The ringtone of her phone interrupted Serena's chaotic thoughts.
She reached into her bag, glanced at the caller ID, and took a deep breath before answering. "Hello, Grandpa Bryan!"
A warm, weathered male voice came from the other end of the line. "Miss Knowles, hope I'm not disturbing you?"
The elderly gentleman had always been very courteous.
Time had only made his demeanor more refined and gentle.
Serena shook her head. "Not at all. I'm just having some coffee. Is there something I can help you with?"
"Oh, it's like this! The rough stone we looked at yesterday at Mr. Kim's place has already been cut. You left in a hurry, and Mr. Kim didn't get your contact info, so he asked me to let you know."
"Oh!"
Serena still felt confident about the stone she'd seen yesterday.
But out of politeness, she asked cautiously, "So, how did it turn out?"
Grandpa Bryan stroked his beard and said with a smile, "You were so confident yesterday when you advised Mr. Kim to cut the stone-I imagine you already know the answer."
"Hehe, I was just being reckless! I only hope I didn't embarrass myself in front of experienced experts like you and Mr. Kim."
"Embarrass yourself?!" Grandpa Bryan sighed. "If anything, I should be the embarrassed one!"
"After examining the stone, I advised Mr. Kim not to cut it and to sell it as-is."
"But to our surprise, once it was cut, beneath the outer shell-less than 5cm thick-the quality of the gemstone was far better than expected! At the very center, it turned out to be a pure icy gemstone of high clarity."
"Also, the cracks on the surface didn't penetrate into the interior. Apart from a few obvious major cracks, the rest of the fissures were minimal and won't affect crafting bangles."
"According to market value, Mr. Kim did a rough estimate and said the stone could be worth close to ten million once it's all processed-far exceeding the three million he paid for it."
"He specifically asked me to call and thank you!"
Hearing this, the heavy weight pressing on Serena's heart finally lifted.
"Please tell Mr. Kim not to worry about it. Last time, during the stone auction, I also had a part in recommending that failed stone. I've always felt bad about it-think of this as making up for that mistake."
"That time wasn't your fault! That stone could have fooled almost anyone-it looked like it had great potential!"
Grandpa Bryan chuckled and finally asked a question that had been on his mind for a while. "Miss Knowles, I understand if your family has rules about keeping its skills a secret. But... may I ask, which master gemstone appraiser lineage does your family come from?"
Serena blinked, a little embarrassed.
What lineage? She had just accidentally gained intermittent x-ray vision.
But 'x-ray vision' is something out of legends. If she hadn't experienced it herself, she wouldn't have believed such a thing existed either.
Knowing Grandpa Bryan would just think she was being dismissive or making things up if she told the truth, Serena came up with an excuse. "Grandpa Bryan, I'm sorry. There's a family rule that even our founding master's identity can't be shared with outsiders. I hope you'll understand-I can't say more."
"Of course! Of course!" Grandpa Bryan replied warmly.
Although he'd only met Serena twice, he found himself increasingly impressed and fond of this young woman.
After a moment's thought, he asked slowly, "Miss Knowles, would you happen to be free this evening? I'd like to treat you to a meal."
Serena didn't think much of it-assuming it was Mr. Kim wanting to thank her-so she politely declined, "That's not necessary. Please let Mr. Kim know that it was no trouble at all. I'd feel bad accepting such a gesture."
Grandpa Bryan laughed heartily. "Oh no, Miss Knowles, you misunderstood. It's me personally who would like to invite you."
"You?!" Her eyes widened in surprise.
"Yes. I believe you are an extraordinary talent with a unique gift for gemstone appraisal. In all my decades of experience, I've never met someone like you. I'd love to have a deeper conversation with you-if you'd be willing?"
Since he said that, Serena couldn't refuse any further.
"Of course I'm willing!" she said quickly.
"Excellent! I'll send you the restaurant details later. See you tonight."
"Okay!"
After hanging up, Serena looked down at her clothes.
She was only wearing a simple blouse and trousers.
After all, she had just come from visiting a patient at the hospital, so dressing too flamboyantly would've been inappropriate.
But now that she was heading to dinner like this... it felt a bit shabby. It might even make Grandpa Bryan think she didn't value the meeting.
Serena quickly got up, paid the bill, and left the café.
Driving on her way home, she kept thinking about what she should wear.
After some thought, she realized she didn't have many vintage-style outfits-just the one she wore last time when visiting Mr. Kim.
But she couldn't wear that again.
Changing course, she steered toward the commercial district of Vernon.
When she passed a luxurious shopping mall, she hesitated for a moment but didn't stop. Instead, she turned into a quiet alleyway nearby.
This alley was full of history. Every tile and brick seemed to hold countless stories of the past.
Getting out of the car, Serena stepped carefully onto the timeworn stone steps.
The alley wasn't long-soon, she reached the end.
She paused, turned left, and looked toward a small, inconspicuous shop by the roadside.
The shop was so modest, one wouldn't even know it was a place of business without having been there before. It didn't even have a proper signboard.
If Serena hadn't come here once before with her mother, she never would've realized this was actually a store.
Seeing the door was open, she pushed it and walked in.
The wind chime on the door rang lightly, alerting the owner that a customer had arrived.
Sure enough, a moment later, an elderly lady emerged from the inner room, dressed in a deep maroon dress and wearing her hair in vintage twin buns.
"Hello, may I help you?"
Serena smiled. "Granny, do you remember me? A few years ago, I came here with my mother."
***