The wedding ring.
The one Zion Hawthorne had custom-made for her when they got married, sparing no expense.
When he had spent tens of millions to win that one-of-a-kind pink diamond at auction for her, all her friends and family had been overjoyed on her behalf.
Even Willow Sterling had admitted she was jealous.
To this day, people were still talking about what happened to that diamond.
She glanced down at the wedding ring on her left ring finger—a ring she hadn’t paid much attention to until now.
After much consideration, she decided to sell it.
Zion Hawthorne found out about it quickly.
He stroked the wedding band on his own ring finger, his dark eyes holding a more dangerous glint than usual.
“The audacity.
To think she’d dare sell the wedding ring.”
‘I’ve been spoiling her too much.’
‘That’s why she’s become so brazen.’
“Tell everyone in our circle that whoever dares to buy anything from her is making an enemy of me.” Zion Hawthorne’s calm tone was the quiet before the storm.
His assistant, Assistant Rhodes, immediately replied, “Yes, sir.”
It didn’t take long for the news to spread throughout their circle.
As the gossip made the rounds, Willow Sterling was deliberately kept out of the loop.
Rowan Keller found it strange.
At first, people had been asking about it, but then the inquiries just stopped.
The topic went dead.
Desperate to sell it, she had no choice but to try offline vendors.
She planned to find a diamond buyer, but to her surprise, every single shop turned her down the moment they saw what she had.
“This is far too valuable.
We can’t accept it here.”
“We only deal in high-end luxury goods.
We’re not qualified to handle a one-of-a-kind diamond like this.”
“You should try the next place.”
Every shop gave her a similar excuse.
Rowan had no choice but to ask Willow Sterling if she could recommend a reliable private diamond collector.
“Why are you asking about this?” Willow was a little surprised.
Thinking back on recent events, she made a bold guess.
“Are you selling something?”
Rowan Keller nodded.
“Yeah.”
“But don’t you love wearing jewelry?” Willow was well aware of her friend’s tastes.
“I don’t want to wear something he gave me,” Rowan said casually.
“Putting it to good use seems about right.”
Hearing her say that, Willow didn’t try to persuade her otherwise.
If she had been in a relationship and ended up being disgusted by the person like this, she’d definitely get rid of everything they ever gave her, without leaving a single thing behind.
“Let me see what you’re selling.
I’ll ask around for you.”
Rowan hesitated for a moment before taking the ring out of her bag and handing it to her.
Willow took it.
When she opened the box and saw what was inside, she was dumbfounded.
“You’re selling *this*?!”
Rowan Keller nodded.
“I remember Zion Hawthorne spent over ninety million on this diamond,” Willow said, the memory vivid.
“With the subsequent craftsmanship, its total value is over a hundred million.”
“Mhm.” Rowan remembered, too.
It was precisely because she remembered how good he had been to her that she couldn’t accept him loving someone else while he loved her.
If the affection he gave her was also given to another, she would rather not have it at all.
“Are you really selling it?” Willow confirmed again.
Rowan had already made up her mind on the way over.
“I’m really selling it.”
“Are you in some kind of trouble?” Willow couldn’t help but guess, staring at the priceless ring in her hand.
Zion Hawthorne’s cheating was real, but so was the kindness he had shown her in the past.
Given Rowan’s personality, she would never have gotten rid of the wedding ring this quickly unless she was facing something far more serious and urgent.
Rowan, thinking of Zion’s threat, casually made up an excuse.
“I’m not in any trouble.
I just want to sell it.”
Willow stared at her.
‘I have a feeling she’s lying.’
“Keeping it just reminds me of all the ways he used to favor me, how I was his exception.” This part, at least, was true for Rowan.
After being utterly doted on for so many years, how could she forget everything in just a few short days?
Ever since they were young, his love for her had been the most meticulous.
On this point, Willow had no rebuttal.
Before the whole incident with Serena Sterling, she had truly never seen a better man than Zion Hawthorne—not on TV, not in novels, and not in her own life.
No one surpassed him.
He would lay the very best of everything at Rowan Keller’s feet.
He would personally take care of everything for her.
When someone said that a person like Rowan, who had looks but no skills, didn’t deserve to be treated so well by him, he would first teach that person a lesson, and then calmly inform them, “She is worthy of all the good I give her.”
For those few years, everyone in their circle said they never expected the second young master of the Hawthorne Family—so decisive and formidable in the business world—to be such a romantic.
‘A romantic.’
‘That’s what I used to think, too.’
It was just a shame that people change.
Such a perfect man still couldn’t overcome the hurdle of a third party. Get faster updates on g.com.
“Do you have anyone reliable to recommend?” Rowan asked again.
“I do, but a lot of people know he bought this for you.
You need to be prepared for the fact that no one might dare to take it,” Willow analyzed seriously.
“And even if someone does, the price won’t be very high.”
“I know.” Rowan had already considered all this when she decided to sell.
“As long as it’s not less than a million, that’s fine.”
Willow: “…”
Willow sighed.
“Even though I call Zion Hawthorne a scumbag, for you to only want a million for something worth over a hundred million…
even I want to call you a spendthrift.”
Rowan bit her lip, not daring to respond.
In terms of value, her actions really did make her seem like a spendthrift.
‘But I have to gather the money for Mom’s surgery as soon as possible.
As long as I can sell it quickly, forget a million—I’d take five or six hundred thousand without a second thought.’
“I know a couple of private collectors.
I’ll go ask them for you later,” Willow said, proving how good a friend she was.
“I’ll let you know if it works out.”
Rowan said, “Okay.”
The two of them chatted for a little while longer before Willow suddenly got up and went to her room.
When she came back out, she was holding a bank card.
“There’s over six million in here.
You might not be willing to tell me what kind of trouble you’re in, but as your best friend, there’s no way I wouldn’t help you when you need it.”
“I’m really not in trouble, I just want to put it to good use,” Rowan refused.
“Don’t give me that.
You think I don’t know you?” Willow forcibly stuffed the bank card into her bag.
When Rowan tried to take it out to return it, she threatened, “If you dare take that out and give it back to me, our friendship is over.”
Rowan’s hand froze, and she didn’t know what to do.
“Take this card, just in case.
The PIN is the last six digits of the card number.” Willow knew she was definitely hiding something.
The bank card in her bag felt as heavy as a mountain.
“Willow…”
“You need to be prepared for the possibility that the ring won’t sell,” Willow reminded her.
“You should know better than I do what kind of person Zion Hawthorne is.
Just think about the consequences if he finds out you sold the ring.”
How could Rowan not know this?
But right now, she couldn’t afford to worry about any of that.
“I really can’t take the card.” She took the card out and pressed it into Willow’s hand.
She was afraid Zion would come after her friend.
“If I really run into trouble, I promise you’ll be the first person I call.”
Willow stared at her, and then her gaze suddenly fell on a mark on her neck.
Being stared at like that made Rowan’s heart flutter with anxiety.
“What is it?”