Chapter 192
Chapter 192:
Not far from the shop, John stood frozen in disbelief when he spotted Yelena. What was she doing here?
He couldn’t reconcile the image of her casually strolling through the market with what he had just overheard.
A man standing nearby pointed toward Yelena, his voice tinged with admiration.
“See that young girl? She’s incredible. She managed to pick out a tiny raw stone that later revealed a high-quality emerald p>
“Really? It must’ve been luck. She’s so young p>
“Didn’t look like luck to me. She ignored all the ‘good’ stones and seemed confident when she tapped the one she chose. Like she knew exactly what she was doing p>
“You should’ve said something earlier. I might’ve asked for her help. Looks like I just missed my chance p>
“Well, too late now. She’s leaving. Maybe if we’re lucky, we’ll cross paths with her again p>
John blinked, still trying to process what he’d just heard. Yelena did what?
He quickly pulled out his phone and dialed Austin.
On the other end, Austin had just wrapped up a long morning of work and answered with a hint of irritation. “This better be important p>
“Hey, guess where I just saw your girl,” John said, his excitement bubbling through the line.
Austin frowned, his tone sharp with confusion. “What girl? Did you hit your head or something p>
John was always coming up with something wild or out of left field.
Lã Ç♄₳þŧëяŞ Iη
“Yelena, of course!” John exclaimed, sounding utterly confident. “Don’t act clueless. Don’t you have a thing for her p>
Austin definitely had feelings for her, but his pride wouldn’t allow him to acknowledge it, even to himself. Austin’s irritation morphed into a brief silence before he responded, his tone guarded. “You saw Yelena p>
“Yeah,” John replied, clearly enjoying himself. “At the gemstone market. I told you to come with me, but no, you couldn’t be bothered. Now look what you missed p>
“Spare me the snide remarks. If I wanted to see Yelena, it wouldn’t be that difficult p>
The real problem was finding a believable reason to see her without coming off as some sleazy rich guy.
“Come on, man. If you want to win her over, you’ve got to step up your game. Need some pointers?” John asked with a sly grin, brimming with the confidence of someone who fancied himself a love guru.
Austin rolled his eyes, his tone as cool as ever. “No thanks. I’ll pass.” The mere thought of employing John’s over-the-top, cheesy tactics made Austin inwardly cringe. Besides, his feelings for Yelena were still a tangled mess—more of a budding curiosity than fully bloomed affection.
He needed time to understand them, to explore this unfamiliar territory without rushing in blindly. For someone who had always been in control of his emotions, this was entirely new ground, and he wasn’t about to stumble forward recklessly.