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Chapter_99
Just a few moments ago, Emmett had returned from the restroom and, as he passed through the first-floor exhibition hall, noticed Yvette standing near a raw emerald, casually fiddling with her phone.
Emmett thought to himself, Her? He recognized her immediately. He had seen Yvette at the police station earlier when Jeremiah rushed back to Seacrity from an important military meeting to pick her up. It was clear from that moment how much she meant to Jeremiah. In all the years Emmett had served Jeremiah, he had never seen his usually composed boss show such affection for anyone.
If nothing drastic occurred, Yvette’s future status would be unmatched. If Jeremiah had chosen her, no one could stand in his way. But Emmett couldn’t help but wonder: What made Yvette so special? There were so many high-society women in Betrico—what set Yvette apart? Was it her beauty? There were plenty of beautiful women around, so why her? Before he could ponder this further, Emmett headed back to the VIP room on the second floor to report to Jeremiah.
Meanwhile, on the first floor, Edward was still pushing Martin to bid on the raw emerald, trying to provoke him into making a move.
But Martin wasn’t foolish. He could sense that Edward was not being generous. As his doubt grew, Martin began to cool off and said, “If you want it so badly, Mr. Jones, go ahead and take it.”
Edward’s face twisted with frustration as he saw that Martin had no intention of bidding. He had heard rumors about the raw emerald—its green surface was highly suspicious. If Martin had made the purchase, it would have pushed the Garcia family into the lead this year in the jewelry industry. However, all of that was ruined by Yvette’s interruption.
Edward’s eyes gleamed with malice. He had connections with local gangs, so dealing with Yvette wouldn’t be an issue for him.
Meanwhile, Martin’s attitude toward Yvette had changed. He now had a newfound respect for her, though he chalked it up to coincidence. After all, it was just the perfect moment for her to interrupt him and prevent a costly decision.
As this was unfolding, Jeremiah’s voice suddenly cut through the air, “When did you arrive?” His lips curved into a warm smile as he approached Yvette, his heart racing with excitement, more so than he had ever felt.
Yvette’s surprise was fleeting, followed by a soft sigh. She hadn’t expected to run into Jeremiah here. When he walked toward her, the crowd instinctively parted, sensing his powerful aura. Behind him was Emmett, exuding the same no-nonsense presence.
Jeremiah and Yvette’s eyes met, and there was a certain warmth in his gaze. Yvette couldn’t hold the eye contact for long and quickly looked away. “A couple of days ago,” she replied softly.
Jeremiah nodded, his voice turning tender as he said, “Let’s go.”
Without much thought, Yvette followed him, her voice soft but trusting, “All right.” She didn’t even ask where they were headed—there was an almost unconscious trust in her actions.
Kevin, seeing them about to leave, suddenly called out, “Hey, Yvette, are you just going to leave?”
Yvette paused and turned to face him. Ignoring Martin’s conflicted look, she casually pulled an envelope from her pocket and handed it to Kevin. “Here.” With that, she turned and walked away, leaving Kevin stunned as he watched her disappear around the corner.
Edward, who had been silent since Jeremiah’s arrival, didn’t dare utter a word. Only moments before, he had been scheming to deal with Yvette, but now, he dared not even breathe loudly. He had recognized the white envelope Yvette handed to Kevin—it was not just any invitation, but the highest-level VIP pass, a diamond VIP invitation.
If I’m not mistaken, Edward thought, she pulled that invitation from her pocket. It wasn’t handed to her by the man she was with. That meant Yvette was no ordinary person.
With that realization, Edward slinked away, his arrogance replaced by wariness.
Kevin, still holding the envelope, was completely puzzled by Edward’s sudden change of attitude. Just moments ago, Edward had been acting snobbish, but now he seemed like a different person entirely. Even Martin seemed bewildered, staring at the envelope in Kevin’s hand.
It was clear to Martin now that he had misunderstood. Yvette wasn’t just Kevin’s plus one. She had come on her own—and with a diamond VIP invitation, no less. The invitation they had was nothing compared to hers.
Martin quickly stepped forward and took the envelope from Kevin, his excitement growing. “My goodness, Kevin, this is a diamond VIP invitation! With this, we can go to the second floor.”
Kevin, still trying to make sense of it all, was baffled. He had only spoken to Yvette because he thought no one was looking after her. Now, he felt embarrassed to realize Yvette was a hidden big shot.
Up in the second-floor VIP room, Yvette sat back in her chair, crossing her legs and sipping coffee that Jeremiah had poured for her. She was silent, focused on a newly downloaded game on her phone.
Jeremiah, knowing Yvette’s habits, didn’t press her to talk. After finishing his coffee, he refilled her cup, making sure it was full.
Although the proper etiquette was not to fill a cup to the brim, Yvette found it inconvenient to drink from half-filled cups. Jeremiah knew this well and always made sure to fill hers to the top.
Emmett, who had been watching them for the past half hour, was becoming numb to the situation. He had watched as Jeremiah, usually a serious and composed man, sneaked glances at Yvette, pouring her coffee and even placing a plate of fruit in front of her.
Emmett couldn’t help but feel that Jeremiah would be more than happy to feed Yvette if she allowed him to.
The whole scene was so unlike Jeremiah, and Emmett couldn’t help but wonder how Yvette was able to stay so composed. This was Kransbay, not Clusia. There was danger lurking around every corner.
It was already suspicious that Yvette, a young woman, was at an emerald auction like this, but her calmness, her indifference to the chaos around her—everything about her was so…unfazed.
Jeremiah, sitting down beside her with a teasing smile, leaned in and said, “Interested in stone gambling? Playing hard to get?”
Yvette set her phone down, narrowing her eyes slightly, and replied in her usual calm manner, “So-so. I didn’t skip class. Just took a leave.”
Emmett sighed inwardly, growing even more convinced that something wasn’t right. That’s not the point, he thought. Shouldn’t the bigger question be why she’s here in Kransbay? What’s her purpose at this emerald auction? This is no place for college students.
Emmett’s mind buzzed with unanswered questions, but there was one thing he was sure of: Yvette was no ordinary person, and her presence here would definitely shake things up.
