“Thank you, Joyce. That will be all for now.” Natalie dismissed her. “Ms. Cohen, please have a drink,” she added as she pushed one of the mugs toward Lina.
“Why are you still calling me Ms. Cohen? I’ve already addressed you by your first name, haven’t I? Doesn’t this suggest an inequality in our perceptions of one another?” Lina said pleasantly as she took a sip of her coffee.
Natalie returned her smile. “You’re right. I guess I shall address you as Lina.”
“That’s a good start.” Lina set down the coffee as she extracted a pouch from her purse.
At the sight of the bulge of several jewelry boxes pressed against the pouch, Natalie knew that pleasantries were over and it was time to talk business. She sat up a little straighter.
“As you might have already guessed, the contents of this pouch are the gift of the king to his princess,” Lina said as she took the boxes out one at a time.
There were five in total. It seemed like Lina wanted five designs for each box, which translates to five formal dresses.
“May I see them?” Natalie pointed at one of the boxes.
“Of course!” Lina answered graciously. She faced Natalie so that she may see the box being opened. With a dramatic flourish, the massive ruby appeared before Natalie’s eyes.
“It’s beautiful.” Natalie’s eyes widened in awe.
“It is, isn’t it? You know, your expression was exactly the same as mine when I first saw it. I thought that such an unadulterated gemstone was such a rare occurrence in the market. And we haven’t even taken into account its size too, Lina said as she handed a set of gloves over to Natalie.
Natalie knew what that meant. She was being offered a chance at handling the gemstone.
She hastened to put on the pair of rubber gloves offered to her. Then, with trembling hands, she picked up the ruby and held it at eye level.
It caught the light from above and glimmered strangely. Natalie saw countless sparkles being reflected off of its many facets. It really was a lovely sight to behold.
“It’s so beautiful,” Natalie murmured again as she replaced the ruby in its box.
Lina took another sip of coffee. “This particular stone came from the ocean. It was rumored to be discovered at the site of an underwater volcano. The purity of the color is easily a nine; an indication of superb quality in rubies. It is second only to Blazing Heart.”
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