Chapter 55: Chapter 55: Ripping Off Justin Hale (Part 1)
Following the Golden Thread Variety, several stones Seraphina Sterling had her eye on were snatched away one after another by Franklin Sutton and Justin Hale. And while they all revealed jade, it was only mid-grade—nothing as precious or rare as the Golden Thread Variety.
Felix Gallagher didn’t join in on snatching the stones. Seeing the stones Seraphina Sterling wanted get taken by those two several times over price, Felix offered more than once to lend her some funds, but she refused every time. Seraphina was too stubborn and too principled; even Felix Gallagher was helpless.
After another stone was snatched away from her, Seraphina Sterling set her sights on a two-million-dollar one. But this time, before she could even open her mouth, Franklin Sutton beat her to it. "I’ll offer three million!"
"Four million!" Seraphina Sterling shot back, raising the bid.
Franklin Sutton: "Six million!"
Seraphina Sterling: "Seven million!"
Justin Hale: "Ten million!"
Justin Hale jumped in again, driving the bid straight to the top. The last few stones had given him a taste of victory. He was here to take over the business Philip Hale had built! ’If I can’t sell raw stones, I’ll just sell finished jade! But first, I need enough jade pieces! This Stone-selling Convention is the perfect opportunity. Even the heavens are on my side!’
Although he didn’t know why Seraphina Sterling would rather lose five million than sell the jade to him, his method was clearly working. The stones he had just acquired had all produced jade. While none of it was top-grade, it was more than enough to save Philip Hale’s business.
Anger flushed Seraphina Sterling’s face. She glared fiercely at Justin Hale, took a deep breath, and grit her teeth. ’This is my absolute limit!’
"Eleven million!"
When Franklin Sutton saw Seraphina Sterling raise her bid again, he was taken aback. ’In the past few bidding wars, she backed down as soon as the price went up. Why is she so persistent this time? There must be something special about this stone! If it really contains top-grade jade, I don’t mind spending a bit more!’
"Twelve million!"
Justin Hale frowned slightly. Over ten million for a single stone was already an extremely high price; pushing it further was becoming unrealistic. But seeing Seraphina Sterling and Franklin Sutton fight over it so fiercely... ’It must contain exceptional jade!’
"Fifteen million!"
The second floor fell silent once again. Fifteen million. That was a price higher than a finished piece of mid-grade jade. Justin Hale truly lived up to his reputation as the young master of the Hale Family of Aethelgard—decisive and utterly unhesitating!
Unable to compete, Seraphina Sterling and Franklin Sutton could only back down. The astronomically priced stone ultimately fell into Justin Hale’s hands. All eyes, filled with anticipation, turned to the stone-cutting master. Everyone wanted to see what kind of superb jade a stone this expensive could possibly contain!
The master made the first cut—revealing a swath of gray, without a speck of green in sight. The crowd wasn’t too disappointed, however. The stone was massive, after all; no green on the first cut meant little. Remembering how Seraphina Sterling had just found the Golden Thread Variety in two separate pieces, everyone remained calm. Justin Hale, in particular, was the picture of composure, his expression unwavering.
But then the two pieces became four, four became eight, and eight became sixteen, yet there was still not even a shadow of jade to be seen.
This time, the crowd couldn’t hold back. Fifteen million! For absolutely nothing! Not even a sliver of mid-grade jade! What a catastrophic loss! Even if his previous gambles had been profitable, they were only minor wins. He had snatched those stones from Seraphina Sterling, so their initial costs were already high, and the jade they yielded was merely mid-grade. Factoring in this complete bust, Justin Hale’s losses weren’t just big—they were staggering!
