Victor Morgan was magnanimous. "Please, go ahead," he said.
Jessie Sterling didn't hesitate, pulling the velvet box resting on top out of the bag.
It was a silver-gray gift box, looking very understated.
The moment she opened it, Jessie Sterling held her breath.
Nestled against the black velvet lining was a purplish-pink diamond necklace that looked like a sliver of solidified sunset. The main stone was an estimated eight-carat purplish-pink diamond with an exquisite cut, surrounded by smaller accent diamonds. It resembled a shy, blushing maiden, adored and encircled by a host of stars.
Under the bright overhead lights, the entire necklace shimmered as if the Milky Way had descended upon the night sky—it was utterly dazzling.
Jessie Sterling's heart pounded. She snapped her head up. "You're the one who was bidding by phone that day!"
Even the quick-witted Victor Morgan was taken aback by Jessie Sterling's sudden, out-of-the-blue remark.
But Jessie Sterling's expression grew more and more certain. As Lynn Jennings would say, she might not be good at much else, but she had a killer eye—a true art student. Whether it was fashion or jewelry, Jessie was an expert. And when it came to gems, she had a nearly photographic memory.
The necklace now in her hands was, without a doubt, the very same purplish-pink diamond necklace she had tried to bid on in Port Caldoria on Wednesday night!
She had missed out on two pieces of jewelry, and she'd spent the entire night grumbling to Quincy Sterling about it.
"What kind of nouveau riche buffoon was that?! So annoying! There were only three items up for auction, and he bought them all!"
"Was it because I didn't have the money?! No! I just couldn't be bothered to drive up the price!"
"Quincy, when you go to parties lately, help me keep an eye out. I want to know who bought that necklace and bracelet. It's so infuriating."
Worn down by her sister's incessant complaining, Quincy Sterling promised she would definitely keep an eye out. At the same time, she decided that if she found out where the diamond necklace had gone, she would see if she could buy it back from the collector. A higher price didn't matter, as long as Jessie liked it.
Just then, Victor Morgan also realized what Jessie Sterling was talking about. "You mean the auction? You were there that day?"
What a coincidence.
However, he hadn't been in Port Caldoria that night. He had returned to Aethelburg for a meeting that required his personal attendance, which was why he had commissioned a professional to bid on his behalf.
Jessie Sterling's preferences were easy enough to find out. She loved jewelry. Rumor had it that the Eldest Miss Sterling would wear a full haute couture gown with all sorts of matching jewelry just to have a casual meal with her friends.
Some people found her too ostentatious, but secretly, countless others were trying to copy her style.
Given her love for jewelry, it wasn't difficult for Victor Morgan to cater to Jessie Sterling's tastes.
After learning that Christie's was holding an auction in Port Caldoria soon, he had already decided to buy every single piece of jewelry up for sale.
Jessie Sterling never imagined that after all that, the diamond necklace she'd set her sights on would end up back in her hands. She huffed twice, looking as proud and petulant as a noble Persian cat. "The only reason I went to Port Caldoria was for that auction."
Victor Morgan understood in an instant. He recalled the phone bidder he had hired that day—a renowned jewelry appraiser in the industry—briefly mentioning that a lady at the auction had been bidding very aggressively, seemingly determined to win.
At the time, he didn't know the lady mentioned over the phone was Jessie Sterling, so he hadn't thought much of it, simply instructing his proxy to keep raising the bid to secure the items.
They stepped out of the elevator and onto the rooftop, where the Elysian Grand Hotel's sky garden was located.
Jessie Sterling stepped out first. The rooftop was nearly a thousand square meters and had been converted into a garden, complete with numerous sets of garden tables and chairs. Each table was adorned with a flameless candle, creating a very romantic atmosphere.
Victor Morgan followed behind Jessie Sterling, wondering if he had upset her by buying the auction items she had wanted.
Her displeasure seemed a bit irrational to him, but he had already learned about Jessie Sterling's personality before coming to Southaven. For someone like her, this kind of reaction seemed plausible.
