Journey To Fortune

Elga smiled.

Then the doors opened and Corpias and Mulgoff came into the room. Mulgoff’s eyes widened and a huge smile formed on his face. Corpias ate her up with his eyes.

“Outstanding. My God, you are a sight, love. Daisy, Elga, excellent job. Are you ready for this?” he asked Rose.

“As ready as I’ll ever be wearing a five million dollar gem.”

He chuckled.

“I may have left off a few zeros, honey,” Mulgoff stated and then turned to Corpias.

“The diamond,” Mulgoff said and Corpias presented a large black velvet box.

“A few zeroes? What do you mean?” she asked and Corpias opened the box and Rose thought she might faint. Elga and Daisy grabbed her arm and hips and chuckled.

Rose blinked several times, not knowing if what she was seeing was actually real. A true blue diamond that was huge, sparkling, and a color she had never seen in any jewel before. It was outrageous.

“A rare blue diamond worth a little over fifty million dollars,” Mulgoff said, removing the diamond and chain from the box.

“Fifty million dollars. Son of a nutcracker, are you serious, Mulgoff? Oh God, I can’t. What if someone tries to take this off of me? What if they put a gun to my head? What if—”

He pressed his fingers over her lips and chuckled.

“You will be fine. Not only will Corpias be very close and have his eyes on you at all times, but so will the best set of security men in the business. Trust me, your concern is looking beautiful, sweet, and flawless, like this diamond.”

“How long do I need to wear it?” she asked as he moved in behind her to place the diamond necklace on her. She faced the mirror. Mulgoff towered over her and as the blue teardrop diamond landed perfectly at her cleavage he smiled wide.

“You were made to wear this diamond tonight, Rose. You look sensational from head to toe,” he said and kissed her shoulder then stepped back.

Rose looked at herself in the mirror. She had to admit, she felt incredible having something this gorgeous around her neck. She wore no earrings, her hair styled in a classy up-do that didn’t take attention away from the diamond. The dress dipped low in front but pushed her breasts together in a fitted bodice. The back of the dress was very low, showing off her back, and the lower part of the dress was silky and sexy with a high slit to nearly her hip. The matching blue high heels were custom made with just a shimmer of specks to draw in the entire setup. Her makeup had a barely there look to it, and once again Daisy made her green eyes stand out and somehow enhanced her look. Even in the mirror Rose was drawn to the diamond, her eyes, and then the dress.

“I want you to feel comfortable. I also want you to know that I’ve already gotten bites on your paintings. You’ll notice a few on display,” he said and winked.

“Are you serious?” she asked, feeling the tears fill her eyes.

“No, no, no. No tears. It will ruin your eyes and makeup,” Daisy scolded and Rose chuckled.

“I’m sorry. You don’t realize what this means to me, a struggling artist,” she said.

“You will not be a struggling artist after tonight. That I guarantee you,” Mulgoff stated and then looked at Corpias. “Are you ready?” he asked.

“Yes, sir. Go on and I will bring Rose to the entry way.” Corpias reached out his hand and he gave her a wink.

“I get the feeling this will be my only opportunity to converse with you this evening. They will be scrambling for your attention, and that diamond will be sold in minutes. Unless of course Mulgoff wants to start a bidding war,” he said and chuckled.

Rose didn’t know what he meant, but as she walked with him out of the room and down a hallway she hoped that she pulled this off. “I hope I don’t trip, or say something stupid or pass out,” she rambled.

“You won’t do any such thing. Just be yourself. Sweet, smiling, and courteous. They are here to see that diamond. At least, that is Mulgoff’s hope. To steal attention away from all other jewelers and jewels and put all eyes on you and this diamond, ultimately putting money in his pocket and Mulgoff’s jewelry line on top as always.

“Good luck,” Corpias said.

She could hear the music through the doors, then an announcement. Corpias slipped to the side and lights filled the entryway, and she did what Elga and Daisy explained. She straightened her shoulders, envisioned being royalty but smiled calmly as the crowd erupted in awe.