Chapter 17 How Could This Happen?
The other three burst into laughter, their mockery undisguised.
"Yeah, uncle, your son-in-law seems like a real prince among paupers. He hasn't worked a day in his life, yet he lives so carefree; maybe he's a whiz when it comes to gambling with stones," chimed in Phillip's son-in-law, laughing in a sardonic and eerie manner.
He had seen Jennifer when he came in and was utterly stunned by her breathtaking beauty. Compared to his own wife, Jennifer was in a league of her own.
He was deeply envious of James. Why should such a useless trash be able to marry a beauty like Jennifer, while he who was so outstanding, ended up with a plain wife?
Now that he had the chance, he didn't hold back in poking fun at James.
Listening to these words, Dennis grew even more disgusted with James. He glared at him fiercely. If it weren't for the presence of outsiders, he might have kicked him. This useless trash knew nothing but to embarrass him!
Jennifer's face also showed impatience. She had just thought she had been too harsh on James earlier, but now this worthless individual had quickly embarrassed the Johnson Family.
"Keep your mouth shut, and no one will mistake you for a mute!" Jennifer shot back, not mincing her words.
James fell silent. He wanted to see the expression on Dennis' face when he finished revealing the stone.
Fearful that Phillip might retract his offer, Dennis hurriedly transferred the money and said, "I've transferred the money to you. This stone is mine now."
"You make it sound like I'd go back on my word," Phillip said and then chuckled mysteriously, handing the stone to Dennis. "Dennis, fancy a go at it? Honestly, if I weren't strapped for eighty grand, I wouldn't have parted with it."
As he spoke, he shook his head and wagged his finger, a picture of regret.
Touching the stone, Dennis also felt a surge of excitement. He had been gambling on stones for several years now, and the more he played, the more addictive it became. If he was lucky enough to buy a good stone, he could make a fortune in minutes!
"Great! Let's try my luck then," Dennis announced and then laughed heartily, his face full of excitement, as if he could already see himself making a fortune from a good jade.
Only James was shaking his head on the side.
Stone revealing was a technical job that required specialized tools. Afraid of messing it up, Dennis called in a professional to do it.
All eyes were glued on the expert, who was meticulously unveiling the jade.
Kaitly exclaimed excitedly, "It's cracked open. There's indeed jade inside!"
Kaitlyn balled her fists tight, her excitement mounting as the expert revealed another segment of jade.
Dennis, grinning from ear to ear, waved his hand nonchalantly, saying, "Keep your cool. This is just the start. There's still a big chunk of jade to come."
He was overjoyed, certain that this gift would delight his father-in-law the next day.
But soon, his smile turned to a rigid grimace.
Because as soon as the expert had revealed a bit more, there was no jade left!
The professional announced, "Congratulations, boss. This is a piece of good-quality jade, worth at least forty thousand dollars!"
The professional, unaware of the situation, smiled and congratulated Dennis.
"That's impossible!" Dennis immediately furrowed his brow and said sharply, "Continue revealing."
The professional said, "Boss, it seems there's no need to reveal further. The jade in the entire stone has been revealed. Carving further will only uncover more stone."
Phillip and the middle-aged man in a suit exchanged a glance, secretly giving each other a thumbs up and greatly admiring each other. If it weren't for this master's guidance, Phillip would have suffered a big loss like Dennis.
In fact, this stone wasn't won in gambling; he had bought it from someone for sixty thousand dollars. Fortunately, he had listened to the master's advice and stopped in time, not continuing to fully extract it.
He had come to sell it to Dennis, not only recouping his losses but also making an extra twenty thousand, feeling quite pleased.
James immediately realized that Phillip had deliberately deceived Dennis.
"Enough nonsense, reveal it as I told you," Dennis impatiently demanded.
The gemstone prospector was a bit annoyed but didn't argue. He just smirked, having seen this situation many times. Dennis, this fool, had surely been deceived.
As the revelations continued, Dennis's face grew paler. By the end, the entire stone had been explored, but not a trace of jade was found, only stone.
"How... how could this happen?" Dennis widened his eyes in disbelief. Then it hit him, and he pointed angrily at Phillip, and accused, "Phillip, you damn well tricked me!"
Dennis wasn't stupid; he quickly realized this.
However, Phillip was quick to play the victim. He slammed the table and rebuked, "Dennis! What's the big idea? You were the one who wanted to buy the stone, and now that it's not yielding any jade, you're pinning the blame on me?
"If you can't take a loss, spit it out! I thought you were a big spender; it turns out you're just a penny pincher!"
Dennis's face alternated between expressions of being mortified and furiousness, and he was unable to formulate a retort.
It was indeed his decision to buy the stone, and Phillip hadn't forced him. Even though he had suffered a big loss, he couldn't blame anyone.
That was a hard pill to swallow, a straight-up loss of forty grand.
At that moment, Phillip's son-in-law chimed in with a sarcastic tone, saying, "Who would've thought? James really hit the nail on the head. This stone is only worth forty grand. His mouth truly has a knack for the supernatural, predicting such a low-probability event."
Immediately, Dennis was brainwashed, redirecting his anger towards James. "It's all your fault, you doom-monger! You're only good at messing things up!" he blamed.
James was utterly flabbergasted. He couldn't believe the blame was falling on him.
Jennifer couldn't stand it anymore. She stepped in and said, "Dad, how can you put the blame on James like this? He warned you that this wasn't a good deal, but you didn't listen. Now you're blaming him. You should at least have some sense of reason."
Dennis knew he was overstepping, so he didn't argue, but he still let out a heavy huff, finding James even more irksome.
Phillip chimed in, "Dennis, you're not young anymore; how can you still lose your temper so easily? Money is just a worldly possession; you can't take it with you when you die. So, what if you lose a bit? Besides, this piece of jade isn't half bad; it's worth forty grand, and it's a hefty gift for your father-in-law, wouldn't you agree? Hahaha..."
Dennis's face turned into a scowl, but he couldn't find any words to counter, so he just chuckled awkwardly.
At that moment, Phillip's phone rang. He answered, "Hello... Has it started? Good, I'll be right over. Remember to save the good stuff for me!"
After hanging up, Phillip said to Dennis, "Mr. Rogers has just brought in a new batch of stones. These stones are said to be of high quality and imported from Myanmar, with a high probability of containing top-grade jade!
"Someone recently found a piece and sold it for over a million dollars! Dennis, why don't we take a look together? Maybe you'll find a top-grade jade, too!"
Having just experienced an unpleasant incident, Dennis was still feeling resentful.
Provoked by Phillip, he immediately felt tempted and said through gritted teeth, "Alright, I'll go take a look too!"
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