Chapter 40

Nicole was on the verge of lashing out, but she knew she wasn't in a setting where she could not lose her temper. "What do you mean by that?" When Hayden put the necklace on, she did not notice anything strange about it. Given her experience appraising gemstones, she had never misjudged anything before. "If you don't believe me, I can show you by removing the color from the gem's surface." It was but a simple little chemical reaction for Natasha. The hard part was whether or not they would believe her. "Mom, let's not ruin such a perfectly fine necklace. By the time we prove it's the real deal, it won't be the same anymore, even if we get someone to fix it!" Matthew had a vague feeling of uneasiness about the matter based on what he knew about Natasha. He knew she would not say something so bold before a crowd unless she were 99% certain about it. Nicole wanted to fight back, but Matthew shot her a look to tell her to stand down. Unable to hold herself back, Nicole threw Natas