Chapter 172
A group emerged from the opposite entrance.
Leading them was a distinguished middle-aged man with striking features and impeccable grooming. By his side walked a young man—tall and handsome—and a dazzling young woman.
The entourage also included a man in his fifties, along with several assistants and bodyguards.
Lucy White's pupils contracted.
Frederick Von.
The scum who had betrayed her mother.
And those siblings—Felix and Fiona Von.
The Von family specialized in jewelry, a perfect match for the Gould family's jade business. Her mother's engagement to Frederick should have been a powerful alliance.
But this man had secretly carried on with Giselle Gould, her stepmother.
When her mother discovered the affair, she immediately called off the engagement and exposed their disgrace. Yet her grandfather, swayed by Giselle's manipulations, blamed her mother for being unreasonable.
Later, her mother suffered an "accident." Heartbroken, she left the Gould family, changed her surname, and moved far away.
There, she met Lucy's father.
In her past life, Lucy had been relentlessly attacked in the entertainment industry—not just by Lily Green and her entourage, but also by Giselle and her daughter.
Fiona Von was a ruthless character in the original story.
She stole her best friend’s fiancé, swallowed the Gould empire, and became CEO—a textbook "successful woman."
Her most notorious talent? Jade gambling. She once swept a third of an auction’s top-grade jade, setting an unprecedented record.
And her rise began at this very auction.
Lucy still remembered how, in her past life, Giselle had hired international assassins the moment she discovered Lucy’s mother was alive.
Fiona, meanwhile, openly and covertly aided Lily in crushing Lucy.
At first, Lucy couldn’t understand why they would hunt her mother down when the Goulds were already in Giselle’s hands.
Then Hunter Wilde’s words had struck her like lightning.
Her grandfather had once declared he would pass the family legacy to his trueborn daughter.
That single sentence had marked her mother for death.
The irony? Her mother had never wanted the Gould empire.
To Lucy, inheriting such a tainted family would only dirty her mother’s hands.
"Quite a few major companies are here today," William Jones remarked, pulling Lucy back to the present.
The guide smiled. "This is the largest domestic jade auction. All the top jewelers attend. That’s Mr. Von of Von Jewelry over there."
Robert Lee marveled, "He looks so young—barely thirty."
"Mr. and Mrs. Von are known as the industry’s model couple," the guide added.
Lucy’s lips curled into a cold smirk.
Model couple?
In her past life, Frederick had hounded her mother, begging for forgiveness and vowing to make amends.
Pathetic.
Back then, he’d complained her mother wasn’t gentle enough. Now he found Giselle vulgar.
A man like that deserved to be played by both women.
Vanessa Knight snorted. "Nine out of ten ‘perfect couples’ in this industry are faking it."
Olivia Davis quickly elbowed her—they were still live.
Vanessa rolled her eyes but dropped the subject.
As the cameras panned to the trading floor, Lucy murmured, "You know them?"
"That bitch Fiona stole my best friend’s fiancé," Vanessa hissed through gritted teeth. "Like mother, like daughter."
Lucy smirked. "The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree."
Her stepmother seduced a married man; now her daughter stole a friend’s man. A true family tradition.
"Guess we’re sisters in hating the same people," Vanessa said cheerfully, linking arms with Lucy.
When the cameras returned, they seamlessly switched topics.
The guide led the group through the trading area.
William asked, "Can we get expert advice? We know nothing about raw jade."
"Sorry, that’s not possible," the guide admitted. "Even veterans with decades of experience can’t guarantee a win."
"In this business, luck matters more than skill."
"Some strike it rich overnight; others lose everything. Just treat it as fun."
William abandoned the idea of hiring an expert.
The guests dispersed—some examining rough stones, others watching the cutting process.
Olivia and Vanessa stuck close to Lucy.
"Lucy, are you buying raw jade?" Vanessa asked curiously.
Lucy crouched, fingertips brushing a dull gray stone. "Since we’re here, why not try?"
"What about you?"
In that cultivation world, she had studied jade gambling extensively.
Jade was an excellent vessel for spiritual energy, invaluable for formations and cultivation.
Olivia frowned. "I want to, but I don’t know how. Lucy, do you understand this?"
She was startled to see Lucy inspecting the stones like a seasoned expert.