Not yet.
She walked deeper into the store.
Ashley Chen greeted her first from behind a counter.
“Good morning.”
The smile was genuine.
Diana returned it.
“Good morning.”
Before Ashley could approach, Patricia appeared.
She was thirty-eight, blonde, immaculately styled, wearing a cream suit and a watch that cost nearly as much as the first inventory Diana had ever owned.
“Hello there.”
The words were friendly.
The tone was not unkind enough to challenge.
Not yet.
“Are you looking for something special?”
Diana glanced toward the Aurora case.
“Yes. I’d like to see the Aurora Collection.”
Patricia’s smile changed.
Barely.
But Diana had spent decades reading rooms where people underestimated her.
She noticed.
“The Aurora pieces are among our premium selections.”
“I know.”
“They begin around two hundred thousand dollars.”
“I know.”
Patricia waited.
Diana smiled politely.
“I’d still like to see them.”
There was the first pause.
Not long enough to become openly insulting.
Long enough to communicate doubt.
“Of course.”
Patricia walked toward the case.
She unlocked it.
But instead of placing a display mat on the counter and inviting Diana to sit, she remained standing protectively beside the open case.
“What occasion are we shopping for?”
Diana looked at her.
“Does there need to be one?”
Patricia gave a small laugh.
“Not necessarily. We simply like to understand our clients’ needs.”
Diana could have ended everything right there.
Business card.
Identity.
Meeting over.
Instead, she stayed.
Not to trap Patricia.
Because she wanted to know whether the uneasy feeling was real.
She pointed toward the Aurora necklace.
“May I see that one?”
Patricia removed it reluctantly.
Diana leaned forward.
The centerpiece stone was extraordinary.
The necklace had been assembled by the company’s Los Angeles workshop from a design Diana approved six months earlier.
She examined the setting.
One prong sat slightly higher than the opposite.
Nothing dangerous.
A finishing issue.
“The center stone is beautiful.”
Patricia relaxed slightly.
“Exceptional, isn’t it?”
“Colombian emerald accents were added after the original design review.”
Patricia blinked.
“Yes.”
“The center diamond is flawless.”
“Yes.”
Diana looked closer.
“But the right upper prong needs another pass.”
Patricia’s body stiffened.
“Our pieces are completed by master jewelers.”
“I know.”
“The quality-control standard is extremely high.”
“I’m aware.”
Patricia gave her a thin smile.
“Then I’m sure you understand that what may appear uneven under retail lighting is often simply reflection.”
Diana nearly smiled.
It was not reflection.
She had designed the quality standard Patricia was quoting.
Before she could answer, the front door opened.
Richard and Evelyn Blackstone entered.
Patricia transformed.
It happened so quickly that Diana almost admired the completeness of it.
“Mr. and Mrs. Blackstone!”
Warmth.
Energy.
Recognition.
Patricia stepped away from Diana without closing the Aurora case.
“How wonderful to see you.”
Evelyn smiled.
“Hello, Patricia.”
“Anniversary coming up?”
Richard laughed.
“She keeps reminding me.”
Patricia touched Evelyn’s arm.