This time, they went to a special ce. It was a gem-processing workshop. Though it was a small and old ce with a few workers, the environment was clean. There were lots of security measures in ce.
Arianna guessed that the workshop would use machines in a production line fashion, but it turned out that the workshop still maintained the oldest handicraft tradition. As a result, the employees only used small and simple tools for their craft.
Noticing her doubts, the staff member showing her around the shop exined, “We have top technicians and top gems here.”
She was very interested in gem polishing and iying. After all, she never had the chance to witness the process personally. However, her opinion slowly changed as she took the tour. Arianna began thinking this ce could be a high-end processing point in Travis’s business. She tried to resist her curiosity as much as possible.
Travis said, “I believe all women like jewelry. Though some love it, while others just generally like it.”
Arianna liked beautiful things too. She was not that different from other women, but when the beautiful things were rted to Travis Cooper, she couldn’t help but to despise them.
She was told that Travis made his fortune starting in this industry. It was the most sessful piece of his, causing Arianna to lose interest in the vain and impractical industry immediately.
And since Travis had a degree in geology, she not only disliked gems but also hated ordinary stones like granite and marble.
As they passed through many doors in the maze-like building, Arianna was dizzy. When they entered the final room, a dark-skinned obese man took a small box out of a safe and handed it to Travis in a respectful manner. Travis examined the content of the box before putting it into the pocket of his suit.
Travis asked Arianna, “Did you see anything you like?”
Arianna was no longer interested in anything here. She did not care about his kindness. Perhaps she should be ttered like other women would be, so he would think of her as ordinary and leave her alone. But this man was not predictable, and she could not guarantee her sess.
Herck of response made the other man smile in embarrassment. She did not mean to insult him or his products through her hatred for Travis.
But Travis was ustomed to this kind of reaction and spoke to the man in a differentnguage. Arianna assumed he reassured him, saying that she had a bad taste or something to make the man happy again. The fat man nodded and dialed his phone immediately.
A momentter, a young man carried some delicate boxes and put them on the table. He then took a bow and left without saying a word.
The fat man opened the boxes one by one, and the room was suddenly illuminated. There were small, delicately shaped bottles in each box, looking as if they were carved out of a whole gem. There was a finely textured goldyer covering the outside of the bottle.
The fat man turned his eyes to Arianna, smiling with anticipation for her response.
Arianna took a quick look at the pile of expensive bottles and felt her body fill with annoyance. She would probably lose interest in collecting perfume bottles now. Travis really liked to destroy everything she had.
Because of her indifference, the fat man was embarrassed again. Arianna knew she was being rude; she should express some praise. They really were beautiful bottles.
But she didn’t know whether this man was a friend or a client of Travis. Not that it mattered to her. She didn’t have to be nice to anyone who was close to such a monster.
To break the silence, Travis said to the man, “Thedy is lost in the selection. Please pack them all for her.”
Arianna wondered why they kept switching betweennguages. The fat man was smiling happily again.
She was not pleased. She did not need all these bottles. Arianna raised a finger and said, “Wait a minute.”Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.
Pointing to a single bottle, she looked at the fat man with a pleasant smile.
***
Later in the car, Travis said to her, “The bottle you chose is meant to hold curry powder and pepper.”
Arianna felt like he was teasing her. She tried hard to open the lid of the gorgeous bottle and found several small holes in the bottle’s mouth. It really was used to hold seasoning.
This was ridiculous. Although she wasn’t poor, she never understood the luxury in which jade and gold were used to make a bottle for seasoning. Her eyes were looking out the window, fixed on the ragged beggars on the side of the road. She loathed this corruption.
Travis tried tofort her and said, “Of course, it can be used to hold bath powder.”
As he spoke, Travis was ying with a transparent stone with irregr angles and colors. He noticed her looking at the stone andid it out in his palm to show her, “Do you like it?”
Arianna guessed that the stone must be expensive, though he was ying with it so carelessly.
“Is it ss? The color is very strange.” Arianna said innocently.
Their driver did not speak English, but Ryan Cooper suddenly burst into a cough in the front passenger seat.
“This is a tourmaline. You used to wear a bracelet made from this stone before. I thought you knew.” Travis exined professionally, “You see, it’s very rare for such stone to achieve this rity and weight, not to mention there are nine colors on this stone. It is extremely peculiar.”
“It looks like stained ss. Compared to a diamond with the same weight, which is more expensive?”
Travis suddenly lost his patience with continuing the geology lesson. He sighed and lowered his head to study the ss-like stone.
Arianna noticed that he cherished the stone, so she continued, “Hey, tourmaline, I remember it now. Is it the legendary magic stone that can be used to pray or curse someone once it is stained with human blood?”
Travis frowned, “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Have you ever seen the famous fairy tale? A princess stabbed her enemy before he imprisoned her. The man’s blood left a stain on her tourmaline ring, and after she escaped, she made a wish on the ring every day….”