Seeing Through Their Stone Hearts

I was the true daughter of the Parker jewelry dynasty.

The moment I stepped inside the house, my mother pressed two bangles into the hands of myself and the other girl, the one they had raised.

Rory, you are my own flesh and blood.

Evie, I raised you from a baby.

We expect you both to live in peace. Your father and I promise, absolutely no favoritism!

The Parker assumed I was some ignorant hick from the backwoods. They thought I wouldnt know the difference between the Flame Emerald Opal Bangle they gave Evievalued at three million dollarsand the cheap glass knock-off they slipped onto my wrist, the kind you could buy a dozen of for a hundred bucks.

They were wrong. Not only was I an expert gemologist, but I had a gift: a kind of clairvoyant eye. I could see through stone and straight into the core of a persons heart. In the rough gemstone market, people risked fortunes on a single cut, one slice separating them from heaven or hell. For me, it was simply collecting free money.

You can dismiss me now, Arthur and Cecilia. It won't matter. Just promise me one thing: don't regret it later.

...

My parents exchanged a self-satisfied look, watching me stare blankly at the glass bracelet. They assumed their deception had worked.

My brother, Bryce, sauntered over, his voice dripping with condescension.

Aurora, he drawled, using my full, hated name. Spending twenty years in the wilderness, youve probably never seen anything this valuable, have you?

He snickered. Keep it safe! When you finally manage to marry some mountain man, that glass trinket will be your whole dowry, ha-ha-ha

I didnt let him finish the laugh. I slammed the fake bangle against the pristine marble floor.

The crisp, shattering sound echoed in the foyer. The Parker faces immediately tightened.

Cecilia screamed first. Aurora! What in Gods name are you doing?

Arthurs face was the color of slate. Such an ungrateful, ill-mannered girl!

Evie pretended to recoil in shock, but her eyes, when she thought no one was looking, glittered with vicious pleasure.

Bryce pointed a finger at my nose. You bumpkin! No class, no education! You just destroyed millions of dollars worth of jewelry?

Millions? I nudged the splintered shards with the toe of my boot. Even a bumpkin recognizes shattered glass, Bryce.

I met his furious gaze, holding it steady. The Parker are global jewelry titans. You gift your biological daughter a cheap fraud. Are you not terrified of the shame when the world hears it?

They were instantly silenced.

Cecilia struggled to salvage the moment, her voice thin and forced. Rory, darling, its not that we didnt want to give you the real thing. But youve only just come back from the mountains. We were afraid your... rough edges... might damage it. Evie is different. Shes always been so composed, so careful. When youve mastered her grace and etiquette, your mother will give you a real one.

I just scoffed. I didn't bother to respond.

Arthurs temper flared. He pointed a shaking finger at me.

Dont you dare sneer at me! Im telling you, Aurora, Dr. Celeste Duboisthe most respected clairvoyant in Manhattanread your chart! You have a Shadow Fate! A life of poverty and shallow luck. You simply cannot bear the weight of truly precious things! If you wore real opal, youd bring disaster on yourself within three days!

He puffed out his chest, turning his gaze to his golden child. You cant compare to Evie. She is a Golden Anchor for this family. Our prosperity for the last twenty years? All thanks to her good karma!

I bit back a reply. They took my silence for submission.

Cecilia breathed a sigh of relief. Come now, dont talk about this anymore. Ill show you to your room.

Beyond the entrance hall was a sprawling gallery. Glass vitrines housed an array of opal and precious stones. I instantly recognized the hierarchy: VVS-Clarity Flame Red was the pinnacle, priceless. Ice-Opal was next, also astronomical. Then came the Water-Opal, Lavender, Glutinous, and Bean grades. Opal was the core of the Parker fortune.

In one corner, a dozen or so rough, black stones were haphazardly piled. These were the "roughs"stones encased in an outer crust. Without cutting, no equipment could fully reveal the quality or even the presence of the precious stone inside. It was truly "a gamble only the gods can judge." Buyers relied on instinct and blind luck. A single cut could mean instant wealth or total ruin.

This was the famous "cut-to-heaven, cut-to-hell" game.

But they couldn't see. I could.

