Chapter 257 The Contrast Was Stark
Nicholas clutched his stinging cheek, staring at Darlene like she'd lost her mind.
Usually, when Darlene was pissed, she'd just yell at him. But this? This was the first time she'd actually slapped him.
His face twisted in anger. "What the hell, Darlene? Are you nuts?"
Darlene shot back, "You messed up the auction for the marked item. Don't you think you deserve it?"
She thought, 'Yeah, this is all on Nicholas. If he hadn't touched my hand, the water bottle wouldn't have spilled on the notebook. Even though my ability's on the fritz, I could've handled this auction. Now, with the marked item up for grabs, I'm totally screwed. I can't take the fall for this, so Nicholas has to.'
Nicholas let out a bitter laugh. "I barely touched you, and that's my fault? Instead of blaming me, why don't you just jot down a new set of data? We still have time to bid."
Even though he'd been slapped, he couldn't stand Darlene. But because of her ability, he had to suck it up for now. Once she was no longer useful, he'd make sure she paid for this.
Darlene sneered, "You've completely ruined my mood. Now I've got a headache, my whole body hurts, and I can't focus on the raw stones. So, I'm out."
Nicholas wanted to throttle her. But he had to keep sweet-talking her. "Darlene, it was my bad. Don't be mad. Just take another look at the numbers, or we're gonna miss out."
Darlene's ability had vanished, and she couldn't let Nicholas or the Spellscroll Group know. Acting all pissed, she ignored Nicholas's attempts to calm her down.
Frustrated, Nicholas told his appraisers to quickly check the remaining raw stones and note down the ones they were sure about before the auction started.
Watching them scramble, Darlene let out a sigh of relief. Half an hour later, the group was back in the auction hall. The appraisers scribbled down some numbers, and now it was all up to luck. Not just Nicholas, but the whole crew was on edge because of Darlene's sudden outburst. But her appraisal skills were too crucial to challenge.
As they took their seats, Darlene noticed Nicole was missing. "Where's Nicole?" she asked.
Nicholas shrugged. "No idea. She didn't come out with us."
Darlene's face fell. "Why didn't you keep an eye on her?" She'd sensed her ability to appraise raw stones had failed outside. She was freaking out but had hoped Nicole could help her recover her Generational Blessings. Now, with Nicole missing, her panic skyrocketed.
Nicholas noticed something was seriously off with Darlene today. He said, "Maybe she went to the restroom. Let's focus on the auction first."
Grabbing his arm, Darlene whispered urgently, "Finding Nicole is more important. If you want the Spellscroll Group to keep growing, you have to find her now. Take people and look for her. If she's not in the restroom, check the surveillance. You have to find Nicole."
Nicholas was confused, but seeing Darlene's almost hysterical state, he said, "Alright, I'll take people to look. You handle the auction."
He didn't know why Darlene was so hung up on Nicole. But he had a hunch because every time Darlene went out to appraise, she had to bring Nicole.
He thought, 'With Darlene's freak-out just now and her refusal to work no matter how much I coax her, could it be she suddenly can't appraise anymore? Is it because Nicole vanished?'
With that thought, Nicholas got anxious and immediately got up to find Nicole.
As Nicholas bolted off, Darlene's nerves were all over the place during the auction. She tried to get the appraisers to place the bids, but they insisted she do it herself. With no other option, she called out the numbers they gave her.
Elizabeth noticed Darlene's frantic bidding and had Matthew deliberately jack up the prices. As expected, Darlene kept matching and outbidding Matthew, determined not to lose, even if it meant overpaying.
By the time Darlene realized she'd been played, she had overbid on more than twenty raw stones, paying way more than they were worth.
She clenched her teeth in hatred toward Matthew and Elizabeth. She prayed her luck would hold, hoping all the raw stones she won would yield gems.
The auction wrapped up, and Nicholas still hadn't come back.
Darlene and the Spellscroll Group headed to the back to deal with the raw stones. They had their go-to stonecutter ready to crack them open. Every time they revealed good gems, it was like free advertising for Spellscroll Jewelers.
Following Elizabeth's lead, Matthew picked a stonecutter nearby.
Elizabeth also chose one to help open the raw stones she and Raymond had won.
Seeing Darlene's grim face, Elizabeth couldn't resist poking fun. "Earlier, you bragged you'd dominate the high-end gem market today," she said with a smirk. "Ms. Spellscroll, I suppose these raw stones are all gems, right?"
Cornered and lacking confidence, Darlene snapped back, "Do you even need to ask?"
Inside, she just hoped her old luck would still work its magic and that the company's appraisers were on point.
Elizabeth chuckled, "Alright, let's see just how many quality gems the Spellscroll Group can reveal under your leadership. Please, go ahead!"
Darlene was totally cornered. If she'd known, she would've gone to find Nicole herself. She had no choice but to let the stonecutter start.
Matthew and the others watched, ready to jump in after the Spellscroll Group revealed their first stone.
Others had the same idea, and a crowd gathered to watch.
In the past, Darlene would've loved the buzz of a big crowd. Now, she found it annoying and wished they'd all just disappear. Of course, she couldn't say anything that would offend everyone, so she had to suck it up.
Soon, the first stone was cut.
People gasped, "There's no gem at all, not even a trace. Isn't Darlene supposed to be amazing, almost never missing?"
One guy said, "It's just the first one, don't rush."
Hearing the chatter, Darlene felt the urge to bolt. But she couldn't.
The higher-ups of the Spellscroll Group frowned and told them to keep cutting.
Matthew and Elizabeth had their stonecutters start too.
Raymond joined in, having his stonecutter open stones as well.
Panic clawed at Darlene's insides. Each stone was a bust. Meanwhile, Elizabeth's stones revealed pure gems one after another, and even Raymond's modest haul produced some gems.
As the last stone of the Spellscroll Group was cut and turned out to be another dud, reality hit hard. The millions spent on raw stones were wasted. Elizabeth and Matthew's groups, on the other hand, had major wins. The contrast was brutal.
Onlookers turned their gaze toward Darlene, disbelief written all over their faces. Her colleagues from the Spellscroll Group looked at her with a mix of shock and disappointment.
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