?Chapter 1693:


    Gwen Moss, Debby’s mother, gestured Elsa to the couch. “Mrs. Mitchell, please sit down.”


    With a weary nce at Debby, Gwen let out a sigh. “You’ve always had faith in Debby, always said she’s got real talent for singing. But lessons in the city? That’s far beyond what we can afford. I heard a single year of study there costs tens of thousands, and we could nevere up with that kind of money.”


    Corbin Moss, Debby’s father, a farmer who had always struggled to make ends meet, sat quietly nearby. Whatever little he earned went straight into getting his children through school.


    Lines of worry deepened on Corbin’s face. “Mrs. Mitchell, girls around here rarely finish middle school. Sending a daughter to high school is almost unheard of—maybe only several people here have managed to do that. It’s not that I want Debby to quit, but our pockets are empty. Now, Lukas is sick, and the local doctor says we need to get him treated in the city. Paying for that would mean selling everything we own.”


    Something about the stones beneath the coffee table caught Elsa’s attention. She walked over, picked one up, and immediately noticed its deep green core.


    With a sh of frustration, she ced it firmly on the table. “Don’t pretend you have nothing. Even one of these stones could go for tens of thousands. A handful could be worth a fortune.”


    No one in the family looked shocked. Corbin simply shook his head. “I’m being straight with you, Mrs. Mitchell. When I first dug those up, I hoped they were valuable, too. But Baylor Watson, who’s from around here, told me they’re not worth much. I only kept them because I couldn’t bring myself to just throw them away.”


    Elsa paused, suspicion flickering across her face. Gemstones weren’t her area of expertise, but the vivid color of the stones suggested they were jade or something equally rare. She asked, “What does Baylor actually do? Is he qualified to evaluate these stones? Did you ever ask anyone else?”


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    Corbin exined, “Baylor’s the richest man in our vige. They say he bought a million-dor condo in Shirie. He’s a gemstone dealer. These hills are full of stones like that—some valuable, most not. Everyone brings their finds to him. Usually, they’re not worth much, but we end up selling them to him anyway.”


    To Elsa, who had seen her share of swindles, the whole thing seemed suspicious.


    She said, “Mr. Moss, my son works in business and knows people in the gemstone industry. If you’re willing, I’ll have him take a look at these stones. If they’re worth anything, maybe you won’t need to marry Debby off. What do you think?”


    Corbin eyed the pile—stones of all shapes and sizes, none of which he believed would fetch more than a few bucks. Elsa had been giving Debby music lessons for free, teaching her to sing, read notes, and y the keyboard. Every time Debby came home, she couldn’t stop talking about how much she admired Elsa.


    He figured he could give these stones to Elsa. This was the least he could do to show her his gratitude. In his mind, the stones held little value anyway.


    Nodding without hesitation, he replied, “That’s fine. I’ll bring them over myself. But Lukas needs treatment soon. We’re grateful for everything you’ve done for Debby, but right now, we have no choice but to make her marry Nigel.”


    Nigel, who had stayed silent up to that point, had thought Corbin would go back on his word and disliked Elsa for swaying him.


    But after hearing Corbin’s words, he let out a relievedugh and reached over to seize Debby’s hand, wanting to take her away.


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