As soon as the crowd heard that an emerald could be seen, they surged forward, packing the stone-cutting area. Once the person in charge completely cut open the raw emerald, gasps rippled through the crowd. It was an AAA-grade emerald. The color was a rich, vivid green, dazzling to the eye. The fist-sized piece was flawless—completely free of impurities. If polished and crafted into jewelry, it would be worth a fortune—at least fifteen million dollars.

Kevin felt like he was dreaming, and Martin was ecstatic. An AAA-grade emerald was rarely seen on the market. This discovery could save the Garcia family from their crisis. Kevin had never imagined that spending only one hundred thousand dollars could yield an AAA-grade emerald. Now, he could return to the Garcia family with his head held high. He felt extremely grateful to Yvette. Without her, he would likely have returned empty-handed, and his family elders would have berated him.

In the midst of his joy, Martin suddenly remembered Yvette, who had suggested Kevin buy the raw emerald. According to Kevin, Yvette had simply pointed at the raw emeralds randomly. Martin found this unbelievable. It was impossible to casually choose an AAA-grade emerald. She must be an expert at stone gambling. The fact that she gave Kevin the emerald without bidding herself showed she didn't care about the money. Who is she? he wondered.

Martin glanced at Kevin, who was gleefully dancing, and sighed. This foolish nephew! Where did he find such luck? This girl is our savior! he mused.

Later, learning that Yvette and Jeremiah had entered VIP Room No. 1, they discussed showing their gratitude for her generous gift. They decided to send over a bottle of red wine.

When Emmett returned to the room after handling matters outside, he found Yvette curled up on the couch, eyes closed, her long legs draped over the armrest. She was covered with Jeremiah’s white casual jacket. Jeremiah’s gaze fell on the jacket for a moment before he sighed. Didn’t Mr. Chavez have mysophobia? he wondered. Jeremiah never let anyone use his clothes, not even his mother. Yet, it was draped over this girl.

Emmett softly approached Jeremiah and whispered, “Boss, I’ve arranged everything. Our men have left the exhibition hall, but some are monitoring Caleb’s movements. We’ll know immediately if he makes any move.”

Just then, Yvette turned, revealing her slim, perfectly curved back to the men. Emmett fell silent, his gaze sharp. He withdrew his gaze after confirming she was asleep—breathing couldn’t be faked. Little did he know that if Yvette wanted to mask her presence, no one could detect her.

When Emmett looked up again, he met Jeremiah’s icy gaze. Jeremiah fiddled with his coffee cup, his gaze softening as he looked at Yvette. Then, he glanced at the nervous Emmett and said, “Emmett, if you ever show even a hint of hostility toward her again, you can leave.”

Emmett’s expression changed. Is Mr. Chavez dismissing me? This is worse than death, he mused, bowing his head. “Mr. Chavez, I was wrong. Please punish me.”

Jeremiah set down his coffee cup. The action, though not forceful, struck Emmett deeply. He knew that any further disrespect toward Yvette would result in banishment to Mysonna, never to return to Betrico.

“Don’t let it happen again,” Jeremiah said.

Yvette, who had been lying with her back to them, slowly opened her eyes. Her eyes were clear, showing no signs of sleepiness. She had awakened the moment Emmett entered. As expected, Jeremiah and his men were also there for Caleb.

At 10:30 a.m., the bidding officially began. It was divided into sealed bids and open bids. Sealed bids involved numbered forms where buyers wrote their name and price. These forms were sealed, and the winner was publicly announced. Open bids gathered all buyers in one place, bidding in turns for each raw emerald. The competition was fiercer than sealed bids, often resulting in unexpected events.

The auction host was a young woman in a low-cut gown. Her voluptuous figure and flirtatious demeanor captivated the men. She seemed accustomed to the attention, even relishing it.

She strutted to the center stage, where several burly bodyguards stood nearby. “Good morning. I’m Liza, the host. Welcome to Kransbay. Mr. Caleb Kerton has carefully selected these raw emeralds. I hope everyone finds what they’re looking for. Let’s not waste time. The open bid has officially begun,” she announced.

Applause thundered through the hall. Locals who knew Liza’s true identity—Caleb’s favored mistress—remained calmer than the outsiders. No one dared to make careless remarks.

Once the crowd was sufficiently hyped, Liza announced, “Now, let’s welcome Bradley Kerton to present the first raw emerald.”

A man in his twenties, with a somewhat sleazy appearance, slicked-back hair, and colorful attire, stepped onto the stage. “Everyone, thank you. I’m Bradley Kerton. Our experts determined an 80% chance of high-quality emeralds. Bidding starts at 1.7 million dollars.”

The bidding quickly escalated: “1.85 million dollars!” “Two million dollars!” “2.3 million dollars!” “2.6 million dollars!”

In less than ten minutes, the price reached five million dollars, where the bidding stopped. An emerald merchant from Mysonna won. Bradley smiled; they had acquired the raw emeralds cheaply, knowing only a few contained high-quality emeralds. The rest wouldn’t be extraordinary. Not everyone could be as lucky as Martin and Kevin.

On the second floor, Emmett’s phone rang.