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Chapter 232: Too Many Gems Look Like Glass Beads

To surprise Lena, William specially found a gift box to put the gemstone in. After dinner, during dessert, William took a gift box out of his pocket and handed it to his mother, saying, "Mom, I have a gift for you."

Seeing the gift from her son, Lena was very happy and accepted the gift box with a smile. Despite her happiness, she said, "Your taste in gifts is really terrible. The Patek Philippe watch you bought last time was too formal and not suitable for everyday wear. This small box, is it jewelry? Next time, don't buy random things. If I don't like it and can't return it, it would be a waste."

"Haha, Mom, I guarantee you'll like this gift," William said confidently, fully aware of the charm that sparkling gems hold for ladies, "If you didn't like the watch last time, just keep it. Tomorrow, I'll call the Patek Philippe manager to bring a catalog to the castle so you can choose a few watches, or I'll have their designer come over and design seven different watches for you, so you can wear a different one every day of the week."

"Don't talk nonsense. Even if you have money, you shouldn't waste it like this. That watch cost 3 million dollars," Lena scolded, giving William a stern look, and then sighed, "Oh God, I must be crazy. I would never have said this before. Something worth 3 million, why would I worry about the occasion to wear it? I wore it a few times at home recently and was afraid it would get scratched. In the past, a 3,000-dollar watch would have made me happy for a year. William, it's all your fault for telling me you make more than 2.2 million in 15 minutes, and can earn billions in a day. Now I'm even thinking about buying Chelsea with the card you gave me."

"Buy Chelsea?" William looked at his mother in surprise. "That's a good idea. But, Mom, look at the gift in your hand first. Since you mentioned it, I won't hide it from you. Chelsea will soon be yours."

"What?" Lena exclaimed, standing up and staring at William excitedly. "Sweetie, say it again, repeat what you just said."

"Alright, Mom, calm down. I originally planned to give you Chelsea as a birthday gift. In June, I had some business dealings with Duke Devon and exchanged for 11% of Chelsea's shares. Last month, while I was in the USA, I had a friend help acquire all of Chelsea's shares. Soon, Chelsea will be ours."

William didn't dare to tell his mother how Chelsea was acquired, fearing she would worry. He simply said it was exchanged with Duke Devon and old Smith.

However, William's concern was unnecessary. Lena didn't care how William got Chelsea. Given his wealth, buying the debt-ridden Chelsea was a piece of cake. She was only concerned about when she could take over Chelsea.

Lena walked back and forth excitedly, "Oh God, this is such a surprise. I never thought Lena Devonshire would one day take over Chelsea. William, tell me, when can we take over Chelsea?"

"Very soon, Mom. We can't rush a full acquisition. I promise we will take over Chelsea eventually. It will definitely be yours. Being too hasty now will only allow that old man Bezz to overcharge us."

Lena nodded in agreement, "You're right, oh God, I mustn't rush." But Lena couldn't contain her excitement for long and soon had a conflicted expression, "What do I do, sweetie? I'm too excited; I can't calm down."

Seeing his mother's distressed expression, William laughed. "That's easy, just distract her," he thought. He picked up the gift box from the dining table and handed it to her. "Open it and see. Trust me, Mom, once you see the gift inside, you'll forget all about Chelsea."

"Really?" Lena looked at her son suspiciously. Seeing William nod confidently, she took a few deep breaths and gently opened the gift box. The sight of the ruby inside immediately caught her attention. She covered her mouth with her left hand to keep from screaming.

Looking at William and then at the gemstone, Lena blankly motioned for William to come closer. William, seeing his mother's gesture, helplessly bent down, only to have his cheek pinched by her. He rolled his eyes and pretended to cry out in pain.

"Does it hurt? Then it's real," Lena said, laughing happily. She picked up the ruby with her fingers and examined it carefully. "Oh God, such a big ruby. Where did you get it? How much did you spend?"

"Mom, just tell me if you like it. As for where it came from, don't worry about it. It wasn't bought with money. Just know that you'll have an endless supply of jewelry from now on."

Seeing her son reluctant to explain, Lena didn't press further. She happily looked at the ruby in her hand, observing it under the light. After examining its purity, she compared it with her fingernail and excitedly said, "This ruby must be at least 6 grams, which is more than 30 carats. William, even though I know you don't want to say, I can't help but wonder where you found such a large, pure pigeon blood ruby. It should fetch over ten million dollars at auction."

"Over ten million?" William asked in surprise. "Mom, are you sure? Such a small gem worth that much?"

It seemed he needed to learn more about jewelry appraisal in the future to avoid such surprises. He had intended to give a moderate gem to avoid scaring his mother but ended up picking an exceptional one.

"Haha, sweetie, Mom is sure. Although we didn't have money before, remember where we live. There are plenty of jewelry stores near Oxford Street. Even if Mom didn't have money, I could still window shop, right? Over the years, I've learned the approximate value from chatting with jewelry store employees and looking at their ads. But whether this gem is real or not, Mom can't tell. Aside from the jewelry your grandmother secretly left me, I've never bought any jewelry."

As she spoke, Lena's expression gradually darkened. "Sigh, your grandmother only left me a set of jewelry from her wedding. If she were still alive, she would love this ruby necklace. But that's no longer possible."

To William, with his fourteen chests of gems, jewels were no different from glass beads. Thinking of his grandmother's affection for him, he said with a smile, "Mom, how about we make this ruby into a necklace and bury it in Grandma's grave?"

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