Chapter 38
Chapter 38
“Apparently, there was a platinum emerald ring put up at an antique auction today. I’ve already asked our people to intercept it.”
Sebastian listened to the report as a steady breeze ruffled his hair slightly. He quietly stared at the tall building across the street and asked, “Who sent it there?”
“A woman from a second-hand luxury shop sent it there just this noon. She said she got it from a customer. I’ve got all the information on the ring and the woman. I’ll send them to you right now.”
The three sides of the interrogation room were made of dark gray glass. People outside would have a clear view of everything inside.
Sebastian was standing outside the glass door. His shiny leather shoes looked spotless, and his dark eyes narrowed at the dazzling emerald ring he held between his slender fingers. His fingertips rubbed against the initials carved on the inner wall of the ring. He looked dangerous.
The coffee in Sean’s hands had turned cold. He cautiously handed it to Sebastian again. “Boss, we found the woman. We’ll bring her in for interrogation right away. I’ll make sure she confesses everything.”
Sebastian nodded and looked at the interrogation room.
The shop manager was brought in. She was no longer arrogant and domineering as before. She looked around and found men clad in suits staring down at her.
“Where did you get this ring?” Sean pounded the table. He sounded just like a fierce detective.
The shop manager rubbed her hands nervously. Judging from their clothes and domineering aura, she understood they were powerful people she couldn’t mess with. She had played several dirty tricks lately and didn’t know who had brought her here to settle the accounts.
“I… I have heard about this ring on TV and in magazines before. I knew it was a famous antique, so I bought it from a customer for a high price.”
“Are you sure you bought it at a high price?” Sean took out the evidence, along with the videos and photos that Sebastian had just taken at the door of the second-hand shop. “This woman is the owner of the ring. She said that you had stolen her ring. Could you explain that?”
The shop manager’s eyes widened as she realized it was the same woman who had come to the shop earlier. She still tried to defend herself, but the tall men walked toward her, their eyes gleaming with malice.
“Tell the truth, or you will have to bear the consequences,” Sean snapped viciously.
The shop manager was just an ordinary woman. She had never encountered such a situation before and had no clue how powerful and dangerous these people were. The woman trembled with fear. She did not dare to lie anymore and ended up admitting the truth.
“I offered a high price, but that lady didn’t want to sell it, so I got greedy and came up with this idea. I have sold fake jewelry before, and I happened to have a similar one in my hand, so I replaced the ring with the counterfeit.”
Sebastian’s jaw tightened; anger blazed in his eyes. He turned to a man next to him and ordered, “I don’t care what you do. Send this woman to jail and make sure she never comes out.”
That evening, Natalie was sitting on the sofa, examining her design. Just then, she heard the sound of the key twisting in the lock.
Sebastian opened the door and came in. As soon as he closed the door, he saw Natalie walking toward her room with her drawing.
He strode forward and stopped her. “The ring is back. Take it,” he said, slipping the ring into her finger.
Natalie pursed her lips and put the ring back in his palm. “I’m glad you’ve found it. Just keep it with yourself. Don’t give such a valuable thing to me again,” she said flatly, looking into the distance.
“Are you still mad at me about what happened in the morning?” Sebastian’s face darkened.
“No. It’s just that I’m not good at keeping things. If anything goes wrong, I’m afraid others might think I secretly sold it for money,” Natalie said. Her face bore no expression.
Hearing that, Sebastian knew that Natalie was still furious.
“What do you want me to do?” Sebastian felt helpless. He didn’t know what would make her feel better.
Natalie arched an eyebrow and looked at him. “You don’t have to do anything.”
Then, she walked into her room and slammed the door shut behind her, leaving Sebastian all alone.
Sebastian ran a hand through his hair, feeling helpless.
He didn’t know who would give him the right advice now.
Sebastian knew he had to somehow coax Natalie. However, he had no experience coaxing girls before, so he didn’t know how to make Natalie feel better.
Sebastian racked his brains but couldn’t come up with a solution. Finally, he left the house to look for Garrett.
Garrett was an experienced man in love. Sebastian felt he would be able to give him the right solution.
The bar looked dim except for the occasional neon lights that flashed from time to time. The loud music vibrated through the floor.
Seeing Sebastian walking into the bar, Garrett quickly drove away the beautiful women clinging to him and straightened his clothes.
After hearing why Sebastian was here today, Garrett burst out laughing. “I can’t believe you’d come to me one day for such a thing.”
Sebastian slowly picked up the glass. The dim lights softened his features, making him look more handsome. He leaned against the sofa, stretching out his long legs. “Mind your tongue. Unless you don’t want to have weekends this month.”
Garrett cleared his throat and swallowed the rest of his words.
He picked a glass of wine and sat beside Sebastian. “Do you want me to be single all my life? My eighteenth girlfriend is waiting for me to take her on a date this weekend.”
“Didn’t you say that your seventeenth girlfriend was pregnant? Don’t you want to get married?” Sebastian frowned and took a sip of the wine.
“How could I marry a woman pregnant with another man’s child?” Garrett sneered but quickly rearranged his expression and smiled at Sebastian. “Coaxing women is easy,” he said, scratching his chin. “If you knowingly or unknowingly piss her off, just apologize to her. Hug her and say something sweet. Her anger will quickly subside.”
Sebastian rolled his eyes impatiently. “What’s the matter with you? If I knew what to say, I wouldn’t be asking you for help.”
“Are you serious?” Garrett downed the remaining contents of his drink and pushed his glass up. After a moment’s thought, he asked, “Do you know what she likes? Buy her something she likes: branded
bags, jewelry, clothes. Buy a lot of the most expensive things she likes, and just shower her with gifts. I promise she will calm down the next day.”
Sebastian’s face was hidden in the dark; only his high nose was revealed. His fingertips drew circles on the rim of the glass. “She likes those things, but that’s only because she can sell them for money. I’d rather give her the money directly.”
“Hmm… Your wife is quite interesting,” Garrett said, smiling. This text is property of Nô/velD/rama.Org.
Sebastian glared at him. Garrett immediately waved his hand and explained, “I didn’t mean that. Don’t get me wrong. Since she likes money, it will be easier to solve the problem. You’re a wealthy man, after all.”
Sebastian stood up and patted Garrett’s shoulder. His eyes darkened. “That’s enough for today. Don’t drink too much. I’ll give your idea a try.”
Natalie didn’t sleep well last night.
She looked listless when she woke up in the morning.