Chapter152 Threat
"What do you want!" Ariana trembled with rage, her voice shrill.
"What do I want?"
Zron rubbed his shrunken stomach and said brazenly, "I just got out. No food, no drink, no place to stay. As my daughter, shouldn't you show some filial piety?"
He moved closer to Ariana, the sour stench from his body making her gag. "You arrange everything for me. As long as I'm comfortable, naturally I won't easily disturb your life. Otherwise..."
Hearing this, Ariana could only swallow her rage and squeeze out words through gritted teeth. "I'll make arrangements."
Half an hour later.
In an apartment building on the outskirts of the city.
This was the most inconspicuous property under Ariana's name. No one usually came here.
Ariana opened the door and spoke to Zron.
"You'll stay here for now."
She pulled out a stack of cash from her bag, along with a note with a new phone number, and slammed them heavily on the shoe cabinet by the door.
"Here's money, and my contact information."
Ariana looked coldly at Zron, who was poking around the place, her voice carrying a hint of threat. "Call ahead if you need anything. Don't come looking for me in person! And especially don't appear in front of my company or my boyfriend!"
"If you're discovered and my current life is ruined, don't expect to get another cent from me."
"Yeah, yeah, I got it. So naggy."
Zron completely ignored her threats.
He walked over, grabbed the stack of cash, and weighed it in his hand. Hearing the rustling sound of the bills, his face showed a satisfied smile.
"Money talks. Everything's negotiable."
With that, he didn't even look at Ariana. Still wearing those clothes so dirty their original color was unrecognizable, he flopped directly onto the beige fabric sofa in the living room.
"Ah, this sofa is so soft. Way better than those prison bunks."
He propped his mud-caked feet directly on the coffee table, humming a tune contentedly.
Ariana looked at the instantly soiled sofa, disgust nearly overflowing from her eyes.
"Remember what I said!"
She didn't want to stay another second. She slammed the door hard and strode away.
In the corridor, the sound of her high heels was rushed and panicked.
Ariana didn't stop until she reached downstairs, leaning against the wall and gasping heavily.
She looked back at that tightly closed window, her eyes full of venomous light.
Why, why was her father this kind of person!
Since leaving home that day, Miranda hadn't returned once in the following days.
At first, her father's calls came in dozens of times a day.
Miranda answered once, and hearing the same old "for your own good" speech on the other end filled her with revulsion. She hung up and blocked the number.
The world had finally been much quieter these past few days.
Three o'clock in the afternoon, company conference room.
Having just finished a meeting, Miranda rubbed her aching temples and pushed open her office door.
The phone on her desk lit up at just the right moment, showing an unfamiliar landline number.
Miranda answered. "Hello, who is this?"
"Miranda, hello."
A gentle female voice came through the phone, accompanied by the faint sound of metal tapping in the background. "The platinum setting and small diamonds you ordered from us just arrived today."
Miranda's tired expression instantly vanished, and she unconsciously sat up straight.
"That fast?"
"Yes, the master craftsman says this batch of diamonds has exceptional fire. Are you available to come verify the materials today? If everything's good, we can start work today."
"I'm available." Miranda glanced at the watch on her wrist. "I'll come over shortly."
An hour later.
The car turned into an old alley full of local character.
This place was completely at odds with the bustling CBD.
The shop's sign hung behind an old tree, the wooden plaque darkened by wind and rain, yet exuding a sense of settled time.
Pushing through the door, wind chimes tinkled.
"Miranda's here."
The shop assistant had clearly been waiting and smiled while leading her into the VIP workshop in the back.
The room wasn't large but was professionally arranged. The worktable was covered with various precision instruments and several trays lined with black velvet.
"Take a look first."
The shop assistant, wearing white gloves, pushed the tray in front of Miranda.
Under the lights, the items in the tray immediately caught the eye.
Two custom platinum cufflink settings with smooth, sharp lines, gleaming with metal's characteristic cold light.
And in the small compartment beside them, over a dozen small diamonds sparkled like crushed starlight, their fire appearing especially dazzling in this dim room.
Though they were accent stones to be set on the sides of the cufflinks, each one had extremely high clarity.
Miranda picked up tweezers, lifted a small diamond to examine it under the light, and couldn't help but smile.
They suited him perfectly.
Cold and sharp, yet dazzling.
"I'm very satisfied with the materials." Miranda set down the tweezers and took out the velvet box containing the deep blue raw stone from her bag. "This is the main stone."
Just then, the door curtain was pulled aside.
An old man wearing a gray work apron with graying hair walked in, still holding a file in his hand.
"Hello." Miranda stood to greet him.
The craftsman pushed up his reading glasses on the bridge of his nose, his gaze falling on the velvet box. His eyes brightened. "This is the stone you mentioned? Excellent quality. Very rare deep sea blue."
"I want to polish it myself." Miranda's eyes were determined. "Please teach me."
The master craftsman smiled and handed her a thick leather apron. "Alright, but this work isn't easy."
"I can handle it."
For the next three hours, Miranda's world contained only that stone and the polishing machine in her hands.
"Bzzzz—"
The harsh grinding sound filled her eardrums, dust flying everywhere.
Miranda wore protective goggles, her fingers gripping the raw stone tightly, her fingertips turning slightly white from the pressure.
She had to carefully cut away excess impurities, preserve the purest core, then gradually polish out the sharp geometric facets from the design drawing.
"Keep your hand steady, don't shake." The master craftsman guided from the side. "If this cut goes off, the luster will be ruined."
Miranda held her breath, fine beads of sweat forming on her forehead.
When the final polishing process was complete, she looked at the finished product lying in her palm and let out a long breath.
The once rough raw stone had now become a deep, tranquil sapphire, its facets refracting cold light under the lamp, looking exactly like that man's deep eyes.
"Good workmanship." The master craftsman nodded approvingly. "Doing this well on your first try, you have real talent."
Miranda removed her protective goggles, looking at her hands covered in stone dust, her eyes full of smiles. "Thank you so much for your guidance today."
Returning to the Prescott estate, the sky was painted with sunset.
She went upstairs and carefully placed the semi-finished cufflinks in her room's safe.
Just the final setting step remained. It should be ready by Friday.
Changing into home clothes and heading downstairs, she saw that Clifton had also returned early today. He sat in his wheelchair beside the living room sofa, a thin blanket over his legs.
He held a financial magazine in his hands, his long fingers flipping through it leisurely.
Seeing this, Miranda suddenly wanted to cook.
No sooner thought than done. She greeted Clifton and headed straight for the kitchen.
Within minutes, the sound of chopping vegetables came from the kitchen.