Dane called her back right away.
"You found jade again?"
He sounded honestly shocked, like he couldn't tell if Claire was suddenly addicted to gambling or just incredibly lucky. Landing two wins like this in one day was something even pros would brag about for years. For an amateur like Claire, it was basically unheard of.
"I did, but it's a small piece this time. We bought it off a scrap stone stall. Each stone went for just thirty bucks."
They sold by the piece, not by size. Claire just picked whichever felt right to her. Other people tried for the biggest stones they could find. In the end, the others all lost. Claire was the only one to strike gold again.
"That's amazing," Dane said. "Are you thinking of keeping it for a jewelry set, or are you planning to sell?"
"I was thinking of using the one I found this morning for jewelry."
To be honest, that one was worth a lot, maybe even too fancy for someone Claire's age. Dane didn't mention that though.
"So you want to sell today's find?"
"The Green Family has a jewelry business. Just hold onto your jade for now. Whether you want to sell or make something out of it, I can help you."
That reminded Claire about Ophelia, who also ran a jewelry company. Keeping it in the family just felt right.
"Okay.” Claire agreed.
Once she hung up, she turned to the crowd of eager buyers, ready to tell them her decision.
"Sorry, it's already been spoken for."
The bidding had just gotten wild, people nearly fighting over it. Suddenly, everyone froze.
"How could someone else get there first? Miss, if it's about the price, we can definitely talk." The older man who bid first looked especially reluctant to give up.
Still, Claire just shook her head and called over the stall owner to pack up her jade.
She wasn't doing this for a better offer. She honestly wasn't selling.
The old man sighed, disappointed. The rest of the crowd backed off, clearly frustrated. That phone call had ruined their chance.
A few of them looked like they wanted to cause trouble, but Claire wasn't alone, Dewitt was there with a group of bodyguards. There was no way anyone would try anything with all those people watching.
So they could only stand by as Claire and her friends walked away.
After she left, the other buyers tried to copy Claire's luck at the stall. People scrambled to pick from what was left, shoving money at the owner in no time, the entire pile of so called junk stones was sold out.
The stall owner couldn't stop grinning, but in the end, nobody else found anything good. The best piece was just an ordinary, dry jade that wasn't worth much, either.
In short, the seller made a nice profit. But that's another story.
By now, Claire and the others were worn out from walking around. They headed back to their hotel, kicked off their shoes, and piled onto the beds to watch a movie.
Well, all three girls got the beds. Len claimed the couch.
Shirley, who loved showing off her adventures online, snapped a photo of the thirty dollar stone that Claire turned into a prize and posted it. Comments started pouring in right away.
-Wait, what? You bought it for thirty and made a twenty thousand?
-Claire is a legend! Looks like she's totally fine without the James Family.
Shirley, you two are really besties now? Traveling together, no less. Claire's
making bank, what about everyone else?
Shirley went on a roll, firing back at everyone-especially the jealous ones. Some people posted bitter comments about how you might earn a million today and lose ten million tomorrow She handled them all, not holding back at all.
Meanwhile, Cindy and Lance both saw Shirley's post and honestly had a hard time believing any of it was real.