He Gave Me Hearing, Then Taught Me What Silence Really Means novel Chapter 7

Lydia carried a natural aura that effortlessly belittled everyone around her.

Yet she herself seemed entirely oblivious to it, turning to Nelson with a smile. "Do you want to help me pick one? Maybe Juniper will even give us a discount for old times' sake."

Nelson held the little girl's hand and walked over. "Just grab whichever one you like. Josie is hungry."

The little girl, Josie Saint, bore a striking resemblance to Nelson. She skipped over to where Juniper was sitting, let her eyes wander over the tray, and haphazardly grabbed a piece. She tossed it in her hand as if it were a cheap plastic toy and waved it proudly at Nelson. "Daddy, this one!"

The instant the words left her mouth, the spectacular icy-white jade bangle with vibrant green veins—valued at over three million dollars—slipped from her grasp, shattering into four pieces against the marble floor.

Josie immediately realized she had messed up. Her eyes turned red with fear, and she lowered her head, bursting into tears.

Nelson closed the distance in long strides, dropping to one knee to gently rub her head. "What are you crying for?"

He looked up at Juniper, a silent demand for the price tag.

Juniper swallowed hard. Recovering from the shock, she lowered her eyes. "Three point five million. I can..."

Before coming here, Caleb had briefed her on the absolute bottom line for each piece, anticipating that clients would haggle to reach a mutually satisfactory number.

But Nelson ruthlessly cut her off.

He pulled out a sleek black card, his gaze locked intensely on her for a second before softening entirely as he turned back to Josie. "Swipe it. Stop scaring the kid."

Lydia quickly rushed over, lightly tapping Josie's forehead with feigned scolding. "With your daddy here, what's there to cry about?"

Josie instantly broke into a tearful giggle, throwing her arms tightly around Nelson's neck in pure adoration.

Nelson scooped her into his arms, his gaze now shifting toward the most expensive piece on the tray. "We'll take this one for my mother. I'm taking Josie out to the garden."

Without waiting for Lydia's input, he turned and headed straight for the massive floor-to-ceiling windows.

Lydia raised an eyebrow. "I've already paid for it. I have no use for broken trash."

She probably had no idea that a piece of this caliber, even broken into four segments, could easily be repurposed by a master jeweler and still fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Given the sheer quality of the jade, even a single bead carved from the ruins would be worth a small fortune.

"Juniper, I know your family struggles financially. If you want this junk, go ahead and keep it. If you hand it to me, I'm just going to throw it in the trash anyway."

Lydia waved her hand dismissively. "Leave the one I actually bought, and you two can see yourselves out."

Juniper stood there clutching the shattered remains, perfectly aware that Lydia was doing this on purpose to humiliate her. But she genuinely needed this, so she bowed her head in sincere submission. "Thank you."

Lydia pulled out her own black card to pay, a flicker of triumph dancing in her eyes. "You were exactly like this in the past, too. You always looked so pitifully grateful every time I threw you a scrap. My mother told me you paid back the money the Thorne Family gave you, with interest?"