When the GF9 Test Subject Became His Obsession novel Chapter 121

The saleswoman nearly laughed. Playing hard to get? She was laying it on too thick.

Taylor only felt a suffocating weight in his chest, a knot that wouldn’t go down or out. Even the mood to shop for jewelry had evaporated.

"She wanted this one?"

The clerk took the chance to sneer. "That young lady wasn’t planning to buy the bracelet. She only asked for a single emerald stone. But bracelets are sold as a whole piece—we don’t just pry out gems to sell separately."

Her voice dripped with disdain. Who in their right mind would suggest something so ridiculous? Couldn’t afford the finished emerald, so she’d gamble on rough stones instead? Did she think jade-cutting was a game for anyone to play?

Taylor handed the bracelet back. "Wrap it up for me."

After paying, he held the boxed emerald bracelet—meant for Celeste—but couldn’t resist one last word of warning. "Eagle Jewelers knows the trade inside out. Do you really think they’d leave quality rough lying around for someone to snatch up cheap?"

He knew many poor people chased shortcuts, dreaming of getting rich overnight. If they put that same energy into real work, they wouldn’t need to fantasize about escaping poverty.

Serena wasn’t stupid, he could see that much. But her talents were all misapplied.

She ignored his advice, instead choosing a rough stone. "I want this one."

Taylor swallowed back a sigh. Hopeless. Why waste words? With Celeste’s bracelet in hand, he swept out of the store.

At the door, though, he couldn’t help glancing back. All he saw was open mockery from the others.

Serena acted as though she didn’t notice, calmly asking, "You do cutting here, right?"

The clerk’s face twisted. "Miss, don’t tell me you really think spending a few hundred dollars means you’ll cut out an emerald of that quality?"

Serena’s face didn’t change. "Just cut it."

"Fine, fine! We’ll cut it!"

So this was what the Reed heiress had fallen to. Taylor couldn’t even watch. He left, started his car—but didn’t drive away. He sat there, waiting, not even sure for what. Maybe to see her lose, to regret ignoring him.

And yet…

Half an hour later, the moment the stone cracked open, the sneers vanished. Every face in the store froze in shock.

They all knew most rough was worthless. Serena’s piece hadn’t looked special, its outer layers were nothing but fractures. But at the core—a flawless emerald emerged.

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