As soon as he got those stones opened back home, Ethan Blake really wanted to see that stunned look on Fae Stonecrest’s face.
By dusk the sun was sliding toward the horizon; the clouds had caught fire in streaks of crimson, and the lively jade gambling event was winding down. At six o’clock the festival organizers laid out a lavish buffet in the same hall where the auction had been held. The chairs had been cleared away and the enormous chandelier hanging from the ceiling was lit, casting a dreamlike glow over everything.
The buffet offered both Eastern and Western cuisine, with some pricey red wines on display. Men and women clustered in small groups around the hall, eating, talking—and quietly sealing a lot of business deals over clinking glasses.
When dinner was over, night spread ac
