Chapter 232 He Is Determined to Buy These Stones
Twenty million US dollars.
This price had already exceeded the budget for this procurement.
Casey said, "I need to see this batch of stones first to know if they're worth that price."
"Definitely worth it!" Royce said confidently. "These are all carefully selected quality rough stones. You know, the stones here are controlled by the government. Private mining isn't allowed. Who on this street has better access to quality rough stones than me?"
"This batch is the first one I picked out. What they're selling are the ones I left behind."
"But since Casey is here to do serious business, come with me and take a look. Then you'll know."
With that, Royce led the group upstairs.
Casey had hit the nail on the head—Royce really did have other stones. Alfonso looked at Casey with admiration. A true expert indeed.
On the second floor, Royce walked straight to a corner and pulled off the tarp covering a pile of stones.
A heap of rough stones of various sizes came into view.
There were about thirty-some pieces. The small ones weighed over ten pounds, the large ones around fifty pounds.
As everyone knows, rough stones are usually wrapped in an outer shell that hides their true appearance. So gem identification often relies on characteristics of the outer shell to judge the quality of the gem inside.
If you encounter some top-quality rough stone shells—what's called "good appearance"—there's a high probability of cutting out superior gems.
And in this pile of stones, there was one piece with a top-quality rough stone shell—a desanded rough.
A desanded rough means most of the sand particles on the shell have fallen off, allowing a glimpse of the gem inside. It's like removing the outermost layer of clothing, leaving only a thin veil. This type of stone has the lowest risk.
"This desanded rough already shows the internal color—it's definitely got gems inside!" Casey excitedly pointed at the desanded rough.
And this stone wasn't small—probably weighed 50 pounds.
Casey scanned the other stones one by one, his eyes lighting up.
"This batch is absolutely exceptional stones!"
Just this one desanded rough alone had excellent color. Casey even thought this piece might yield top-grade gems!
Hearing this, Royce looked pleased. "So, Casey, is this batch of stones worth the price?"
He gestured at the stones. "Look at this desanded rough—very high probability of yielding top-grade gems! These stones came through special channels. You won't find goods like this in other shops!"
Casey had already decided to buy this batch of stones.
"Alright! Royce, twenty million dollars! We'll buy this batch of stones!"
Isabella frowned at this and reminded him, "Casey, our budget for this trip is only ten million dollars."
"It doesn't matter. There's not much difference between ten and twenty million. This batch of stones is definitely worth it no matter what."
"No. Since the plan for this procurement is ten million dollars, we follow the rules. Not a penny more."
This ten million dollar budget was set by the cost department based on Celestial Jewels' quarterly operations, and every penny over budget would add financial pressure to the company's operations.
Isabella naturally couldn't agree.
"What do you mean?" Casey's face darkened as he looked at Isabella, speaking with displeasure. "Are you deliberately opposing me? I say this batch of stones is worth twenty million dollars, so it's worth twenty million! I won't be wrong!"
"Whether it's worth it or not isn't what I need to consider. What I'm considering now is that costs cannot exceed budget," Isabella said calmly.
Then she looked at Royce. "Can we buy just half of this batch?"
Royce's face immediately showed displeasure. "Half? Are you kidding? I only sell my stones by the batch. If you don't have the money, don't waste my time!"
With that, he directly ordered his shop assistant, "Show them out!"
Casey quickly stepped forward to smooth things over. "Royce, don't be angry. She doesn't know quality, doesn't understand. You're right—this batch of stones has such good appearance, of course they can only be sold as a batch! It's our honor to buy your stones."
For Casey's sake, Royce's anger subsided somewhat, though his expression remained sour. "I'm telling you, Casey, where did you find this person? So clueless!"
As soon as she suggested buying only half, he knew she didn't understand the rules. Who does business like that? No sincerity at all.
Casey looked at Isabella with an unfriendly expression. "Don't say anything else from now on. Look how angry you've made Royce!"
He knew Isabella would bring nothing but trouble. Not only was she useless, she just caused problems.
Isabella's face darkened. "Say that again. Who are you telling not to speak?"
Casey froze. Seeing a hint of anger in Isabella's eyes, he felt inexplicably uneasy.
He didn't speak in the end.
Isabella walked to the pile of stones and touched the desanded rough that everyone favored, frowning.
Then she touched several other stones in succession. Finally, she let go and looked at Alfonso and the others, saying decisively, "Since this owner says he won't sell his stones in batches, let's not waste each other's time. Let's go to other shops!"
These stones couldn't yield gems at all!
That desanded rough everyone favored probably only had a thin outer layer of gem—the inside was hollow!
When Casey heard Isabella say they should leave, his face immediately darkened.
"Nobody's leaving!" he said sternly. "Today we're buying Royce's batch of stones!"
He was determined to buy this batch.
No one could stop him!
Isabella didn't look at him, just narrowed her eyes at Alfonso. "Alfonso, what do you think? Are you staying here with Casey to buy this shop's stones, or coming with me to look at other shops?"
Alfonso looked at Isabella, then at Casey, and said:
"Ms. Taylor, Casey knows much more about rough stones than we do. He's the gem identification expert the company hired. Every time the company buys rough stones, we follow his advice."
"And this batch of rough stones Royce has really is rare quality goods. That desanded rough really might yield top-grade gems!"
"Casey knows his stuff. He worked hard to negotiate with Royce. If we leave, we're just handing these stones to someone else!"
"Enough, stop talking," Isabella coldly interrupted him. "Just tell me your answer directly."
Alfonso said directly, "I choose to stay here with Casey and buy this shop's stones. Ms. Taylor, if you want to go to other shops, go by yourself!"
He felt Isabella didn't understand rough stones at all and couldn't buy anything good. Professional matters should be left to professionals.
As for Isabella's words, he absolutely wouldn't listen.
Seeing this, Casey's face showed a trace of smugness.
But Isabella wasn't bothered. She glanced at Casey and Alfonso and sneered, "If you want to stay, stay. Anyway, without my approval, the company won't transfer the money."
With that, Isabella turned and left.
Casey stared at Isabella's retreating figure, furious. "Who do you think you are? Whether the company transfers money or not isn't up to you!"
He really couldn't understand why Isabella was so full of herself.
He was the gem identification expert. If he said to buy Royce's stones, then they'd buy them. The company finance department would fully cooperate with him!
Did Isabella really think she had decision-making power?
Ridiculous.