Chapter 54

Gianna was seething with frustration. She had spent 500, 000 on that raw stone, only to end up with a few worthless shards. It was an absolute disappointment.

Still, she clung to the belief that Grace wouldn't fare any better.

Grace looked over at her and said calmly, "Gianna, it's not too late to admit defeat and apologize. Once my stone is cut open and revealed, you might really regret it."

"No,I want to see this through to the end. Your stone hasn't even been cut. What makes you so sure you'll come out on top?" Gianna shot back, eyes narrowing.

She simply couldn't believe Grace could be that lucky,especially when her own premium-quality stone had yielded nothing.

Grace didn't bother replying. She had already extended an olive branch, and Gianna had slapped it away. In that case, she decided to keep things direct from here on out.

After all, she had years of experience in stone

gambling and was confident in her skills.

Close by, the seller began grinding and polishing the stone.

The first cut sent some debris into the air, but what lay beneath was nothing more than a dull gray surface.

No one looked surprised. It was almost as if they had already expected this outcome.

Gianna sneered inwardly, "What a show-off."

Julia was anxious. She worried her daughter would be disappointed if she didn't win.

But Grace stayed composed. "Sir, please try cutting it again from another angle."

The man followed her instructions and made the second cut.

"My God!" he suddenly cried, hands beginning to tremble.

This time, the texture of the stone was completely different-dense and firm, not brittle at all.

From the freshly cut surface, a rich, luminous green light shined. The texture was immaculate, and the color was vivid and consistent. It was top-grade jadeite, the crown jewel of the jade world, famed for

its intense emerald hue and prized beyond measure.

The crowd exploded in a collective gasp of astonishment.

"This translucency! This color! In thirty years of collecting jade, I have never laid eyes on something this divine!"

"Look at that! The green changes with the light. It's mesmerizing!"

"Heavens above! How could a stone so plain on the outside hide something this extraordinary? It defies belief."

"Seriously, is that even real?"

"I would bet my reputation on it. It's the real deal."

In a heartbeat, jewelers pushed forward, their voices rising in a chaotic chorus of bids.

"Thirty million! Sell it to me, young lady!"

"I'll give you fifty million. I'll pay in cash right now!"

The scene erupted into chaos as the crowd surged with excitement.

The seller was practically kicking himself in regret,never in his wildest dreams expecting that the most

overlooked stone in his entire collection would produce such a treasure.

It was,without a doubt, the finest piece his humble booth had ever seen.

Grace's luck was nothing short of astonishing.

His gaze shifted to Grace, taking in her calm expression and eyes clear as crystal, brimming with quiet confidence. Despite her youth, there was something undeniably commanding about her presence. Though a pang of envy twisted in his chest,he still managed a gracious smile and said,"Congratulations to this young lady for uncovering a top-grade jadeite."

Naturally, he didn't miss the chance to turn the spotlight back on his booth, eyes gleaming with the hope that others would now rush to buy.

Gianna stood frozen, her expression blank with disbelief. She staggered back a few paces, eyes wide.

Then, staring at the luminous jadeite, she suddenly rushed forward, her voice rising in panic. "No way! This has to be fake! You cheated!"

Grace firmly grasped Gianna's wrist, her expression hardening. "Gianna, once you make a bet, you accept the result."

Gianna glared at her and asked, "Did you do this intentionally?"

A faint, unreadable smile curved across Grace's lips."You're giving me far too much credit. I was just lucky."

Lucky? That single word was enough to make Gianna's blood boil. She had thought thesame once,but now,watching Grace so composed, she couldn't help but admit that Grace knew what she was doing. How else could she have chosen the most unremarkable-looking stone and revealed such a stunning jadeite?Without some real skill up her sleeve, how could she possibly pull this off? Could she have been set up from the start?

The more Gianna thought about it, the more her anger festered.

"Do you remember our bet? Surely you are not thinking of backing out now?" Grace asked calmly

Gianna felt a knot rise in her throat.

Grace wanted to see her utterly humiliated.

But the bet had been made publicly. If she went back on her word now, what would everyone think of her?She was well and truly caught between a rock and a hard place.

She glanced toward Julia, silently begging her to tell Grace itwas all just a joke and that she shouldn't take it seriously. But Julia only met her gaze and stayed silent.

Grace saw right through her thoughts.

"What's the matter? Can't handle losing? You don't really think this bet was a joke, do you? Your fierce attitude earlier didn't look like one."

Gianna's cheeks flamed red. "So, what exactly do you want?"

"Own up to your loss. Since you made the terms,run around the venue shouting that you are an idiot,"Grace replied flatly.

Backed into a corner with no escape in sight, Gianna had no choice but to go through with it. All eyes locked onto her as if she were some rare creature on display at the zoo. She wanted the earth to open up and swallow her whole. Never in her life had she felt such bone-deep humiliation.

She vowed deep down that she would find a way to settle the score.