Chapter 346

Andrew wasted no time. Pointing at a medium-sized stone, he said, “Could you cut this one for me, please?”

Aspen scoffed. “Andrew, you should really take a closer look. Jumping in without thinking might make you a laughingstock.”

Ignoring her, Andrew turned to Francesca with a smile. “Get ready to celebrate.”

Francesca froze. “Wait… are you seriously this confident?”

Andrew chuckled. “We’ll know soon enough, won’t we?”

Aspen gritted her teeth. His unbearable arrogance made her want to wipe the smirk off his face.

The crowd remained silent, unwilling to risk disrupting the players’ focus. The stakes were too high.

Aspen’s stone was cut first. A gasp echoed from an experienced gem trader. “Wow! It’s a massive green tourmaline of impressive quality, just shy of imperial grade.”

Christina sighed in relief. Aspen’s exceptional stone secured an early lead.

Aspen clapped and laughed. “Andrew, it looks like Lady Luck is on my side today.”

Andrew remained unfazed. “Celebrating too soon might make it hurt more when the tables turn.”

The gem cutter then began working on Andrew’s stone. After a few cuts, he hesitated, looking awkward.

“Mr. Lloyd, it’s… it’s blood ruby,” he admitted.

Disbelief and disappointment rippled through the crowd. “Blood ruby? That’s good, but nowhere near the value of green tourmaline. This round is over—Andrew’s lost.”

Aspen relaxed, a wave of relief washing over her as a smug grin spread across her face. “Andrew, you really don’t have the skills for this, do you? Your blood ruby is big, but size doesn’t matter—this green tourmaline is better. You’ve lost.”

The murmurs grew louder, but Andrew remained calm. He brushed away the fragments of his stone and smirked. “Take another look. Are you sure this is just blood ruby?”

The gem cutter leaned in, his eyes widening in shock. “Wait… this isn’t blood ruby. It’s—”

Elsie, watching nervously, rushed over to inspect the stone. Her face lit up with excitement. “It’s not blood ruby! It’s rare blood spinel!”

She gestured to the crowd. “The first cut only revealed a small section, leading to the wrong conclusion. But this is undeniably blood spinel, one of the most valuable gems on the market.”

The onlookers surged forward to confirm. “It really is blood spinel! This is even rarer than green tourmaline, and worth far more!” “Plus, look at the size of Andrew’s piece—it’s way bigger than Aspen’s! This round isn’t even close.” “Aspen lost the first round? No way!”

Aspen’s face paled as she inspected Andrew’s stone. One glance confirmed it, and her stomach sank. Damn it. She had lost the very first round!

Aspen clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. She fought to maintain a neutral expression, though her mind raced.

Elsie raised her voice. “The results are clear. Ms. Stevens, you’ve lost this round.”

Andrew remained composed, his tone calm but sharp. “These gems are both treasures, but even without ranking them, my red spinel is larger than your green tourmaline. Do you have anything else to say?”