The girl, who appeared to be around the same age as Hera or perhaps a few years older, nced at Hera with a tilt of her head before speaking. "Miss," she began, her tone polite yet earnest, "I’m not sure if there’s been a mistake, but that stone is priced at $98,000. I noticed you haven’t even touched it—just stared at it. If you’re here to just experience the process, I understand, but this amount is quite significant, and we should take it seriously." She exined with a good-natured demeanor.


    Hera looked at her and nodded with a smile, ready to exin her side. "Miss, thank you for letting me know—" But before she could finish, the girl cut her off, assuming that Hera was simply grateful for her help and was unaware of the situation.


    "You heard her," the girl said with a smile, her expression brightening as if she had just found something she truly liked. "She made a mistake and didn’t know the price. So, I can have it, right?" She reached out for the stone, but Hera swiftly intercepted her hand.


    "Miss, I think there’s been a misunderstanding," Hera said, gently pushing the girl’s hand away. The girl looked at her with a puzzled expression, clearly confused. Hera continued, "I appreciate your concern, but I’m still going to buy this stone because I like it."


    Seeing how much Hera liked the stone, Zhane stepped in behind her and gently ced his arm around her shoulder in a protective manner. "We’ll be taking this one," he said, clearly asserting their decision. The girl flinched in surprise as she recognized Zhane and registered his authoritative presence.


    "Doctor Everett? You’re here as well?" The girl looked back and forth between Hera and Zhane, her brows narrowing in skepticism. "Are you buying this stone for her?" she asked, her tone reflecting doubt.


    "Yes-"


    "No-"


    Hera and Zhane answered simultaneously, their voices ovepping. Both were surprised by each other’s response and exchanged a nce. The girl, taken aback, seemed unsure if she had heard them correctly, and her skepticism deepened.


    She had heard the female voice say "no" and the male voice say "yes," which seemed contradictory. Confused, she thought she must have misheard. Assuming it was Hera who said "yes" and Doctor Everett who said "no," so, she sneered in response.


    <i>’What a gold digger. Is she hoping to get Doctor Everett to buy her a stone, thinking it might turn out to be valuable? Ha.’</i> Her inner thoughts were at odds with her outward demeanor. She maintained aposed and polite exterior as she looked at the two, waiting for an exnation.


    Hera had no intention of exining her situation to a stranger she’d just met. Instead, she reached into her small bag and swiftly retrieved her ck card. The girl’s quick nce only caught sight of the ck card itself, while Zhane saw Hera’s name imprinted on it. As Hera handed the card to the assistant, her thumb covered thest name, which Zhane couldn’t make out. He assumed it read "Ainsley" as it was Hera’s knownst name


    Zhane also recalled seeing the same card Hera used during the auction she attended with Leo. Both he and Rafael had assumed the card was provided by Leo. Now, seeing that it was actually under Hera’s name, he felt a sense of rity, as if a fishbone had finally been dislodged from his throat.