This time, her expression became noticeably colder.
"Perhaps you should start with something in our regular collection."
Arthur remained calm.
"Why?"
Vanessa sighed.
"Because I don't think you understand the price range here."
Arthur looked at her.
"I understand perfectly."
She smiled dismissively.
"Of course."
He pointed toward the display.
"Would you mind taking it out so I can inspect the craftsmanship?"
Vanessa shook her head.
"Sir, we don't open our most expensive displays unless we're dealing with serious buyers."
Arthur slowly lowered his hand.
"I see."
Vanessa turned away.
"Perhaps another store would be more suitable."
Arthur looked around the beautiful showroom.
Then he quietly asked:
"Is this how you treat everyone who walks through your doors?"
Vanessa smiled.
"Only people who don't understand what they're looking at."
Arthur's expression changed slightly.
But he did not raise his voice.
Instead, he looked toward the entrance.
He appeared to be waiting for someone.
And before long, that person would arrive.
CHAPTER 2: THE WOMAN BEHIND THE COUNTER
Arthur Bennett had spent most of his life learning the value of patience.
He had grown up in a small town where his father repaired watches and his mother worked in a clothing shop.
Money had always been limited.
As a child, Arthur remembered watching his father sit beside a small wooden table, carefully opening broken watches and arranging tiny mechanical components.
His father rarely purchased anything new.
He repaired what he owned.
He believed that something's value was not determined by how expensive it looked, but by the care and craftsmanship behind it.
Arthur inherited that philosophy.
When he was seventeen, he began working in his father's workshop.
He learned how to recognize genuine materials, identify mechanical defects, and understand the history behind different jewelry designs.
Years later, he moved to the city and established a small jewelry repair business.
It was not glamorous.
His first workshop had a leaking roof, secondhand equipment, and only one employee.
But Arthur was determined.
He worked long hours, treated customers honestly, and refused to sell products he could not personally guarantee.
Gradually, his reputation grew.
The workshop became a small jewelry business.
The business became a manufacturing company.
And eventually, Arthur built one of the most respected luxury jewelry groups in the country.
Yet he never changed the way he dressed.
He still preferred simple clothes.
He still carried an old leather wallet.
And he still believed that expensive possessions were less important than the people who created them.
That afternoon, he had come to Windsor Jewelry Gallery for a very specific reason.