Chapter Forty one; The Unexpected Return Chris ended his call with Stephany, confirming that he would be back the next day. He was looking forward to seeing her, despite the tension that had brewed between him and her family. The next morning, the Preston household was tense. Eleanor Preston was quietly scolding her daughter in the living room. Her voice was low but harsh, filled with disdain for her son-in-law. "Why are you letting him come back, Stephany? He’s useless! Greg is a far better suit for you," Eleanor said, her eyes narrowing as she paced the room. The frustration in her voice was palpable. Stephany shrugged, trying to hide her discomfort. "I don’t want to divorce him just yet, Mom. He’s got a job now, at least he’s trying. And he did save me from Bradley." Eleanor scoffed. "So what? We've done so much for him, what he did is nothing in comparison. I still don't agree." "Mom, you have to understand," Stephany began, trying to reason with her mother. “Chris has c

Chapter Forty Three: Magic Pill"Well, well, well, if it isn’t Chris, the Prestons’ poor live in son in law," a mocking voice sneered.Chris and Sandra turned to see Henry stepping out of the mall, his eyes gleaming with malicious delight. Henry sauntered over, clearly relishing the opportunity to ridicule Chris. Henry's gaze fell on the sleek BMW M13 series they were in and He sneered, "This car? No way it's yours, Chris. A jobless, poor live-in son-in-law like you could never afford such luxury.”He looked at Sandra again and doesn’t seem to remember her from anywhere, hence he naturally concluded she was his sugar mummy. “Must be the lady's car, right? You’ve really stooped low, haven’t you, Chris? Keeping sugar mummies just for money?" Chuckled Henry.Henry’s voice dripped with contempt as he continued, "What’s the deal, huh? How much is she paying you? Or are you just her call boy?"Chris clenched his fists, but before he could respond, Sandra stepped out, her face flushed wi

Chapter Forty Five: The Unexpected Visitor Mrs. Sinclair Pete was adjusting the camera settings, trying to capture the perfect shot of the Eternal Jade when there was a knock on the door. She sighed, slightly annoyed at the interruption but maintaining her composed demeanor. She placed the camera down and walked over to open the door. One of her employees, a young man named Tom, stood there looking somewhat flustered. “Mrs. Pete, there's someone here who wants to sell a very important piece of jewelry. He insists on speaking with you directly." Mrs. Pete raised an eyebrow. It wasn’t every day someone brought in a piece significant enough to require her personal attention. “Very well, Tom. Lead the way." She followed Tom through the elegantly decorated store, past displays of glittering diamonds and rare gemstones, to a private consultation room. Seated there was a young man who appeared foreign, with sharp features and an air of confidence that bordered on arrogance. He

Chapter Forty Seven: The Revelation Ms. Sinclair Pete worked swiftly, her experienced fingers delicately examining the Amulet of Ashoka. Turning it over, she noted the intricate inscription of the great Ashoka himself. The amulet had two compartments: the first layer contained what appeared to be kangaroo teeth, while the second was surrounded by the famed "water of life." Everything was in place and intact, and the gold material used to hold the piece was genuine. "It's authentic," she finally declared. yet she insisted on only paying twenty thousand dollars. “But I’m afraid I can’t buy it at that amount you are asking for, it’s a bit too much.” She said. John, the young man selling the amulet, shook his head vehemently. “I won’t sell it for less than fifty thousand dollars. My mother's life depends on it." His younger companion, desperation etched on his face, dropped to his knees. “Please, beautiful Ms., buy it at the price we need. You’d be saving a lif

Chapter Forty Eight: A golden OpportunityMs. Sinclair Pete stood quietly, still reeling from the near disaster. She turned to Chris, her eyes filled with gratitude and a hint of disappointment in herself. “Chris, I can't believe I almost fell for that scam. All my years in the jewelry business, and I couldn't see through them.”But you did. You’ve been saying I should take caution from the time they came, how did you do that?” Chris smiled modestly. "I'm a good observer, Mrs. Pete." She shook her head. "No, it’s more than that. If it were just about observation, I would have noticed something too. Tell me, how did you know they were fakes?"Chris hesitated, knowing fully he knew about jewelry from his mother and basically the Brown’s female population, but he couldn’t tell her that without raising more questions. He sighed. "I’ve been hustling for a long time. I once worked under an old master who taught me how to observe important pieces of jewelry. He had a knack for spotting