Chapter 2 Stone Gambling
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Emerald Street.
When Julissa came back here, it felt like she was in a whole different world.
She had spent three years cooking and cleaning, and she missed those precious stones so much.
Archdale was where most of the world’s jade came from. There were lots of valuable treasures here. Most of the mines were controlled by two big families.
One was the Diaz family, who had a hand in both the legal and illegal worlds and had made it this far through cun- ning and boldness.
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The other was the Fowler family. They had been around for generations and had a great reputation.
There were also some small mines that no one owned. The miners dug up the stones and brought them to Emerald Street to sell.
The stalls on both sides of the street were simple and kind of worn out, with some even made of waterproof cloth and clothes–drying racks. But among all the stones, there were a few that were really valuable.
But now…
Julissa checked her balance: 6,000 dollars.
It was far from enough.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a guy frowning as he examined two stones.
The stones had thick skins, and even with a light, it was hard to tell what was inside. But they seemed to have good quality. Even an experienced hand would hesitate with this kind of choice.
The price wasn’t high, but there was a chance to get something good.
But if the guy bought both, it took the fun out of gambling on stones.
Julissa quietly walked over and pointed to the one on the right.
“This one is better.”
The guy was wearing a light–colored shirt with a slightly open collar, showing off his fair skin. He had wire–rimmed glasses and sharp features.
He was completely different from the rough men who usually bought stones on Emerald Street.
He turned and gave Julissa a polite smile.
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Chapter 2 Stone Gambling
“You haven’t even looked closely. How can you be sure this one is better?”
Julissa raised an eyebrow.
“Why not give it a try?”
The guy hesitated.
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“I figure the boss priced it at 8,500 dollars. I’ll put in 5,000 as a stake. If it flops, it’s on me. If it pays off, we split it down the middle. Deal?”
The guy’s eyes flickered with surprise.
He thought, “This girl just got here, and she can tell the boss asked 8,500 dollars for this stone?”
Under Julissa’s terms, whether the stone’s value rose or fell, he wouldn’t lose much money.
“Yes or no?”
“Yes!”
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The stone had a thick skin. On Emerald Street, few would gamble on such an uncertain stone. When it was cut, many onlookers were skeptical, thinking Julissa was just a tourist who got ripped off and was still smiling about it.
But when a corner was sliced off, a deep, lustrous green emerged.
The crowd gasped.
If that color ran through the stone, it would be worth at least hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Julissa strolled back with a cup of coffee and saw the cutter being careful, not daring to make another move. She grabbed a pen and drew a line right down the middle of the stone.
“Cut right here.”
If the stone was cut bit by bit, the sun would set. She was waiting to make some money and enjoy the nightlife.
“Miss,” the owner of the jade stall next door couldn’t help but speak up. “This is your first time cutting a stone, right? It has revealed some green. To make sure you keep as much of that color as possible, you have to go slow.”
He looked friendly, but his calculating gaze was hard to hide.
“I’ll offer you 35,000 dollars. Sell me the stone.”
Another shop owner chimed in, “It’s just a bit of green on the surface. Once you cut further, you’ll find lots of cracks. You won’t even be able to sell it for 35,000 dollars then.”
“The skin of this stone is so thick, and the quality won’t improve. If you keep cutting, it’ll probably turn out worth- less.”
“It’s beginner’s luck. It looks promising at first, but the deeper you go, the more you’ll learn the hard way.”
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Chapter 2 Stone Gambling
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The crowd was buzzing. They thought Julissa was a young girl who had stumbled upon a good stone, and they were trying to swindle it from her.
Julissa didn’t bother with them and turned to the guy she was cutting the stone with. He stood quietly, his fair skin bathed in the glow of the setting sun. His deep eyes seemed to know what she was thinking.
He smiled, “It’s your call.”
Julissa nodded with satisfaction. “Cut it!”
The cutter cut the stone along the line she had drawn, and sure enough, the emerald green was perfectly preserved in one half. The other half had a faint blue color. There were some cracks, but the quality was quite good.
That one cut had brought out the stone’s best value.
Everyone gasped in disbelief, looking at Julissa. She was so young. There was no way she got lucky!
a Stall owners started crowding around, wanting to talk to her.
In the jade business, money wasn’t the problem. What they really wanted was her amazing talent.
“Let’s go,” the guy who had been standing next to Julissa said quietly.
He picked up the stone, put his arm around her to protect her, and led her away from the crowd.
It wasn’t until they got to an open space that Julissa let out a big breath.
She finally had a chance to take a good look at the guy.
He had a cool, confident vibe, not like a tourist or an apprentice.
“Who are you?”
The guy smiled but didn’t answer. Instead, he said, “This stone is worth at least 350,000 dollars. Give me your card number.”
Ding!
Julissa saw the notification on her bank card.
500,000 dollars!
She was a bit stunned.
“Didn’t we agree to split it fifty–fifty?”
“The extra is my tuition fee,” the guy said, handing her his business card. “I’m in your crew now.”
With that, he walked away.
Julissa stared at the name on the card, completely bewildered.
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Chapter 2 Stone Gambling
Zayne Fowler.
Wait.
The second son of the Fowler family?!
By the time she looked up again, the guy was already gone.
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When Julissa left Emerald Street, it was getting dark. During her three–year marriage, she sat quietly in front of a ta- ble full of food every night, waiting for Reece to come home.
But he hardly ever came back.
Now that she was finally free, didn’t she deserve to have some fun?
She walked around Emerald Street for a bit, then took a taxi to Velvet Club.
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It was the fanciest place in Archdale. It had an old Gothic style. Unlike regular nightclubs with all the neon lights, it only had a thin layer of soft light outside, making it luxurious yet low–key and mysterious.
They had the best drinks in the country here. It was said that the boss was a big deal, and they got their drinks through some special channels. So even rich people from other places came here for the name.
Julissa had 500,000 dollars in her pocket, thinking it should be enough to buy a few drinks at least.
But when she got to the door, she was stopped.
“Sorry, we’re booked for a private event tonight. No outsiders allowed. Do you have an invitation?”
Invitation?
Julissa shook her head.
To book the whole Velvet Club, it took more than just money. They needed power, influence, and connections.
Only a handful of people had that kind of clout in Archdale.
As Julissa thought this, a name came to her mind.
Maybe his old flame was back, and he booked the place to throw a welcome party.
Julissa felt a strange, uncomfortable sensation, like bugs were crawling inside her.
Just as she was about to leave, a Maybach quietly pulled up to the entrance. Reece got out of the car, dressed in a sharp black suit.
He walked around to the other side of the car and carefully helped Cristina out.
Julissa glanced at Reece’s tightly knotted tie and then at Cristina’s revealing outfit.
She thought, “Tsk, that bitch sure knows how to hold back!”
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