"Hey, Timothy, what''s going on?"


    Sallie was hunched over a design sketch, her phone set to speaker and resting on the table.


    "What''s happening with Jessica?"


    "How should I know? She looked awful this morning. I told her she should get checked out, but she insisted she just stayed up toote and needed some rest. Don''t tell me she''s still not back?"


    Timothy''s sharp features grew even darker.


    "No, she''s not."


    Sallie let go of her mouse and leaned back in her chair, picking up her phone with a sigh. "Let me guess, this has something to do with that Henry kid again. Yesterday, Jessica made me go to the hospital with her. She said the boy doesn''t speak, and if he ran into anyone who knows Henry, it would embarrass him. She wanted me to look after him during the day; she''d take the night shift. This isn''t the first time, Timothy. You really need to have a talk with your son. Acting like he''s ashamed of his own mother-honestly, it''s out of line."


    A crease formed between Timothy''s brows, and his long fingers curled slightly.


    "Alright. I understand. Let''s leave it at that for now."


    He hung up and half-closed his eyes, sitting ramrod straight, deep in thought. Soon, Timothy arrived at the airport.


    As he passed a luxury boutique, he paused, nced at the window disy, and stepped inside.


    His eyesnded immediately on an exquisite swan brooch.


    Two swans, their slender necks entwined to form a heart, tinum wings encrusted with wless diamonds that sparkled brilliantly under the lights. Their red beaks touched, and from their meeting point dangled a perfect, teardrop- shaped South Sea pearl.


    Timothy recalled Jessica''s graceful, swan-like neck-and the tears she''d shed, begging him for mercy in bed.


    Without hesitation, he decided to buy it.


    "Sir, you have excellent taste," the sales associate gushed. "This brooch is a limited edition—just released tonight. Each city''s store only received one, and ours just arrived today."


    Timothy''s brow furrowed ever so slightly; his voice was low and steady. "Can you have all of them sent here? I''ll take every single one."


    This brooch was perfect for Jessica.


    He wasn''t about to let his wife wear something anyone else might have.


    "Um..." The associate hesitated, then said, "Let me call our headquarters." "Good. If any have already been sold, I''ll buy them back at double the price." The saleswoman''s eyes lit up.


    The man in front of her radiated wealth and confidence. This brooch wasn''t cheap if she could sell all twenty-three at once, hermission would be enormous.


    She hurried to contact headquarters.


    Luckily, every brooch was still in-store-none had been sold yet.


    "Sir, they''re all avable," she reported.


    "Take them off the shelves. Now."


    Timothy pulled a ck credit card from his wallet and handed it to her.


    "One moment, please."


    She took the card and ryed the instructions-immediately removing the brooches from sale system-wide.


    Each brooch cost eight hundred thousand dors. Timothy bought all twenty-three


    in one go, spending a staggering eighteen point four million.


    She took down his address to arrange for the remaining twenty-two brooches to be shipped directly to him.


    Timothy left his details. The associate carefully boxed the in-store brooch, presenting it with both hands, her manner reverent.


    "Have a wonderful day, sir."


    As Timothy strode away, she couldn''t resist snapping a photo of his silhouette.


    What a man-so handsome, so extravagant, somanding!


    She''d never seen anyone buy out an entire collection before.


    If he destroyed the other twenty-two, only one would ever exist. Its value would skyrocket. After all, each of these twenty-three teardrop pearls was a natural rarity; it would be nearly impossible to find another like them for a long time to<pe.