With my trained eye, I could tell that the stone Rosaline had chosen was nothing more than an ordinary, worthless rock. That meant victory was practically guaranteed. I made my way over to Caden, my lips curling into a sly, confident smile. "What if you lose, Mr. Holbrook? Won't that be a waste?" I reached out, about to place my hand on Caden's shoulder, but before I could, he quickly sidestepped, pulling Rosaline into his arms instead. "A waste?" Caden scoffed, his voice cool. "As long as she likes it, that's all that matters. And sometimes ... it's better not to jump to conclusions." At his words, Rosaline, who had been engrossed in her phone, looked up just in time to meet his gaze. "You trust me that much? Aren't you worried I'll ruin everything for you?" Caden bent down, brushing his lips against hers softly before whispering, "Then I'll have to trust you to take care of me." Rosaline smiled playfully, her fingers grazing his cheek as she gazed up at him with tenderness. The scene of their affection stirred a wave of jealousy within me, and I snorted, turning away as I walked toward the cutting table. "Let's just get started," I muttered, crossing my arms tightly, my lips pressed into a thin line. Though I went first, a knot of unease tightened in my stomach. After all, this was witch's stone betting, and while I could feel something inside my rock, I had no idea what stone it might contain. As I watched, the first cut was made, and a faint red glow began to seep from the rock. "It's red!" one of the werewolves nearby shouted, excitement evident in his voice. I moved closer, my gaze fixed intently on the cutting spot, a rush of excitement bubbling inside me. The cutting continued, and the werewolves around us held their breath in collective anticipation. Then, something extraordinary appeared inside the rock, making several of them gasp in astonishment. "It's Crownstone, a grade five spiritual stone!" the werewolf cutting the rock exclaimed, his voice trembling in awe.A grin spread across my face, barely contained. Crownstone was one of the most coveted treasures in the world of witch's stones. Today, I was the one claiming victory. Around me, the werewolves began murmuring among themselves. "Good grief, Ms. Sullivan really is a pro at witch's stone betting. She hits the jackpot right at the start." "I've never seen a Crownstone before. This is unbelievable." "Ms. Sullivan has definitely won." "Let's see what's inside that big rock, though. Could it be even better?" Jack couldn't help himself. He laughed, loud and clear. "Mr. Holbrook, looks like I'm the one winning this time." Rosaline's POV: Caden didn't seem surprised by the outcome. He glanced down at me, his eyes catching the message thread on my phone, and paused for a moment. "My rock hasn't been cut yet, Mr. Horton, no need to jump to conclusions," I said smoothly, my voice calm and confident. Jessica, standing beside me, had already picked up her stone, and now she stood in front of me, a smug smile playing on her lips. "You've lost." I shot her a sharp look. "Ms. Sullivan, did you lose your hearing? Or is your eyesight failing? My rock hasn't even been cut open yet, so how can you claim I've lost?" "Rosaline!" Jessica's temper flared, her voice rising in anger. But in the next moment, she seemed to realize she had overreacted and quickly composed herself. "The rock I picked contains Crownstone, the rarest grade five spiritual stone. What do you think could possibly beat that?" She took a few steps closer and shot a provocative glance at Caden. "Mr. Holbrook, if you're interested in betting on witch's stones, you can come find me." I glared at Jessica, the urge to shut her up almost overwhelming. Her constant chatter was grating on my nerves. "Ms. Sullivan, congratulations on getting Crownstone," I said coolly, my voice laced with sarcasm. "Now, could you please stop talking and step aside so I can admire your 'masterpiece' in peace?"Without waiting for her response, I turned away and headed toward the cutting table. The werewolf cutter, clearly surprised by the size of my rock, paused for a moment. He looked up at me, hesitating before asking, "Are you sure you want to cut this one?" "Cut it," I replied firmly, giving a small nod. The werewolf hesitated, eyeing the rock as if unsure how to proceed. Finally, he made up his mind and positioned the blade to cut from the center. "Wait." I raised my hand, stopping him. I pointed to a spot about a third of the way through the rock. "Cut it here." The werewolf gave me a curious look but followed my instructions without question. All eyes were now on the rock, eagerly waiting to see what would emerge from the rock that had me so confident. The blade moved smoothly along the path I had indicated, and as the rock was sliced open, the crowd fell into stunned silence.