Chapter 215

Chapter 215

Byron led the woman around the privacy screen in the booth.

In the inner room of the booth, a table sat in front of the floor-to-ceiling window with coffee steaming on it. Two round chairs were placed on either side of the table.

A red silk scarf hung on the back of one chair.

Michael sat casually in the other chair, his back to the door, his suit sleeves rolled up halfway, revealing the well-defined muscles of his forearms.

His slender fingers rested on the armrest, tapping lightly and intermittently.

Hearing someone enter from outside, Michael didn't turn around. He raised his hand and casually pointed to the right, "Just put the thing over there."

The woman didn't respond. Instead, a rising tone came from her throat as she questioned the person on the other end of the phone.

Cruz had been so shocked by this scene that he couldn't speak. His mouth hung open, his jaw nearly dislocated.

He never dreamed that this William would actually be Michael.

So just now, he had been bidding against Michael the whole time?

If Michael found out that the only reason he spent so much money to buy back this pink diamond was because of him, the troublemaker, wouldn't Michael tear him apart?

His situation in the Johnson family was already difficult enough. This should be a time to walk on thin ice and be careful, but he went and did something like this after being tricked by Olivia. Just thinking about it made his back break out in cold sweat. Right now, he couldn't respond to anything the woman said.

Since he didn't speak, the woman naturally didn't dare respond randomly either. She stood frozen in place, staring at Michael without moving.

"Miss?" Byron asked, puzzled. "You can just put the thing over there."

At his words, Michael slowly turned his head and looked at the woman.

That flawlessly handsome face appeared completely through the camera lens on the phone screen.

His facial lines were tight, stubble covered his jaw, and there were faint dark circles under his eyes, giving that handsome face an indescribable sense of exhaustion.

Even so, Michael's looks and presence were still unforgettable.

The woman had originally been dazed because she hadn't received Cruz's response, but after seeing his face, she became transfixed by his good looks, unable to pull herself away.

Until a low, gentle female voice came from behind, "Are you a staff member here? Why haven't I seen you before?"

The woman jumped in fright, snapping out of her daze and turning to look behind her.

She saw an exceptionally beautiful woman with a curvy figure standing behind her.

The woman wore a black and white business outfit, with the edges of her white shirt tucked into a black pencil skirt. Nude stockings made her legs look perfectly straight and flawless. She wore red-soled black stilettos, and her whole presence exuded a professional allure.

"Ms. Stone?" the woman called out softly. "What are you doing here?"

Before the woman called 'Ms. Stone' could speak, Michael said in a deep voice, "I bought what you wanted."

A flash of delight crossed Ember's eyes, and she ran forward a few steps.

The sound of her high heels on the floor was especially clear through the phone receiver.

Ember ran up to the woman in a few steps, opened the box in her hands, and let out an exclamation, "It's so beautiful, this is exactly what I wanted."

She turned her head toward Michael, her lips curved in a charming smile, "I didn't think you'd really be willing to spend so much. I saw the price going so high, I thought you were going to give up."

Michael had already turned his head, only showing them his back, "You need it, so no amount of money matters."

With that, he stood up, straightened his suit a couple of times, turned around and walked in front of the two women, saying to Ember, "I hope you can give me an answer about what I want soon too."

After speaking, Michael said nothing more. He turned and left the booth without looking back.

The people he brought also filed out after him, leaving only Ember and the woman who had been bidding for Cruz in the booth.

At this point, Cruz finally came to his senses and asked in a low voice, "Who is this Ms. Stone?"

The woman took the opportunity while talking to Ember to explain to Cruz, "Ms. Stone, your work has always been expensive and hard to get. Everyone who comes here to buy jewelry hopes to have you transform what they buy into one-of-a-kind pieces."

"But ever since you announced your retirement two years ago, you haven't come to any auctions. Why are you here today?"

As she asked, Ember's eyes remained fixed on the item in her hands, her expression showing unmistakable appreciation, "It really is the world's number one pink diamond, it's absolutely beautiful."

"This William is really something, insisting on buying such a fine pink diamond for me. I'm almost afraid my hands will waste such a treasure."

The woman flattered her out of professional habit, "How could that be? For a diamond of this caliber, besides you, I really can't think of anyone else who would be worthy of it."

The voice came through especially clear in the phone receiver.

Cruz's brow furrowed slightly, his expression darkening as he looked at Olivia.

He lightly pressed his tongue against his lips, wanting to say something, but then saw Olivia lower her eyelids and silently get up and walk to sit by the window.

She closed her eyes tightly, leaned back against the chair, and placed her right hand over her forehead, covering her face so her emotions couldn't be seen.

However, under the light, a crystal-clear teardrop rolled down her cheek and fell with a soft plop.

Cruz saw it clearly. His heart tightened slightly, and before the woman on the other end could speak, he hung up the video call.

He got up and walked to Olivia's side. His hand lifted and lowered several times before he finally clenched his fist and asked quietly, "Ms. Smith, are you okay?"

Olivia shook her head with her eyes closed, took a long breath, and said softly, "Thank you for today."

"Thank me?" Cruz was puzzled.

"If you hadn't cooperated with me, I wouldn't have been able to confirm William's true identity."

Olivia slowly opened her eyes. The corners of her mouth lifted in a smile, but there was no trace of amusement in her eyes—only calm bitterness.

Cruz felt uncomfortable watching, "Ms. Smith, maybe things aren't what you think."

"At least I can promise you, Michael is definitely not the kind of person who would be fickle. We've all seen how different he is with you. I guarantee he won't betray you."

"Of course he won't betray me." Olivia shrugged, her tone light. "To him, I'm just an insignificant person. In my relationship with him, whatever he does doesn't count as betrayal."

Cruz was at a loss for words. His lips moved several times before he finally hung his head and gave up on explaining.

No matter how much he said, the fact that Michael had spent a fortune buying a diamond for another woman had happened right before their eyes.

He couldn't defend him.

After a long while, Cruz asked quietly, "So what are you going to do next?"

Olivia shook her head slightly, "I haven't figured it out yet."

She forced out a smile, "Either way, I still need to thank you for tonight. Otherwise, I might never have had the chance to see that pink diamond. It really is beautiful."

It's just that, like Michael, it belongs to another woman.