Chapter 50: Chapter 50: The Difficult Mr. Grant
Seraphina Sterling fought to control the fury erupting in her heart. ’Justin Hale, I crawled my way back from hell. I will spend my entire life dragging you down with me, so you can taste the agony of a burning heart and gnawed bones!’
Ginny Gable instinctively glanced at Seraphina Sterling. It was only for an instant, but she still caught the bone-deep hatred in her eyes. If she hadn’t seen it herself, she would never have believed such bright, beautiful eyes could hide such soul-crushing pain. It made her want to protect her.
"Oh? Does Officer Gable require a second opinion to handle a case?" Justin Hale followed her gaze and took notice of Seraphina Sterling.
He was aware of the events of the past two days, so he watched Seraphina Sterling with particular interest. A young girl, just a sophomore in high school, was somehow this talented at stone gambling! Even though she didn’t qualify for the second floor, she was hitting the jackpot with every bet down on the first floor—a place filled with mostly worthless stones. What’s more, she was using minimal capital to reap maximum profits! She had even been called a "partner" by the nation’s largest jeweler!
’Whose family does she belong to? Even an heiress groomed by a powerful clan wouldn’t be this exceptional!’
"You must be joking, sir. Since you can guarantee that Willow Hale won’t cause a scene again, you can take her away. But if there is a next time..." Ginny Gable pulled her gaze away and steeled herself to deal with Justin Hale. ’He’s definitely no ordinary man. I was sure of it the moment I saw him!’
"There won’t be a next time." Justin Hale also withdrew his gaze in a timely manner. ’What an interesting girl,’ he thought. ’Being stared at so intently by a man, yet she doesn’t flinch or show any shyness. She just keeps that warm, pleasant smile. That’s not the kind of composure a seventeen-year-old girl should have.’
’Justin Hale... To think we’d run into each other so soon. A full year earlier than in my past life. I, Seraphina Sterling, will become your lifelong nightmare!’
"Mr. Gallagher, I bring greetings from my father." Justin Hale walked up to Felix Gallagher and offered a proper bow befitting a junior, his demeanor humble and graceful as a gentleman’s.
"Hale is a lucky man, having a son like you to help run the company. Not like me, just a pile of old bones still worrying about business affairs." Felix Gallagher wore his signature smile, looking every bit the amiable elder.
"For the next five days, I hope you’ll go easy on me, Mr. Gallagher," Justin Hale said. His modesty left an excellent impression on the crowd.
"You don’t need an old man like me to go easy on you. As they say, the new generation surpasses the old! Don’t sell yourself short. We’ll each rely on our own skills." Felix Gallagher was not the type to sacrifice profit for the sake of his reputation.
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t mind letting Justin Hale win a few pieces of high-grade jadeite. But these were desperate times. If Jade Pavilion couldn’t secure more high-grade raw jade, it might not survive. Besides, in business, there are no fathers and sons, let alone seniors and juniors. Only the capable survive.
"See you tomorrow, then." Justin Hale maintained his gentle demeanor. As he was leaving, he glanced at Seraphina Sterling several more times, his dark eyes sweeping over her lovely face. His gaze was profound and inscrutable.
A sudden CRACK! Hughes’s heart leaped. He glanced at the splintered railing. ’Young Master,’ he thought, ’the Hale boy just looked at Seraphina Sterling for a second. He didn’t do anything. Is it really necessary to get this furious?’
’If you really can’t stand it, why don’t you just go downstairs? What’s the point of sulking up here? This railing will have to be repaired, you know!’
Seraphina Sterling’s eyes remained fixed on the backs of Justin Hale’s departing group. She told herself silently, ’The war between us has just begun.’
CRACK! Another sharp noise. Hughes scrambled to grab the railing before it could fall, then looked cautiously at Terrence Grant, whose expression was growing darker by the second. "Sir, Seraphina Sterling was looking at Willow Hale, not the Hale family’s young master!"
Terrence Grant shot Hughes a look, one of his phoenix eyes arching slightly. "She can look at whomever she pleases. What does that have to do with me?"
Hughes was speechless.
"Mr. Gallagher, I’ll be going up to the second floor tomorrow," Seraphina Sterling said, leaving with just that one sentence.
