Grandiose on the Outside

Seeing the mirth in Lily's eyes, Fernando smiled mischievously. Fernando Kim, along with Li Shanshan, were the only other people who knew about the wretched state she was in when she was found in Hong Kong by her late maternal grandmother, Lilian Facci, seven years ago. And just like Li Shanshan, Fernando, did not have any good feelings towards the people that had hurt Lily. "Alright. You can go to my secret room and watch us from the big one-way mirror there."

A flash of surprise was seen in Lily's eyes before she got up and walked towards the door that led her into the secret room. Even though the existence of this room was a surprise to Lily, she chose not to ask any questions. After all, it was standard for established companies such as GC Jewels to have their secrets.

She opened a door that was camouflaged to look like a part of the wall and walked inside. Surprisingly, the room was not quite what Lily expected. It was not like one of those secret rooms in the movies that were fitted with highly technological machines or had an elegant design. This room looked like a private tea room with a paneled wall and a small table with a tea set placed on top. She couldn't help but wonder what the purpose of the room was as she made herself comfortable on the big couch that was positioned in front of the one-way mirror.

Lily narrowed her eyes at the woman who just entered the VIP room. Tang Lingyun, the woman that she used to hate the most.

Tang Lingyun was wearing a purple pencil dress that accentuated her slim body. In Lily's eyes, the woman still looked the same. Her small, beautiful face still looked kind and gentle, the exact opposite of her true dark nature. The years had been kind on Tang Lingyun as she looked like she was only in her late thirties. Her physical appearance and graceful demeanor would instantly draw people's attention towards her.

No wonder, this woman excelled in the Film industry. She could really put on an act.

"President, Mr. Kim sent a text telling us to turn on the sound by accessing the system on the control box to the left. It is password protected, but he said that you should already know the password," Yang Mi whispered to Lily.

Lily immediately got up and turned on the sound in the room.

"I am looking for a piece of rare jewelry that would make me stand out in fashion week. Maybe diamonds? Pearls? Just something unique. I heard from my friends that Manager Kim is the best in this industry." Tang Lingyun batted her eyes before leaning towards Fernando. Her gentle voice almost made Lily puke. From the way Tang Lingyun had spoken and looked at Fernando, it was evident that she was trying to get the latter's attention.

Was this woman trying to seduce Fernando Kim?

Thinking about Fernando's exquisite taste in women made Lily Qin chuckle. Not many people in the industry knew that the heir to GC Jewels preferred beautiful black women. This man's taste in women was as exquisite as his jewelry. Many people thought that Fernando was gay because of his feminine behavior, but Lily and Li Shanshan knew that this man was just another pervert. A low-key one at that.

Of course, many people also thought that the man was a playboy because Fernando Kim was always photographed with various models and actresses.

What people didn't know was that Fernando liked to associate himself with good-looking people so that he could establish more connections. Since more connections meant more influence, which would help make GC Jewelry more prominent. More prominence meant more money.

Just like Lily, Fernando was a great profiteer through and through.

Fernando was an attractive man. With his half Italian and Korean heritage, people, especially women, would declare that the feminine Fernando Kim was one of the most eligible bachelors in town.

Lily listened as Fernando introduced some jewelry to Tang Lingyun. The latter would occasionally widen her eyes and beam at Fernando.

"What a beautiful necklace. How much is this?"

"Oh! How about this?"

"And this one?"

Tang Lingyun's eyes sparkled as she looked at the expensive pieces of jewelry in front of her. "I heard that you have designed a piece of jewelry that was fitted with a very rare piece of pearl. Can you show it to me?"

"Of course!" Fernando then gestured his assistant to bring the earrings that Lily just bought. "This is the last piece that we have. But someone already bought this just minutes ago."

"Really? How much is it?"

"It's not that expensive… It's only ten million Hong Kong dollars," Fernando answered with a straight face. The man's serious face immediately made Lily smile. According to Fernando's attitude, he would not let Tang Lingyun go without spending a hefty amount of money.

"Oh." Tang Lingyun faked a smile. Ten million for a pair of earrings? Tang Lingyun used to have pieces of jewelry that were more expensive than this. However, right now, she could only look at this jewelry with envy. The Qin family might still look grandiose on the outside but the family's situation now was somewhat different than what it was years ago. Tang Lingyun who came from a prestigious family, was saddened by the current state of Qin Enterprises in these past few years.

Lily watched as the smile on Tang Lingyun's face falter. The pair of pearl earrings that Lily bought was not that expensive in her eyes, but to most people, its price was beyond what they would be comfortable paying. With the current state of Qin Enterprises right now, it would be understandable that Tang Lingyun would find this amount a little exorbitant.

"This pair of necklace and earrings is the best that we have," Fernando said, the corner of his eyes crinkled.

"This is very beautiful." Tang Lingyun said while holding the display box and admiring the contents in it. Inside was a necklace made of black pearls with a small round shaped diamond pendant. There was also a pair of earrings with the same design, which complements the necklace.

"And this set is not expensive too." Fernando added.

"Really? How much is it?"

"This set is an exclusive design. We have only made fifty sets for this design. This original price is seven million Hong Kong dollars. But knowing that you are the madam of the Qin family, I will give you a discount." Fernand explained as he carefully opened the box and held the earring so Tang Lingyun could examine it. "I will sell it to you for five million Hong Kong dollars."

Tang Lingyun almost held her breath when she heard Fernando's words. Five million? And he was saying that it was not expensive? However, Tang Lingyun didn't reveal her shock on her face. Tang Lingyun was an actress, so she was very good at masking her own feelings. "That is indeed very cheap," she muttered while pretending to examine to jewelry.

"I know right! With madam's status, this is nothing. I'm sure madam could afford this meager amount." Fernando smiled as a flash of an unfathomable emotion glinted in his eyes.