“Thank you, Joyce. That will be all for now.” Natalie dismissed her. “Ms. Cohen, please have a drink,” she added as she pushed one of the mugs toward Lina.
“Why are you still calling me Ms. Cohen? I’ve already addressed you by your first name, haven’t I? Doesn’t this suggest an inequality in our perceptions of one another?” Lina said pleasantly as she took a sip of her coffee.
Natalie returned her smile. “You’re right. I guess I shall address you as Lina.”
“That’s a good start.” Lina set down the coffee as she extracted a pouch from her purse.
At the sight of the bulge of several jewelry boxes pressed against the pouch, Natalie knew that pleasantries were over and it was time to talk business. She sat up a little straighter.
“As you might have already guessed, the contents of this pouch are the gift of the king to his princess,” Lina said as she took the boxes out one at a time.
There were five in total. It seemed like Lina wanted five designs for each box, which translates to five formal dresses.
“May I see them?” Natalie pointed at one of the boxes.
“Of course!” Lina answered graciously. She faced Natalie so that she may see the box being opened. With a dramatic flourish, the massive ruby appeared before Natalie’s eyes.
“It’s beautiful.” Natalie’s eyes widened in awe.
“It is, isn’t it? You know, your expression was exactly the same as mine when I first saw it. I thought that such an unadulterated gemstone was such a rare occurrence in the market. And we haven’t even taken into account its size too, Lina said as she handed a set of gloves over to Natalie.
Natalie knew what that meant. She was being offered a chance at handling the gemstone.
She hastened to put on the pair of rubber gloves offered to her. Then, with trembling hands, she picked up the ruby and held it at eye level.
It caught the light from above and glimmered strangely. Natalie saw countless sparkles being reflected off of its many facets. It really was a lovely sight to behold.
“It’s so beautiful,” Natalie murmured again as she replaced the ruby in its box.
Lina took another sip of coffee. “This particular stone came from the ocean. It was rumored to be discovered at the site of an underwater volcano. The purity of the color is easily a nine; an indication of superb quality in rubies. It is second only to Blazing Heart.”
“Blazing Heart?” Natalie exclaimed, looking rather shaken at the mention of the name.
“What is it?” Lina asked at once.
“Nothing,” Natalie smiled apologetically. “I was just surprised to hear the name, that’s all.”
“It is said that Blazing Heart is the largest and brightest ruby ever discovered to date,” Lina continued, paying no more attention to Natalie’s outburst. “After it had been crafted into jewelry by a master designer, it had immediately been bought by a mysterious buyer and its current whereabouts are unknown now. I would like to see it with my own eyes.”
She heaved a wistful sigh.
“If the Blazing Heart that you mentioned is the only one of its kind, then it is currently in my possession.” A smile played on Natalie’s lips as she observed the effect of her words.
Lina was stunned for a long time before she spoke. “What did you say?” She asked in a quavering voice as she pointed a shaking finger at Natalie with her mouth opening and closing in disbelief. “Blazing Heart is in your possession?”
“That’s right,” Natalie confirmed with a satisfied nod. “The businessman that you had mentioned is my husband. It was a gift to me.”
Lina stood up at once.
Natalie flinched at Lina’s sudden movement, but Lina leaped toward her unexpectedly and hugged her. “My dear Natalie!”
The corner of Natalie’s mouth twitched. “What’re you doing?”
“Natalie, will you let me have a look at Blazing Heart, please?” Lina begged as she looked up expectantly.
Natalie attempted to suppress her laughter as this was the last thing she expected.
“All right, all right.” Natalie patted her on the back in an effort to free herself from her embrace. “I’ll bring it with me the next time I come.”
Lina stood back up and resumed her seat, looking satisfied as she accomplished her goal. They continued their examination of the gems.
Natalie had her eye on more than one gemstone. Every one of them was a fine specimen, dazzling in an array of colors.
After careful browsing and having taken photos to her satisfaction, Natalie shut the box and returned it to Lina. “All right, I’ve shot some reference photos for my perusal when I design the dresses. Now let’s talk about the types of designs you have in mind. That would help me design in a compatible theme.”
