don’t mock me."

Being so mercilessly "schooled" in public by a young woman was already humiliating enough.

Just then, another voice cut through the crowd from behind. "It’s rare for Lord Quincy to bring out such a fine treasure. Why not let me have a look?"