The moment Mattew stepped into Golden Phoenix Pavilion with Delilah beside him, he immediately caught the end of a heated argument between the shop owner and his assistant.
The owner was an older man with a sharp, calculating face and a neatly trimmed mustache. He was holding a jade ring tightly between his fingers, his expression filled with irritation and disbelief. The assistant stood nearby, clearly uncomfortable, his shoulders hunched as if he wanted to disappear into the floor.
“How could you even agree to such a price for this jade ring?” the owner snapped, his voice sharp as he glared at the assistant. “Don’t you know Alaric Vance is a gambler with nothing left? A man like that has no valuable possessions anymore. What exactly made you think this was worth anything?”
The assista
