Antony and Franz were both taken aback. Franz yelled, “Wait! Are you sure? How do we know if the necklace is a real one or not?”
“You could have it appraised at jewelry stores.” The girl then returned to her room without saying anything. Anthony and Franz stood there in disbelief, staring at each other.
The next morning, the city became even colder.
Yesterday, Matthew realized that something was wrong with the project’s planning, so he worked all night. Yet, he felt he couldn’t even finish the project because of the accident yesterday.
Maria expressed concern as she watched Matthew put on his jacket and leave, “Matthew, you haven’t slept all night. Why don’t you go to bed? I’ll go to the mall for you.”
Matthew shook his head before striking out. Looking at his back, Maria felt like she had traveled back in time. She remembered that Wayne always stayed up late working a few years ago, too. And Maria was both relieved and worried when she realized this.
On his way to the mall, Matthew received a phone call from Anna.
“Hello? Mom.”
“What are you doing, Matthew? Have you had breakfast yet?”
As a person who rarely smiled, Matthew smiled and answered, “Yes, I have. I’m going to the mall to check out their operation.”
“How is the project? Where’s your dad?”
“Everything is in order here. Aunt Maria was worried too much. And Dad should be home soon,” Matthew replied. He then asked Maria to forgive him for his words.
“Tell him he doesn’t need to return so soon! He can stay and help you for a while. He’ll only irritate me if he stays at home, son.”
Matthew burst out laughing. “No, I don’t think so. No one will know how Tammy is doing at school if he isn’t home. “
“Even when he’s at home, he rarely cares about Tammy,” Anna grumbled. She then went on to tell Matthew which exams Tammy had failed again.
Matthew patiently listened to Anna’s words.
“Mr. Wright, we’ve arrived.”
Hearing Matthew’s assistant’s voice, Anna then realized she had been chattering for quite some time. She said, “OK, I’ll get off the phone now. Stay safe, my dear.”
“I will, Mom.”
Anna was relieved as she hung up the phone. Wayne left home in a hurry yesterday, so Anna assumed Matthew might have had some kind of accident. She was worried that calling last night would wake Matthew, so she called him first thing in the morning. When she heard Matthew say that everything was fine, Anna was relieved.
“It’s time to check on patient number seven, Dr. Wright,” said an intern standing in the office doorway.
“All right, I got it.” Anna grabbed her notebook and walked out the door. “Tell Patrick to get three people in for the surgery observation this afternoon,” she told the intern.
“Got it.”
***
Just as Matthew and Maria were getting out of the car, a bicycle pulled across the road. Anthony said as he tried to stop Franz, “Let’s just forget about it, Franz. I don’t want to do this.”
“No! We’ve already arrived here. I need to know if this diamond necklace is real or not. That way, you’ll know you shouldn’t trust others so easily.”
“Chelsea isn’t that kind of person.”
“The hell?! You named her Chelsea?! I remember that your sister is also called Chelsea. Damn! This is getting creepy,” Franz sneered.
.
Rolling his eyes, Franz headed towards the mall after picking up his backpack. He said as he walked, “How do you know she’s not a liar if you’ve only known her for a few days?
Anthony remained silent. After Franz had finished speaking, Anthony said, “I still don’t think we should go ahead with it. It’s her necklace, and I don’t even think we can take it out.”
“She said she wanted to use the necklace to pay her rent!”
“Yes, and I agreed to it.”
Irritated, Franz wished he could punch Anthony in the face. “What if it’s a forgery? Do you want a fake diamond necklace?”
Anthony frowned as he said, “I don’t care if the diamonds are real or not. I wasn’t going to charge her rent in the first place.”
Franz gave him a stern look before continuing on his way. He mumbled, “I don’t care what you think. I’m definitely going to the jewelry store to have this necklace authenticated.”
“Franz, please wait for me…”
The two young men entered the mall one after another. They went straight to the jewelry store on the fourth floor as soon as they walked in.
Franz took the necklace from his bag and placed it on the counter. “Hello, please help identify whether the diamonds on this necklace are real or not,” he said aloud to the appraiser.
The appraiser politely said, “Sure. The fee for the appraisal is twenty dollars.”
“I have to pay for that? I only ask that you do me a favor!” Franz asked.
Anthony ran over. “Franz! Please wait for me!”
Franz thought Anthony was a complete fool. So, he said angrily, “OK, I’ll pay the bill now.” I must prove to Anthony that this woman is a fraud! he thought.
The appraiser then led them to a private room with many complicated instruments. After putting on a pair of white gloves, the jewelry appraiser placed the diamond necklace on the black velvet and examined it carefully with a magnifying glass.
“Are these real diamonds?” Franz couldn’t help but ask.
The appraiser did not reply. Instead, she said, “Actually, young man, that isn’t the point. The point is that this is an extremely valuable emerald. I need more time to look into it.”
After a long time, the appraiser raised her head and asked, “Does this necklace belong to you?”
“It belongs to a friend…”
Instantly, Franz covered Anthony’s mouth. He gave the appraiser a nod and said, “It’s mine. My grandmother gave me this necklace and said she got it from her mother.”
“But it’s the latest model,” the appraiser said skeptically.
Franz looked embarrassed. He then explained, “Maybe my grandmother remembered it wrong. You know how old people have bad memories, right?”
The appraiser still seemed confused. Then Franz asked impatiently, “How much does this necklace worth? My grandmother claims it’s worth $600,000, but I don’t believe her.”
“If your grandmother told you it was worth $600,000, she was lying to you,” the appraiser said with a smile.
Franz patted Anthony on the shoulder, saying, “I knew it! It isn’t even worth it…”
The appraiser named a number before he could finish his sentence. Hearing that, both boys froze, unable to believe the necklace was so valuable.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.