Chapter 188
Chapter 188:
“Yelena, cut the nonsense. Stop trying to mess with our heads. I’m not falling for it,” he shot back, his irritation barely contained. “Just get ready to lose p>
A murmur rippled through the crowd. Whispers spread like wildfire as people started to wonder if Yelena was really cursing Roger’s luck.
Yelena simply shrugged, her expression unreadable. She wasn’t about to waste energy explaining herself. They’d all see soon enough.
The shop owner, clearly on edge, couldn’t hold his tongue anymore. He spoke up, his tone sharp. “Young lady, I advise you to hold your words. This stone is about to reveal a fine emerald. There’s no need for all this negativity p>
Yelena nodded, unfazed. “Fine. Keep going, then.” With that, the shop owner made the second cut.
This was the moment of truth—the critical slice that would either prove Roger’s theory or shatter his confidence.
The room fell into a heavy silence as everyone held their breath, eyes fixed on the stone and the shop owner’s every move.
The shop owner, sweat beading on his forehead, noticed the faint veining running alongside the green hue. His pulse quickened. If this cut revealed a full emerald, it could skyrocket in value, easily reaching over ten million dollars.
With a steadying breath, he resumed his work, slicing carefully and deliberately. But then, something was off.
The shop owner froze, his hand gripping the machine a little too tightly. Something was wrong.
He knew that when cutting through a stone containing emeralds, the process was usually effortless, smooth as silk. But now, the machine’s blade met an unfamiliar resistance, as if something was standing in its way, stubbornly blocking its path.
That familiar, unsettling feeling crept over him. No, it couldn’t be. The thought clawed at his mind, but he pushed it away.
Step into fiction with. com
His hands began to tremble ever so slightly, betraying the anxiety building inside him. He fought to steady himself, hoping—praying—that it wasn’t what he feared.
The shop owner hesitated for a moment, clearly feeling the pressure, but the crowd quickly urged him on.
“Come on, man! Keep going!” someone called out.
His face drained of color as he continued. Something didn’t feel right in his hands. The stone seemed off, its texture all wrong.
It was too loose, lacking the smoothness he was used to when cutting emeralds.
When he finally cracked it open, the room fell into stunned silence.
Everyone had been expecting a lush, green emerald inside, but instead, they were greeted with a dull, gray-white mass. There wasn’t a hint of green to be seen.
Roger stood frozen in disbelief. “This… this can’t be happening! I swear I saw green earlier p>
The shop owner let out a frustrated sigh, pounding his chest in defeat. This stone was supposed to be his golden ticket, the one that would bring waves of customers to his shop.
But now, it was nothing but a dead end. He’d been counting on the stone’s potential, but it had let him down miserably.
No green. Just junk.
Both Roger and Sonya couldn’t believe their eyes, but there was nothing they could do. The truth was staring them in the face.
The man who’d nearly offered a million dollars earlier let out a relieved laugh. “Dodged a bullet there. Good thing I didn’t buy it. Or I’d be the one crying right now. What a twist p>