?Chapter 1081:


    “What do you think?” Nate whispered to Corrine, leaning in close.


    She shot him a quick look, then motioned for him toe nearer. In a low voice, she replied, “I think that stone’s a fake.”


    Nate’s eyes flickered with curiosity. A small smile tugged at his lips as he looked at her, his gaze yful yet thoughtful. “What makes you say that?”


    His eyes turned to the stone being sliced. In the light, the white stone with a touch of green seemed of decent quality.


    Corrine met his gaze, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “Because everyone thinks it’s real.”


    In the end, stone betting was all about perception. She watched the stone being cut, thought for a moment, and then said inly, “It’s a gamble. You could either hit it big or lose everything in an instant. People with the wrong mindset might even end up destroyed. How many stories have you heard of people getting rich quick from stone betting? It’s mostly people losing it all. Tricks like using cheap stones and hiding them with ayer of better material on top are prettymon. The owner of Moonlight za isn’t stupid. Tonight’s show is just a marketing stunt. If he had a real gem, why would he sell it like this?”


    In the surveince room, Herbert couldn’t hold back a slight smirk. She was sharp, no doubt about it.


    Meanwhile, the man’s stone was being cut open. Just as Corrine had predicted, the stone’s green color turned out to be the only thing of value. The rest was just worthless gray rock.


    “Damn!” the buyer muttered bitterly under his breath. “What rotten luck!”


    Spending a million on a useless stone!


    The crowd groaned, as if they had lost a fortune themselves.


    ???ε?? ￠??t?€я? ?η ?a?и?νê??.???


    “You sure know your stuff.” Nate pulled her closer, wrapping his arm around her waist and giving her side a light squeeze. He leaned in, his voice low. “How about you give it a shot? If you win, the prize is yours. If you lose, it’s on me.”


    “You sure you’re not worried I’ll take everything you’ve got?” Corrine raised an eyebrow, ncing at him sideways.


    Even a quick look from her was enough to draw attention. Her eyes had a way of captivating, even when she wasn’t trying.


    Nate tightened his hold on her waist just a little, swallowing hard. His gaze deepened, full of focus. “If it means I get a smile from you, it’ll be worth it.”


    Corrine gave him a warm smile in return.


    Growing up with her grandfather, she had picked up a thing or two about antiques and jade. Carl was always open with her, never hiding anything. Noticing her interest, he always took her to auctions and some hidden spots. He had even shared some tricks with her, especially for stone betting. Today, she decided to see if those old tricks still held up.


    “Wait for me,” Corrine said as she turned to leave the private room.


    She approached the round table, casually inspecting the stones. After a quick look, she picked the most unremarkable one tucked away in the corner. “Number 1050, one hundred thousand.” The price was much lower than the others.


    .


    .


    .