The next morning, Sidney received a call from the wealthy women she had just met yesterday, inviting her to meet at a café in a shopping mall. Sidney felt it would be rude to decline the invitation from the women who had reached out to her for the first time. After rummaging through her closet for a while, she finally settled on a semi-casual outfit paired with a matching bag, then headed out to the meeting. When Sidney arrived at the café with her three bodyguards, it caused quite a stir among the women inside. She waved off the bodyguards, telling them to wait outside due to the crowded interior. As she stepped inside, the ladies couldn't help but bombard her with questions, curious about whether she always had such a large entourage when she went out.
Sidney nodded awkwardly, and the other women, aware of what Jayson's business entailed, decided not to press the issue further. After all, the bodyguards were standing far enough away that whatever they said, they couldn't hear.
A few women started sipping their coffee and gossiping. Sidney, not familiar with this social circle, couldn't join the conversation and quietly listened from the side. The women were all wearing large gemstones, and as they spoke, their hands waved, making the jewels flash in the sunlight, which was very eye-catching. Suddenly, one lady grabbed another's hand to admire the ring on her finger. They all started discussing how many carats it might be. Even though Sidney didn't know much about jewelry, she had picked up some things from spending time with Jayson. The lady proudly mentioned that it was a 2-carat birthday gift from her mother, and as they looked around, their eyes landed on Sidney's hand. She only wore a simple white wedding ring on her left ring finger. Although no one spoke, their expressions hinted at subtle judgment. They continued chatting amongst themselves, occasionally criticizing the Calderon family in front of her without hesitation. The young woman who had praised her fashion sense the day before sat next to her and gave Sidney a slight smile.
Sidney smiled back politely, deliberately ignoring the teasing from the other women. The young woman whispered softly, introducing herself as Mrs. Martin, the wife of the youngest son of the mall's owner. Sidney immediately greeted her politely, expressing that it was a pleasure to meet her and exchanged a few pleasantries. To be honest, Sidney didn't really know who the owner of the mall was.
"Just call me Ivy. I studied in the UK. I'm curious, Mrs. Nixon, where did you study?"
Sidney casually mentioned that she graduated from T University, and the other women immediately turned to her, praising her for being so smart. Sidney shook her head, saying that she hadn't been serious during her college years, and now that she was married, she didn't have the chance to apply what she had learned. The others, seeing her humility, liked her even more and wanted her to come along everywhere. After finishing their coffee, they took Sidney along to shop, visiting nearly every store. With the mall owner's wife there, they received great discounts and treatment. The women were practically on a shopping spree, and anything they couldn't carry, they had the store send home.
Ivy noticed that Sidney had only been looking around and hadn't bought anything. She asked if Sidney still had anything else she wanted to browse.
"I just came out for coffee today. I didn't plan on buying anything, just browsing."
Sidney was never the type to shop without a plan. Her mind quickly raced through what she might need, and just then, a sales associate in uniform called out to her in the hallway.
"Excuse me, are you Mrs. Nixon?"
Sidney was confused, wondering how this person knew her.
"Yes."
"Could you please come inside to help confirm a product?" The sales associate walked up to Sidney and pointed to the nearby jewelry store.
"I didn't order any jewelry."
"Your husband ordered it. He said you'd be coming by in the afternoon. I've been waiting for you."
Sidney was skeptical but glanced at the women around her, unsure whether she should go.
"Wow! Your husband is so good to you, sending you a gift. You should go take a look!"
Sidney was surrounded by the group of women as they entered the store. She sat at the counter, and the sales associate came out holding a necklace. As she revealed it, the women gasped, their eyes glued to the pendant.
It was a flawless, pure white diamond, set simply in a sleek platinum setting. There were no embellishments, no unnecessary frills—just the diamond, glowing with an almost ethereal brilliance. Its clarity and size alone commanded the attention, giving the entire necklace an understated yet undeniable presence, as if the stone needed no further adornment to make its statement.
The once noisy group immediately fell silent, all holding their breath as they stared at the necklace.
"We've received a batch of beautiful diamonds. Mr. Nixon was informed earlier, and he called to place an order. He chose this setting for you. Would you like to confirm if you like it?"
Sidney bit her lip, staring at the necklace. She really liked the simple design, and Jayson had picked it out, knowing her taste, making it hard for her to refuse.
Then she thought about how expensive such a large diamond must be. She hesitated to speak. She didn't dare to speak.
Seeing her silent, the other women eagerly began to encourage her.
"Come on, just take it! If you don't accept it now, when will you?"
"When your husband still wants to buy jewelry for you, you should take it all!"
"Your husband really treats you well, huh?" Ivy also spoke up.
Sidney blushed, nodded, and said to the sales associate, "I'll take this display."
The sales associate nodded and said, "Mr. Nixon anticipated you'd like this one, so we've already set the jewels. Would you like it wrapped up or would you prefer to wear it?"
Sidney originally intended to ask for it to be wrapped, but everyone kept saying she should wear it. They argued that with her simple outfit, the jewelry was exactly what she needed to show her status.
Reluctantly, Sidney agreed and asked someone to help her put it on.
Since Jayson paid for it, no one knew exactly how much it cost, but their attitude towards Sidney immediately changed. Regardless of their status or age, they became much more polite towards her.
Not long after leaving the store, Sidney received a call.
"Do you like it?"
"How expensive must this be?"
"Answer me first—do you like it?"
"Y-yes, I like it."
"Well, if you like it, that's all that matters. Trust me, you won't regret it. I know what I'm doing."
"Mm." She had heard that jewelry could appreciate in value, but she never expected it would happen to her.
"When you're out with them, you should definitely dress like that."
"Who told you that? The bodyguard?" Sidney glanced behind her at the bodyguard trailing them, wondering if they overheard something in the café and reported it to Jayson. How else would he know about the jewelry?
"That's not important. What matters is that you're happy."
"I don't care about these things. I'm not unhappy."
"My wife shouldn't have to put up with anything less than the best."
Sidney smiled warmly. The other ladies were urging her to go to the next store, so she hurriedly said she had to hang up.
"I need to hang up."
"You haven't finished saying what you wanted to."
"No, I haven't!"
"You still owe me three words."
Sidney laughed. How is this man becoming more childish as time goes on?
"I love you." She whispered it softly, afraid someone might overhear and feeling a little embarrassed.
"Who are you?" he asked in his usual lazy voice.
"I love Jayson." Sidney's face turned as red as a peach.
"Very good."