With that thought, Victor Morgan decided to break the silence. "There's one more gift in the bag."
Jessie Sterling was indeed a little miffed. She had wanted to see what kind of "nouveau riche buffoon" had outbid her, but it turned out to be him...
Hearing Victor Morgan's voice now, she reached into the kraft paper bag again and felt something square.
Jessie Sterling was a little curious. She pulled it out and saw that it was a set of books.
But when she got a clear look at the cover, Jessie Sterling let out a small "Ah!" unable to hide her surprise.
With a look of shock still on her face, she glanced at the picture book in her hand, then looked up at the young man sitting across from her, then back down, then up again. She repeated this sequence several times.
"You..." Jessie Sterling wanted to ask Victor Morgan how he knew she liked this particular illustrator, but she felt the question was pointless now. The gift was already in her hands, and it was perfectly suited to her tastes. After a moment, Jessie finally continued, "You and this picture book... you really don't seem to match at all."
Before the reveal, she never would have imagined receiving a gift like this.
Other than Lynn Jennings and Quincy Sterling, no one had ever given her a picture book.
The things were too inexpensive. The young ladies from high-society families would never give such a "low-brow" gift. Weren't the presents she usually received worth thousands, if not millions, of times more than this little picture book?
Victor Morgan looked completely unflappable. "As long as Miss Sterling likes it."
Jessie Sterling did indeed like it very much. At the same time, her heart was a swirl of complicated feelings.
'In my past life, I had this book in my hands too.'
'She was certain it was the exact same book.'
'The same printing batch, the same signature placement—it was the wedding gift she had received from Victor Morgan in her past life.'
'Had he really started trying to understand me this early on?'
Jessie Sterling's mood was a tangled mess.
"I didn't think that far ahead... I didn't prepare a gift for you..." Jessie Sterling bit her lower lip, feeling a little flustered for the first time tonight.
Victor Morgan replied, "It's alright. Tonight was about me asking for Miss Sterling's hand in marriage. There's no reason for you to have prepared a gift."
Jessie Sterling's slight embarrassment was instantly dispelled by Victor Morgan's words.
But after her awkwardness faded, her ears turned a little red.
'This man really is an old-fashioned fuddy-duddy. What's all this 'asking for my hand' business? Why make an arranged marriage sound so serious?'
'But, I have to admit, I'm actually in a pretty good mood.'
And so, her mood having brightened, the Eldest Miss Sterling finally remembered to start introducing the man beside her to the nightscape of Southaven.
Southaven's skyline was considered one of the top five in the country, and from the top floor of the Elysian Grand Hotel, the view overlooking the premier coastal metropolis was even more enchanting.
On the way home, Jessie Sterling and Quincy Sterling sat in the back seat of a Ghost.
Both families had made great progress tonight and were preparing to consult a master to read their birth charts and select auspicious dates for the engagement and wedding.
The moment Quincy Sterling got in the car, a flash of light caught her eye.
The facets of the diamond refracted a brilliant spectrum of light that danced in her vision.
"Look!"
Jessie Sterling dangled the purplish-pink diamond necklace she had just received, a smug look in her eyes.
Quincy Sterling gasped. "Hey, isn't that the necklace you wanted to bid on?"
"Yep, yep," Jessie Sterling nodded, her eyes sparkling.
"So..." Quincy Sterling quickly put two and two together. "This was Victor Morgan's first-meeting gift to you?"
Jessie Sterling nodded again.
"Oh? So, should I help you buy the other two pieces back from him?" Quincy Sterling asked teasingly.
Jessie Sterling didn't expect Quincy to steer the conversation in that direction. "You! Stop talking! You're making me mad."
Quincy Sterling giggled and leaned on her shoulder. "Alright, alright, Eldest Miss. I was wrong. Please forgive me."
"You're being so cutesy..."
"Aren't I just learning from you? Am I doing it right?"
"I do not!"
After they got home, Jessie Sterling found a new message on her phone. It was from Victor Morgan.
The two of them had added each other on WeChat tonight.