Chapter 473 The Jade Pendant as Bait, a Deadly Showdown
Chapter 473 The Jade Pendant as Bait, a Deadly Showdown
The sound of the lock clicking shut was soft, yet it was like a floodgate, completely dividing the inside and outside of the door into two separate worlds.
The rustle of elegant clothes and the melodious piano music were shut out. In this so-called VIP lounge, it was so quiet you could hear the faint hum of air flowing from the AC vent.
The room was decorated in a warm and tasteful way, with soft sofas, a delicate coffee table, and even stuffed animals that children would like. Everything gave off a carefully designed sense of "safety," like a Venus flytrap disguised as a flower.
"Sophia, please sit. Olivia, come here, there's your favorite strawberry mousse." Yasmin resumed her perfect hostess manner. She personally took out desserts and two cups of warm milk from a small fridge and placed them on the coffee table.
Her movements were graceful and smooth. As she poured the milk, a very thin silver chain slid out from her left wrist.
Hanging from the chain was a small, lifelike carved white orchid.
That pendant was identical to the crystal she had given Olivia.
Sophia held Olivia in her arms, letting the little girl's face rest against her shoulder, not even glancing at the exquisite cake.
"Thank you, but she's allergic to cream."
"You're very kind."
"Really? That's too bad." Yasmin sat down on the single sofa across from them, crossing her legs, her posture relaxed, as if she really were just hosting friends. "Sophia is so thoughtful."
She picked up her own cup of milk, gently swirling it, and her tone shifted without warning.
"I heard that Sophia grew up in an orphanage?"
Sophia didn't answer, just looked at her calmly, waiting for what would come next.
"To come out of a place like that and have everything you have now—it's truly admirable." There was a hint of emotion in Yasmin's tone, but in those beautiful eyes, there wasn't a trace of real respect.
She put down the cup, leaned forward slightly, and lowered her voice a bit, as if sharing a secret.
"It's just that people need to know how to cherish their blessings. Sometimes, things that don't belong to you, even if you're holding them for now, will eventually have to be returned, won't they?"
She spoke these words full of malice in the gentlest tone possible.
Olivia in Sophia's arms seemed to sense something, her small body shifting uneasily.
Sophia patted Olivia's back soothingly, then looked up to meet Yasmin's challenge.
She didn't get angry. Instead, she asked an unrelated question.
"You seem to have a special fondness for orchids?"
The smile on Yasmin's face froze for a moment.
Sophia's gaze fell on the silver chain on her wrist. Without waiting for an answer, she continued, her voice not loud but every word clear.
"For example, a type of orchid called 'Beauty Under the Moon.'"
The air seemed to freeze in that moment.
On Yasmin's flawless face, the gentle mask she'd maintained all evening finally showed a tiny crack.
Her body stiffened for an instant, and her fingers holding the milk cup unconsciously tightened.
This change was almost too fast to catch, but another unconscious movement gave her away.
Her fingertips lightly touched the white orchid pendant on her wrist.
A confirmation, and also a tell.
Meanwhile, in the exhibition hall.
Nicholas stood with his back to the lounge, admiring a children's painting. On the glass of the frame in front of him, the wooden door at the end of the hallway behind him was clearly reflected.
In his earpiece, Big Cat's voice sounded a bit excited: "She touched it! She touched the chain! The fish took the bait! There's a micro signal transmitter on that chain, not very powerful, but it's been sending out an ID code all along—pretty sneaky! Want me to hack into their sound system and play her some heavy metal rock music?"
Nicholas's expression didn't change at all. He just gave orders silently through lip movement to the earpiece.
"Cut the surveillance in corridor three. In thirty seconds, execute Plan B."
Inside the lounge.
Sophia felt the shift in Yasmin's aura.
The fake warmth was fading, and coldness and greed were seeping out bit by bit from beneath that beautiful face.
It was time.
She reached out and pulled the black cord from under her collar.
At the end of the cord was tied that half piece of ancient, smooth white jade.
She untied the cord and gently placed the half jade pendant on the spotless coffee table.
The jade clinked against the table surface with a crisp sound.
"The thing you said doesn't belong to me." Sophia's voice was cold and clear as she looked straight at the woman across from her who could no longer maintain her expression. "Are you talking about this?"
All of Yasmin's attention was instantly drawn to the jade pendant.
She stared hard at the piece of jade, at the intricate patterns, at the jagged broken edge. All the pretense on her face was completely torn away in this moment.
It wasn't simple greed, but a complex emotion mixed with fanaticism, jealousy, resentment, and determination to possess.
Two dark flames burned in the depths of her eyes, as if this half jade pendant was the heart she'd lost for half her life.
She finally stopped pretending, her lips curving into a twisted arc that no longer held any gentleness.
"It seems you're a bit smarter than I thought."
Her voice had changed too, no longer that tender softness, but carrying a hoarse sharpness. "Sophia, you little thief. Now, the game is over."
She slowly stood up and walked toward the coffee table, step by step. Her heels made no sound on the carpet, yet carried an overwhelming pressure.
"More than twenty years... you stole my teacher, you stole everything from me!"
She reached out, trembling, wanting to touch the jade pendant.
It wasn't a tremor of fear, but an uncontrollable excitement from extreme desire.
"Give it back to me." Her voice carried a command. "And the other half—where is it?"
Sophia watched her nearly crazed appearance, but her mind remained completely clear. What she wanted was far more than just this piece of jade. This jade was only the key to opening some Pandora's box.
Just as Yasmin's fingertips were about to touch the jade pendant, the door to the lounge was kicked open from the outside without warning.
A loud crash—the heavy solid wood door was like it had been hit by a battering ram. The lock shattered instantly, and the entire door flew inward in a brutal manner, bringing scattered wood splinters with it, slamming heavily against the inner wall.