Apocalypse Queen: My Space, My Rules Chapter 40: Gemstone Betting

The second floor was occupied by the bodyguards. Since she was worried it might be inconvenient for Matthew and Serena, she arranged for them to stay on the third floor.

"The main bedroom has two rooms. You can sleep in the inner one, and your dad can take the outer room," Mariella suggested.

Serena's eyes lit up even more. "Daddy can stay here too?"

"Of course."

"Thank you, Mariella!" Serena smiled sweetly, then suddenly remembered something important. "Which room do you stay in?"

"I'm on the second floor," Mariella blinked and coaxed, "You can come sleep in my room too. I'll tell you bedtime stories."

"Yay!" The little girl happily flashed a peace sign.

Mariella smiled faintly.

As long as she won over the little girl, Matthew would have no choice but to stay.

In her previous life, Matthew had been Harvey's most trusted private doctor. From now on, he would belong to her.

In the apocalypse, a skilled doctor was worth more than mountains of supplies.

Matthew's medical skills and character had already been proven. She had to keep him.

...

After finishing the discharge process, Matthew rushed over following the address Mariella had left.

Mariella had already entered his license plate into the system, so his car could freely enter and exit the villa.

"It's so cool in here." Matthew was stunned the moment he got out of the car. It felt like an entirely different world compared to the scorching heat outside.

Mariella smiled. "Serena really likes it here. For her health, it's best if you stay here for now."

For now, until his home got flooded. After that, he'd have no choice but to stay permanently.

Thinking of how weak and miserable Serena had looked after her heatstroke, Matthew didn't argue further.

"Alright... I guess we'll be troubling you."

He rubbed his hands awkwardly and asked hesitantly, "Is it just... the three of us?"

"Woof!" Lucky barked to make his presence known.

Mariella answered honestly. "There are also 11 bodyguards. It's very safe here."

"Eleven bodyguards?!" Matthew was stunned again.

Why did she hire so many bodyguards?

Mariella didn't explain further and immediately assigned him a task. "I need to head out again, and I don't know when I'll be back. Watch the house for me. If coal deliveries arrive, help me receive them."

"There are two suppliers. Each will deliver 200 tons of smokeless coal and 1 ton of premium charcoal. Store them in 2 separate warehouses.

"Your license plate has been registered, so you can come and go freely. Here are the keys and the gate remote."

Mariella handed the keys and remote to Matthew.

He swallowed all his questions and silently took them.

She looked busy, and maybe staying here, he could at least help her.

...

Mariella contacted Kieran again.

Kieran picked up quickly, but there was a hint of caution in his voice. "What now, borrowing money again?"

"Relax, not this time," Mariella smoothed things over, then said, "Can you introduce me to a reliable gemstone dealer? I want to buy some emeralds."

The prices at jewelry stores were too high. If she wanted high-quality gemstones at lower prices, she needed to go through a professional middleman.

The emerald trade was full of traps. An outsider could easily get ripped off.

If Kieran personally made the introduction, the other party wouldn't dare go too far.

Kieran sounded surprised. "Since when are you into gemstones?"

"I just like them." Mariella rubbed the emerald bracelet on her wrist, noticing its luster had become clearer, almost reaching an icy translucence.

Kieran didn't understand her intentions, but the request wasn't difficult or costly, so he agreed without hesitation.

Soon, he sent her the contact of an emerald dealer with the username "Emerald Broker."

When Mariella added him, she specifically noted, "Referred by Mr. Hancock."

As expected, the request was accepted instantly, and the other party greeted her eagerly. "Hi, miss. What are you looking for?"

Mariella replied, "I want good-quality emeralds, in large quantity, and for a cheap price."

The dealer paused for a few seconds before replying, "If you want large quantities at low prices, you probably won't get top-quality emeralds."

At least he was being honest.

Mariella continued, "What kind of goods do you have, and what are the price ranges?"

The dealer sent over several photos of emeralds. Some were cut cleanly in half, while others had small windows polished into them to reveal the internal quality.

"Fully cut stones are priced according to the market. Windowed stones are cheaper, but the risk is higher."

Mariella had some basic knowledge and asked, "The windowed ones... that's gemstone betting, right?"

"Smart lady. That's right, gemstone betting. Interested?"

It wasn't a question of interest. She simply didn't understand it at all.