Chapter 273
Chapter 274
Marcus scoffed at the man’s demand. He had no interest in getting into a pointless confrontation, especially when he was already preparing to leave.
One of the thugs stepped closer and pointed at the stone in Marcus’s hand. “What the heck are you saying, my friend? We want the stone you’re holding p>
Sapphire quickly stepped forward. “Yes, that’s the stone he bought. He already paid for it, and there are more stones available if you want to trade p>
The leader stared at Marcus for a moment before letting out a low laugh. “Ohhh, so you know this stone is full of gems, and that’s why you wanted to refuse to give it to us p>
Marcus frowned slightly. He didn’t want any trouble. He simply held the stone out a little.
“If you want the stone, you can p>
Before he could finish, Jackson suddenly chimed in.
“I wouldn’t advise you to buy that stone p>
Everyone turned toward him.
Jackson folded his arms confidently. “It doesn’t contain anything valuable. I can tell just by looking at it p>
The thugs stared at him.
The leader slowly turned his head toward Jackson. “Really p>
Jackson nodded confidently. “Absolutely. There’s barely any gem inside that thing, if there is any at all p>
Jessica glanced at Jackson, seemingly surprised by how confidently he had spoken.
Sapphire, however, remained silent. She knew exactly how often Jackson made such claims, and she also knew how often he ended up being wrong.
The leader walked toward Jackson until they were only a few steps apart. “You’re saying there’s nothing valuable inside p>
Jackson smiled and stated, “Yeah, there is, this lowlife know nothing about stone at all p>
Marcus heard Jackson’s claim and couldn’t help but scoff. He turned toward Troy, the leader of the group, and calmly held out the stone in his hand.
“Well, if you really want to leave this place with a stone, then take this one and check it yourself,” Marcus said. “I have no problem with that p>
Jackson immediately jumped in.
“Look at him!” he said, pointing at Marcus. “He wants to force that stone on you after wasting his money buying it. I’m telling you, it contains absolutely nothing p>
Marcus slowly looked at Jackson. He didn’t say anything.
There was almost a smile on his face because he could clearly see what Jackson was trying to do. Jackson wasn’t actually concerned about the stone. He simply wanted to embarrass Marcus in front of Jessica and the thugs.
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“I’ve been doing this for a while,” Jackson bragged. “I know stones. A stone like that contains nothing valuable p>
What Jackson didn’t realize was that his confidence came from something rather embarrassing. The previous night, he had spent hours researching stone trading online because he wanted to impress Jessica.
During his research, he had read about a particular type of stone that commonly contained little or no valuable material inside.
The stone Marcus had purchased looked almost identical to the one described in the article. Jackson/had convinced himself that he had become an expert overnight.
Troy stared at Marcus’s stone for several seconds before finally scoffing. “Fine. I believe him p>
He pointed toward the display shelves. “Give us another stone p>
Sapphire’s expression became uneasy.
Troy then looked directly at Jackson. “And you’re going to help us choose one p>
Jackson’s confidence suddenly disappeared for a moment..Jessica noticed it immediately. She looked at him nervously but didn’t say anything.
Jackson swallowed and forced himself to walk toward the shelves. Marcus simply stepped aside.
He decided to wait and see how this would turn out.
Jackson examined several stones, pretending to study them carefully.
After a few moments, he pointed toward a medium-sized stone.
“Pick this one,” he said confidently. “There should be a good amount of stone inside this p>
Troy picked it up and examined it.
“You’re sure p>
Jackson nodded quickly. “Of course p>
Troy’s expression remained serious.
“You know, I would be paying a lot for this if you’re directing me toward rubbish p>
Jackson’s throat suddenly became dry.
He had only picked the stone based on what he had read online. He had no real experience determining what was inside a sealed stone.
He swallowed nervously.
“It should be fine,” he muttered.
Troy handed the stone to Sapphire.
“Okay,” he said. “You can cut it. Let’s see what’s inside p>
Sapphire slowly took the stone.
Everyone gathered around the counter.
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Marcus remained silent, watching Jackson carefully.
Por the first time since entering the store, Jackson looked genuinely worried. He had only wanted to humiliate Marcus. Now, he was about to find out whether his little internet research had just gotten him into serious trouble.
Sapphire carefully placed the stone beneath the cutting machine and began slicing through it. The sound of the machine filled the shop as everyone watched in tense silence.
Jackson stood stiffly beside Jessica, trying to look confident. One of Troy’s men remained positioned at the entrance, making it clear that nobody was simply walking out of the store.
Minutes passed before Sapphire finally stopped the machine. She carefully separated the two halves.
Everyone leaned forward.
Then they saw it. A small, shiny gem was embedded inside the stone.
Troy’s eyes widened.
“This is a gem!” he exclaimed. “There is actually a gem inside p>
One of the thugs immediately stepped forward and pulled the gem out, holding it up under the store’s bright lights.
Jackson’s tense expression instantly disappeared.
A proud smile spread across his face.
He straightened his clothes and folded his arms as if he had known exactly what would happen from the beginning.
Troy turned toward Sapphire and handed her the gem.
“Take a look. Is it profitable p>
Sapphire examined it carefully, turning it around under the light before checking its quality.
After a moment, she nodded.
“This is a pure ordinary gem,” she explained. “It’s good quality, and based on the current market value, it’s worth around 1.5 million p>
The thugs looked at one another. They had bought the stone for one million. That meant they had made a profit of roughly five hundred thousand.
Jackson immediately stepped forward with a smug expression. “That is good enough,” he said proudly. “I told you. I know what I’m choosing p>
Jessica looked at him, clearly relieved that he hadn’t gotten them into trouble. Troy, however, didn’t look impressed.
He placed the gem back on the counter and shrugged.
“Well, at least we made a profit instead of taking a loss p>
Jackson’s smile twitched slightly. He had expected more praise.
Then Marcus stepped forward and then told Sapphire, “I want you to cut this stone also p>
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