I Walked Away And He Lost His Mind (Zephyra and Steven) novel Chapter 408

In the dream, I stared at the menacing Steven, terrified, my only thought to run. But before I could get up, he pinned me to the bed, his arm locking around my waist.

He held both my hands above my head, leaving me immobilized. His kiss was violent, and he tore my wedding dress to shreds.

He bit my neck hard, his eyes wild. "Zephyra, I must have been crazy to watch you marry him. You're mine. Even in death, you can only die in my arms!"

I woke with a jolt, sitting bolt upright. I realized I was lying in the hospital bed; my brother must have moved me.

Ryan and Julian both looked over at me, concerned. "What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"

My forehead was beaded with cold sweat. I brushed my hair back. "Yeah, a nightmare. I probably didn't sleep well last night."

Ryan handed me a glass of water. I took a few sips to calm my nerves, but my glamorous face still showed signs of lingering fear.

The dream had been far too realistic, so immersive that my heart was still pounding.

But then I thought about it. Steven might be a jerk, but he wasn't the type to resort to such forceful tactics, at least not with me. In my past life, he never treated Verna that way. If he had, she would have broken up with Jacob long before she did.

I was probably just overthinking things. It was all Steven's fault for pestering me even after the divorce, leaving me so unsettled.

The next day, Ryan and I went to a jade auction. I'd never been to such a high-end place before. After all, I'd never had much money. In my past life, my jewelry designs mostly used diamonds and pearls, materials whose prices were easier to control and which were more convenient to source.

Now, I had some spare cash from selling the antique painting. If I could cut some high-quality jade, it would be the perfect raw material for my jewelry, and the final pieces would sell for a much higher price.

Of course, for a designer, it was also a significant challenge, given the expensive nature of the materials.

The venue was bustling with people. Raw stones were displayed on every table, each marked with a price. There was also a cutting station where a crowd was gathered, watching something intently. Ryan and I walked over to see, and we overheard people muttering.

"No jade on the first cut. It's probably a lost cause. Thirty million at auction... looks like that kid's money is going down the drain."

Ryan grinned. "First time I've seen someone lose at stone gambling and have to go home to get married. That's even crazier than my dad's marriage nagging. He told Leonard that if he couldn't get his company off the ground, he'd have to come home, take over the family business, and enter an arranged marriage. Leonard didn't say anything, but he started working like crazy. He didn't come home for almost a year until his company was profitable."

I found that amusing. "Leonard is almost thirty, isn't he getting married?"

Ryan mumbled, "Leonard dated a girl in college who broke his heart. She was a gold digger. Since then, he's sworn off love. But... he has a pachira macrocarpa in his office that she gave him. Sometimes I catch him staring at it. I don't think he's over her yet."

My eyes lit up, my gossip senses tingling. "What's the story? Tell me everything! What was the girl's name?"

Just as Ryan was about to speak, an excited voice cut in. "Mrs. Lancaster. You're here too!"

I looked up to see Oliver striding towards me eagerly. He grabbed my hand as if I were his last hope.

"I'm so happy to see you! You know so much about antique paintings, you must know about stone gambling too, right? Please, help me out. I just spent thirty million on this stone. They said it was some old stone and that a piece this big should have some ice-grade jade inside. But two cuts and still no jade. Tell me, is there any hope for this stone?"