I flicked on my internal vision. Every secret of those roughs was laid bare. Only three had anything inside. The best was a low-grade Lavender, barely worth anything.

And they called themselves a stone-gambling family? What a joke.

My foster grandmother, who raised me in the isolated village, held my hand on her deathbed and said: Rory, those eyes are a blessing from God, and a deep curse. Hide them. Never let anyone know.

My room was in the west wing of the mansion, its window facing a high brick wall. It was perpetually shadowed. Inside, there was only a hard, narrow bed and a chipped wardrobe. A stark contrast to Evies "princess suite" with its private balcony, walk-in closet, and marble en-suite.

The next day, the house was a flurry of activity. The Parker were heading to the annual International Gemstone Rough Auction in Phoenix.

Dr. Celeste Dubois arrived. She wore a flowing, pale-grey silk wrap dress, clutched a faux-Tibetan mala, and projected an air of faux-spiritual serenity.

The Parker treated her with religious reverence.

I almost choked on a laugh. My eyes saw right through the expensive silk. Underneath, she was wearing a bright red lace thong. A charlatan and a fraud, through and through.

Dr. Dubois launched into a dramatic speech about Evie being the "Golden Anchor," guaranteeing a massive profit at the auction.

Arthur beamed, then turned to glare at me. Listen, Aurora! Dont you dare speak out of turn at the convention! If your bad aura disrupts Evies karma, I will hold you personally responsible!

I adopted a docile, obedient expression. I have two gifts, after all: clairvoyance and playing the fool.

The trip was via a luxury sleeper car on the train. Late that night, I went to use the restroom. The door was locked, and a muffled, frantic sound came from inside. Through the wood paneling, my vision pierced the scene: Arthur had Dr. Dubois pressed against the wall. Her silk dress was hiked up, and the tacky red thong was a blazing spot of color.

I quietly turned and walked away, pretending to have seen nothing.

At the auction hall, the atmosphere was electric. The surface of the rough stones had certain indicatorsveins, color patchesthat suggested the presence of quality gems. The ones with no external clues were ignored.

Bryce darted through the crowd, trying to look like a pro.

This ones crust looks hot, its got to be a winner!

Look at that vein structure, definitely a high-end deposit inside!

Ive studied this for years. Im going to cut a Flame Red out of here, I swear it!

He spent over three million dollars in a frenzy, buying more than a dozen roughs. Evie was equally aggressive, choosing several large stones and spending even more than her brother.

I trailed behind them, my eyes sweeping over every rock like an internal scanner. Good, mediocre, empty... I saw everything.

After they finished their spree, I finally spoke. Id like to buy one, too.

The Parker erupted.

Do you know the first thing about this? Dont waste your money!

A person with a Shadow Fate shouldnt even touch these things! Youll cause a loss!

I ignored them and walked to the far corner of the hall, the "Boneyard"the scrap heap of unwanted, trash-grade roughs that were free for the taking. No one wanted them; they just took up space.

I quickly picked out a watermelon-sized stone.

The Parker howled with laughter.

Aurora, did a door slam into your head?

Picking up other peoples trash? Have some dignity!

Dr. Dubois shook her head, offering a theatrical sigh of derision. That stone is energetically dead. A blight on the table. Touching it is an invitation to misfortune.

I didn't reply. I carried the stone over and stood by the cutting area. Laugh all you want. Youll be crying soon enough.

The cutting area was a chaotic scene of diamond saws and grinding wheels. Bryce was first, pushing his dozen stones onto the slab.

Every single one of my picks is a winner! he boasted, puffing out his chest.

The saw screamed into life. The first stone: a dud. Just inert rock.

The second: inert.

The third: inert.

All dozen were cut. Not a single piece of viable stone emerged. Three million dollars had vanished.

The crowd erupted in jeers.

Big talk for nothing!

The Parker boy has a terrible eye!

He has the air of a genuine trust-fund disaster!

Bryces face turned beet red. He whirled on me, enraged. Its you, Aurora! You and your bad karma! You stood too close and jinxed me, you poor trash!

I raised an eyebrow. Cant push a successful turd out, so you blame the earths gravitational pull, is that it?

