Chapter 241 I'm Also Curious About Nicole
Elizabeth had the lowdown on Ingram Jewelers and Spellscroll Jewelers.
The Ingram fam? They were pioneers in the jewelry industry, leading figures in the country, and even held significant international influence.
Spellscroll Group? They used to be small potatoes, like third-rate. But lately, they've been blowing up, especially with their gemstone bling, almost catching up to Ingram.
She knew about Spellscroll Group, but the Spellscrolls and the Clarks? Totally different worlds, no overlap. So, she didn't have the 411 on the Spellscroll fam's drama.
Elizabeth, intrigued, asked Rex, "What's the deal with this whole real and fake heiress situation?"
Rex wasn't shocked she was into it. Elizabeth was once a legit heiress who got lost in the shuffle, so this kinda tea was right up her alley.
He spilled, "So, Darlene? Not really a Spellscroll. She got swapped at birth twenty years ago. Eight years back, she had a check-up, found out her blood type didn't match the Spellscrolls. She told them, did a DNA test, and boom, not their kid."
Rex went on, "The Spellscrolls dug into it, found out a nurse mixed up two baby girls. They tracked down their real daughter, Nicole Spellscroll, and brought her home. Darlene's bio fam was broke, so the Spellscrolls kept her around. But lately, Darlene's been all over the high society scene, while Nicole's been MIA. Rumor has it, Nicole's been trying to mess with Darlene, and it's backfired big time at parties."
Rex smirked, "The Spellscrolls think Nicole's a hot mess and don't show her off anymore. Darlene drags Nicole to events, making her look even worse. Nicole's rep is in the gutter, while Darlene's is shining. Darlene's got mad skills in gemstone appraisal, scoring big for the Spellscrolls' biz, so they're all about her now."
Rex added, "Darlene seems all sweet and generous, but she's a snake. We went to the same high school, and she had people bullying Nicole, who'd just been brought back. When Nicole was about to snap, Darlene would swoop in, playing the hero. Everyone thought she was this awesome sister, always 'protecting' Nicole. Meanwhile, they thought Nicole was just a brat."
He sighed, "Seeing that, I realized how slick and ruthless Darlene is." Then he got serious. "I think she outed herself as not the real heiress to stay in the family and edge out Nicole. That's why I think Darlene's the one who messed with Matthew."
Matthew was floored and mumbled. "No wonder you told Hannah to steer clear of Darlene."
Rex sighed, "Yeah, but Hannah's totally under her spell and doesn't believe me. But if she finds out Darlene tried to mess with you, she'll cut her off for sure. She loves you too much to let that slide."
Matthew nodded, deep in thought. "I'll dig into this and fill Hannah in on what went down today. If Darlene's behind this, she probably wants to stop me and our gem appraiser from hitting up the big gemstone market on the border in ten days. If I'm out of the picture, the company's in chaos. Execs fighting for power won't be able to focus on the market."
Rex added, looking grim, "So it's likely she did it on purpose. But even if we find something fishy, there's no solid proof she's guilty. If we confront her, she'll just deny knowing the ring was bad."
So if Darlene really did it, they couldn't use this to get back at her.
Matthew said with a sly grin, "Doesn't matter if she denies it; there are plenty of ways to get even. I'm not letting her off that easy."
Rex glanced at the gemstone ring on the table and asked, worried, "Matthew, are you still going to the border gemstone market? If they tried to harm you once, they might try again. It's hard to stay on guard."
Matthew sighed, "I have to. This market's the biggest in ten years. I need to lead the team. Gemstones are key for our company's growth."
Rex looked worried but then had a lightbulb moment. "Elizabeth," he turned to her, "Can you join Matthew at the gemstone market as a consultant? We can pay you, or I can offer my entertainment industry connections in exchange."
Elizabeth was a powerhouse, and if she went with Matthew to the border, Rex would feel a lot better.
He added, "If I bounce back quickly, I want to go too and check things out."
Matthew, knowing what Elizabeth was capable of, thought it was a solid idea when Rex suggested it.
He looked at Elizabeth, hopeful, waiting for her answer.
Elizabeth had already planned to hit up the gemstone market herself. Now that the chance and excuse were right there, she wasn't about to say no.
Plus, she was super curious about Nicole from the Spellscroll family. She wondered if Nicole was like Brenda. For fortune-tellers like them, leveling up their skills was closely tied to gemstones. So she thought Darlene might be shady.
She thought for a moment and agreed, "Sure, I'm curious about Nicole too. I'll talk to the director and try to wrap up my scenes in these ten days."
She added, "As for payment, we'll sort it out later. Since I'm going to the gemstone market, I'll be buying some gems too. If I'm short on cash, you can cover it. If I've got enough, Mr. Ingram can use his entertainment industry resources to pay me back when we're back."
Relief washed over the two brothers. Raymond mused that he might just tag along for the adventure.
Isaac, impressed by Elizabeth's skills, wondered if he could ask her for help with a personal issue.
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