Betrayed, But Not Defeated novel Chapter 36

"Hey, what's your problem? Do you even know what these are? These are raw emerald stones! Do you have any idea how valuable they are?" Bryson glanced at Daniel's suit, a look of disdain flashing in his eyes.

So many years had passed, and with Daniel's history of erratic behavior, Bryson didn't recognize him at all.

Daniel looked around at the store's decoration as he sneered inwardly.

Although the external sign remained the same, the interior had been completely renovated. Gone was the classic elegance and charm Pamela had painstakingly designed, replaced with gaudy gold tones that reeked of nouveau riche aesthetics.

"I don't know how much they're worth, but how about we make a bet?" Daniel asked, looking at Bryson.

Bryson chuckled. "Buddy, you're clearly here to stir up trouble. Fine. I'm in a good mood today. Go ahead. What's the bet?"

Daniel knew Bryson all too well. Addicted to gambling, Bryson couldn't resist any mention of a wager, no matter the stakes.

"I'll pick any stone here at random. If its value increases, I win. If not, I lose," Daniel said expressionlessly.

"Oh, really?" Bryson gave Daniel a once-over, his eyes narrowing as he thought it over.

"This is a novel idea for a bet. What's the stake?"

Daniel pulled out a bank card and placed it on the table. "There's one million dollars in here. If I lose, the money is yours. If I win, this store becomes mine."

Bryson narrowed his eyes. "You're pretty clever, aren't you? Trying to get something for nothing, huh?"

Daniel ignored the sarcasm in Bryson's tone, cutting straight to the point. "Are you betting or not?"

"Yes! But there's one condition—you can only pick from this pile of raw emerald stones. I'll have the neighboring shopkeepers judge whether your stone's value goes up, so you can't back out," Bryson said confidently.

This was also the most thrilling aspect of gambling with emeralds.

In a situation where everyone could only rely on experience to make guesses, the characteristic of gambling with emeralds—where a single cut could either make one rich or leave one poor—undoubtedly attracted a lot of interest.

Selena had been observing Daniel, thinking he looked somewhat familiar. But when she heard Daniel was betting one million dollars, her eyes brightened.

"Mom, I told you my left eyelid twitching meant something good was coming! Look. This fool has delivered himself to us. We're very well-versed with these emeralds. It's extremely rare for the stones to increase in value."

"Fine! Since the customer wants to play, we're of course happy to go along with it to the end. But we've got to make it clear beforehand. Once you start, you can't back out," Selena uttered, her gaze fixed on the bank card on the table firmly.

Usually, even a single cabbage leaf would make Selena calculate every cent. Now that one million dollars was in front of her, she feared she wouldn't sleep for a year in regret if she missed it.