The laughter grew louder. Bryce looked ready to explode.

Arthur snapped at me. Watch your filthy mouth!

Cecilia intervened. Stop the fighting! Evies stones are up next!

Evies cutting began. The first two were total bustsno stone at all. Her face went pale, and Dr. Dubois looked highly flustered, grasping for an excuse.

The third one, however, flashed red!

Glutinous Opal! Pale red! Not bad!

The fourth yielded a Lavender Opal. The fifth, a low-end Bean Opal.

In the end, Evie had spent nearly four million dollars and recovered three medium-grade stones, worth about four million in total. Not a loss, but not a huge win either. Still, after they were polished and set, the profit margin would be significant. It counted as a successful gamble.

Arthur and Cecilia sighed in collective relief, their faces wreathed in smiles.

Thats our Evie!

Truly the familys Golden Anchor!

Evie smiled smugly and immediately twisted the knife. Sister, if you hadnt been standing so close, poisoning the atmosphere, Im sure I would have cut something even better.

Every eye in the room swiveled to me, filled with judgment. I ignored them, moving forward to present the watermelon-sized stone Id picked up from the Boneyard.

Master Cutter, please.

Ha! Bryce immediately pounced. This piece of garbage is worth cutting? Dont waste the diamond saw!

Evie, all sweetness and malice, strongly agreed. Cut it! Of course, cut it! Maybe my sister can finally find a diamond in a coal mine, yes?

The cutter, looking bored, started the machine. The screeching noise filled the air.

First cut, a thin slice. Gray-white.

See! Trash! Bryce roared.

Second cut. Still gray-white. Evies smirk deepened.

The cutter, impatient, decided to split the rock down the middle to end the farce quickly. The wheel descended.

ZZZZZZ!

The grating sound suddenly changed pitch.

A shocking, liquid-clear flash of red exploded into everyone's sight!

Red! Its red!

The clarity... the water... my God!

Ice-Opal!

Flame Apple Red!

The hall exploded. The cutters hand jumped. He immediately stopped the machine and carefully poured water over the cut. The streak of red became clearer, more brilliant. It was a fresh, crisp apple-red, second only to the true Flame Red in value and desirability.

A win! A massive win!

That was from the scrap heap?

Zero cost, a VVS-Clarity Apple Red? What kind of luck is that?

All eyes, stunned and blazing, were fixed on me. Bryce gaped like a fish thrown on the dock. Evies smile shattered into a million pieces. She looked like shed just swallowed something foul. My parents stared at the red stone, their eyes widening with naked greed and disbelief.

The Master Cutter carefully removed the remaining crust, revealing a perfect, seamless block of the gem. It weighed over six pounds. The color was uniform, the clarity flawless.

The surrounding gem merchants went insane, shouting bids over each other.

Twenty million! Cash!

Twenty-five million!

Thirty million! I have to have this piece!

I pointed to the merchant whod called thirty million. Done. Its yours.

He was ecstatic, writing me a check on the spot.

Arthur suddenly galvanized, lunging forward to grab my arm. Hand over that check! It will go toward mitigating your brothers disastrous loss!

Cecilia rushed over, echoing his sentiment. Exactly! A girl like you cant carry so much cash. Give it to your mother for safekeeping!

I shook off Arthurs grip and looked at them with ice in my eyes.

You put no capital in, so what right do you have to my money?

Arthur was momentarily speechless. He sputtered with rage. You unfilial wretch! You viper! We raised you for nothing!

Raised me? I countered with a cold laugh. When I was growing up in the mountains, struggling to eat, where exactly were you?

Bryce started stomping his foot. You just got lucky, you little gold-digger! Dont act like youre some kind of expert gemologist!

Luck is still luck, I said with utter disdain. Its certainly better than the luck of someone who blew three million dollars on a pile of inert garbage.

Bryce looked like he might actually pass out from fury.

The first days Full Rough Bidding session was over.

The second day was the Semi-Rough Auction.

Full Roughs are uncuta blind gamble. Semi-Roughs have a "window" cut into them, revealing a small section of the stone. This makes the risk lower, the price higher, and the bidding highly competitive.

