Reborn From Ashes novel Chapter 223

Quickly, Lily replied to Christina's text.

"Sure, but honestly, this thing's only worth a couple hundred dollars at most. Don't let yourself get ripped off again."

Reading the message, Christina felt a cold chill run through her. So it was a scam!

She gave the shopkeeper an annoyed glare, her frustration simmering.

"So, do you want to buy more?" the shopkeeper asked.

"No way!" Christina snapped, gritting her teeth as she turned and hurried off in the direction Hayden had gone.

Catching up to him, she called out cheerfully, "Hey, we look about the same age. What high school do you go to?"

"I'm from Riverside High. You're from Gardens High, right? I've seen your photo before," Hayden replied nonchalantly.

It was an offhand comment, but it immediately caught Jenny's attention.

"Wait a second! Hayden, that picture you had on your phone earlier. It was her. No wonder she looked so familiar. She's gorgeous!"

Jenny gave Christina an appreciative once-over. It was hard not to notice how stunning she was.

"You were looking at a picture of me on your phone?" Christina's heart skipped a beat as she tried to process what she'd just heard. She wondered what that meant.

Perhaps Hayden had been paying attention to her all along, and this was just him trying to act cool, keeping his distance so as not to seem too eager.

The thought brought a sly smile to Christina's face. If that were the case, her plan was already well on its way to success.

"It's a misunderstanding. It's not like that!" Hayden quickly shot Jenny a sharp look, tugging her away.

"If you have other things to do, don't let us keep you." Hayden tried to usher her away. Clearly, he didn't want to be there with her.

However, Christina was unfazed. She moved over to Hayden's side. "I've got nothing else going on, so I'll just tag along with you guys! You've got such great taste. Finding that big locust tree was amazing. I'm sure you'll lead me to more cool spots!" Christina explained.

Hayden's face darkened slightly, irritation creeping in. He'd never met someone so determined to stick around, let alone a popular girl like Christina.

Jenny, however, loved the situation. "It's fine, Hayden! Let's go," she said lightly before leaning to whisper in Hayden's ear, "Hey, we can let her be our guinea pig."

Hayden stifled a laugh, his expression turning awkward. This little sister of his really loved to stir the pot.

Left with no other choice, Hayden let Christina tag along. He brought them to a bustling area filled with stalls selling raw minerals. It was exactly where he had planned to go all along.

It was time to try his hand at some gemstone betting.