Lib Novel Page 30
“Let’s hope so,” I murmured, forcing a subtle smile as we walked toward the entrance.
The jeweler’s shop was a fortress of glass and gleaming metal, the air scented with a mix of polish and the faintest hint of Lily’s floral perfume. The receptionist greeted us with the kind of smile reserved for clients about to drop serious cash, extending her hand.
“Mr. Zhou,” the receptionist said, her voice smooth as silk, “right this way, please.”
Lily touched my arm, her fingers a whisper of reassurance. We followed the receptionist through the maze of display cases, each one holding more wealth than most people saw in a lifetime. At the end of the corridor, she ushered us into a private room, the door closing behind us with an ominous click.
“Your jeweler will be with you shortly,” she promised before leaving us in the hushed sanctum.
I paced the small space, hands shoved deep into my pockets. The walls were lined with mirrors that reflected our anxious trio from every angle. This marriage might be a sham, Abby a pawn in Ba’s game, but I couldn’t shake the desire for her to actually like the ring. It was a pathetic sort of hope, clinging to normalcy where there was none.
“Hey, Nathan,” Lily started, eyes narrowed in concern, “is everything really okay with Abby?”
“Fine,” I snapped a little too quickly, then softened. “It’s fine, Lil. Just want to get this right, you know?”
“Of course, we’ll find the perfect ring,” she assured me, though her gaze told me she wasn’t buying my act.
A soft knock preceded the jeweler’s entrance—a man with thick glasses and a tape measure draped around his neck. He carried a tray of rings, each nestled against black velvet like stars against the night sky.
“Mr. Zhou,” he said with a bow of his head. “I’ve brought a selection to start with, to give us an idea of what you’re looking for.”
My eyes skimmed over the display: diamonds winking up at me, sapphires as deep as ocean trenches, rubies that held the promise of blood and fire. But none of them spoke to me; they were all just stones set in metal, trinkets without meaning.
“Very nice, but not quite right,” I muttered, feeling the frustration knotting in my gut. Why was it so hard to choose a damn ring? Maybe because it felt like choosing the chains that would bind Abby to this life, to me, forever.
“Any particular style you’re drawn to?” the jeweler prodded gently, sensing my hesitance.
“Something unique,” I said, frowning. “These are…too standard.”
“Understood,” he replied with a practiced smile. “Let me bring a few more selections.”
As he left, I caught my reflection in the mirror—hair a ruffled testament to my restless fingers. I was out of my depth here, floundering in a sea of expectations and unspoken fears. Abby deserved better than this farce of a proposal, but here I was, desperate for her to love a ring that symbolized a lie.
It was madness, yet I couldn’t walk away.
“Silver,” I blurted out suddenly, turning to Lily. “Abby likes silver.”
That was why she’d said she hadn’t liked the necklace—not because it was a collar, but because it was gold and not silver. It seemed odd that she’d complained about that, when I’d used it to keep her prisoner…
…made it clear she had, in fact, liked it.
Lily’s eyes softened, “Okay, silver it is. Does she like any particular stones? Anything you’ve noticed?”
I hesitated, but then the image of Abby flashed across my mind: her laughter, the way her eyes crinkled at the edges, the intense green that seemed to hold a whole jungle.
“Green,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt. “Something with green…her eyes are…”
“Come on, Nathan, spit it out,” Justin chimed in, a playful smirk dancing on his lips.
“Her eyes are the most incredible shade of green I’ve ever seen,” I confessed, feeling a heat rise to my cheeks. It was more than I intended to reveal, but there it was—the truth laid bare before my siblings.
Justin let out a low whistle, teasingly bumping his shoulder against mine. “Look at you, being all romantic. Who knew our big brother had it in him?”
“Shut up,” I grumbled, although the ribbing eased some of the tension coiled inside me. In this room, surrounded by the sparkling reminders of a commitment I both longed for and feared, I allowed myself a moment of vulnerability. Abby’s eyes were my beacon, and if I could capture just a fraction of their beauty in a ring, maybe this whole charade would feel a little less hollow.
The jeweler returned, breaking the moment with a velvet tray laden with a new selection of rings. They glistened under the showroom lights, each one meticulously crafted to catch the eye and the heart. But it wasn’t the sparkle that drew me, it was the color—a white gold band nestled among its peers, designed with an elegance that didn’t scream for attention but somehow commanded it all the same.
“Ah, this looks promising,” Lily murmured, leaning in for a closer inspection. But I was already fixated, my gaze locked onto the large marquise-cut diamond flanked by a constellation of emeralds. It was like the ring had been waiting for me, for Abby, a silent acknowledgment of the turmoil and love that bound us together.