The host took the stage, shouting into the mic.

Ladies and gentlemen! The highlight of the day! Lot 001!

Staff wheeled a massive rough stone onto the stage. The window cut showed an intense, liquid red. The quality was VVS-Clarity Ice-Opal, demonstrably better than my score yesterday.

Every eye in the room was fixed on the stone. Breathing got shallow.

Just before the bidding started, a young man strode into the hall. Tall, impeccably dressed, he possessed an almost unnerving aura of entitlement and power.

It was Dominic Dom Keller, the sole heir of the rival Keller Luxury Holdings.

Evies eyes lit up. She quickly smoothed her hair and practically sashayed over to him. She had a long-standing, obsessive crush on Dom and dreamed of marrying into the Keller family.

Dom, darling! I didnt know you were joining the auction

Dom didnt break stride. He didnt even glance at her, walking straight to the reserved seats in the front row.

Evie froze, her face cycling from crimson to white. She stumbled back, furious and embarrassed. Seeing the wry, knowing look on my face, she lost her temper.

Go ahead and laugh! Dom is just playing it cool! Hes always liked me in his heart! Hes a man you could never, ever touch!

I ignored her. The auction began.

Twenty-five million!

Forty million!

Eighty million!

The price shot past one hundred million.

It was Arthur who called out the bid. His eyes were wild, fully committed.

The crowd quieted. One hundred million was the ceiling for many buyers.

The host was about to drop the hammer when I calmly raised my hand.

One hundred and twenty million!

The room gasped. The Parker snapped their heads toward me, their shock palpable.

Aurora! Are you insane? Youre bidding against us?

I gave them a cold smile. Were not related by affection, Arthur. Why wouldnt I compete?

Arthur was trembling with fury. You dont have that kind of money! Get out! Stop disrupting the auction!

I held my paddle high, my voice perfectly level.

Who says I dont have it? Dom, darling, would you be willing to lend me a hundred million?

All eyes swiveled to Dom Keller.

Lend? His eyes flashed with a hint of predatory amusement. Why borrow when everything I own is already yours?

He stood up, his voice ringing out with confidence. She is my fiance! Bid as high as you want, my love. I will light the entire sky for you!

BOOM!

The entire auction hall exploded in chatter. The Parker looked like theyd been struck by lightning. Evies face was ashen, her eyes burning with pure, unadulterated jealousy.

I raised my paddle again. One hundred and twenty million! Arthur, are you going to raise it?

Arthurs face was puce, his chest heaving. Evie, however, had completely lost her mind to envy. She shrieked:

Dad! Bid! We cannot lose to her! One hundred and fifty million!

Arthur was trapped. Losing face in public was unthinkable, and losing the bidding star would ruin the year. He gritted his teeth and raised the paddle. One hundred and sixty million!

I spoke softly. Two hundred million.

I knew two hundred million was the absolute limit of the Parker's liquid capital.

Bryce jumped to his feet, screaming. Aurora! Are you deliberately trying to bankrupt us?

I looked him straight in the eye, utterly without fear.

Ruin you? Good. Maybe then youll stop taking up valuable space on this planet.

That line sent Bryce into an emotional frenzy. Three hundred million! he roared. Well sell the house! Well be broke! But we will not lose to you!

Everyone was stunned. Three hundred million for a semi-rough was a colossal risk. Yes, the window showed Ice-Opal Red, but who knew how deep it went, or what grade the rest of the stone was? This price would empty the Parker coffers and leverage almost every family asset.

Arthur tried to intervene, but it was too late. Bryce, his eyes red, glared at me. Come on! Raise it again, you trash! Too poor to keep up? Then get out!

I looked at them, and my smile deepened. My trap had sprung perfectly.

My x-ray vision had already told me the truth: this Block of the Day had a paper-thin layer of high-grade Ice-Opal on the surface. The rest of the colossal stone was nothing but the cheapest, most worthless Gritstone Waste imaginable.

I had deliberately driven the price up to break them.

Congratulations, I said, my voice sweet. You win.

Im out.

The host slammed the hammer down.

Three hundred million! Sold to the Parker!