Inside was indeed a small workshop. Marvin, a man in his fifties with graying hair and wearing glasses, was meticulously crafting a silver hairpin.
"You're here?" Marvin glanced at Capone from over the top of his large glasses without much emotion. "Sit!"
Capone led Sophia to sit down. The wooden table and chairs had a traditional charm. Soon, Rainie came in with two cups of hot tea, served in celadon cups with a pattern of mandarin ducks playing among lotus flowers, adding to the antique atmosphere.
Sophia's eyes were fixed on the intricate silver hairpin in Marvin's hands. Despite his large, rough hands, he was skillfully carving delicate patterns on the piece, finishing it with enamel. It was truly a work of art!
"Do you like it?" Marvin asked Sophia abruptly, lifting his eyelids just a little.
"Huh? Oh, yes, I really like it. It's beautiful!" Sophia replied, slightly embarrassed, feeling as though she had been too forward.
"Hmm, not bad. You've got good taste," Marvin replied calmly, though it wasn't clear whether he was complimenting Sophia or Capone. "So, what do you want to see?"
Capone held Sophia's hand, his attitude neither overly humble nor as rebellious as usual. He said plainly, "I want to pick out a decent piece of jewelry for her—a New Year's gift."
Marvin seemed to finish the hairpin, gently blowing on it to remove any dust before handing it to Sophia. "Didn't she say she liked this? Take it then!"
Capone saw the delighted expression on Sophia's face, her wide, rabbit-like eyes looking at him with excitement, as if she was ready to accept the gift.
"No, that's too casual," Capone objected.
"How formal does a New Year's gift need to be?" Marvin stood up, stretching his stiff joints and rolling his eyes at Capone. "I've got more serious pieces too. Just tell me what you want!"
Capone glanced at Sophia again and said, "Show us something special, and we'll pick from those."
Marvin gave them a meaningful look. "Wait here."
As Marvin walked out from behind the workbench, Sophia noticed his gait was a bit awkward, as if his back wasn't in good shape.
"Is Marvin not well?" Sophia asked.
Capone gave a bitter smile. "He was beaten up when he was young. His spine was nearly broken. He thought he'd spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair, but thanks to Rainie's careful care, he was able to stand again."
"Who could be so cruel?"
Capone's eyes darkened. "My father did it himself. Marvin was childhood sweethearts with my mother and had wanted to marry her, but my father beat him to it. Even though my mother was devoted to my father, he was still suspicious. When my mother visited her hometown and saw Marvin, my father came and had him beaten nearly to death."
Sophia was shocked. In such a quiet, ancient place, it was hard to imagine such a brutal past.
"Your... your mother is from here?""Yes, she grew up on Mesha Island. She went to the South Sea as a pearl diver and met one of the shareholders of a pearl farm—my father! She fell in love with him against all odds, willing to give up everything for him," Capone's voice was low and melodious, but it sounded as though he were telling a story from long ago, something that had nothing to do with him.
The story of how his parents met and stayed together, when told by him, carried a sense of melancholy and regret—there was no joy or admiration in his words.
"Capone..." Sophia felt an inexplicable sadness and gripped his hand in return.
"It's fine, it's all in the past. They're both gone now, so what's the point in bringing it up? Marvin's craftsmanship is top-notch. He's a hidden master among the people. Take a look at what you like and feel free to pick anything," Capone said lightly.
Sophia nodded.
Marvin returned carrying a box made of zitan wood. The kind of traditional Chinese box, full of rich culture, was rare nowadays. It looked heavy and solid.
He placed the box on the table, opened the lid, and pushed it towards Capone and Sophia. "Here, pick for yourself."
"Wow, these are beautiful!" Sophia couldn't help but exclaim. The box had several layers, each intricately divided into sections, and each section contained a different piece of jewelry.
Necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings… not limited to gold or silver, most of them were filigree designs, embellished with gemstones and enamel, all exquisitely crafted.
"If you like them, buy them all!" Capone said, shocking everyone with his boldness.
"Get out of here! Even if you could afford it, I wouldn't sell them all to you! These are the fruits of my labor from recent years. How could I just let you have them all for a bargain? Plenty of people appreciate good things!" Marvin scolded with a dissatisfied huff.
Sophia quickly chimed in, "Yes, these are works of art. They should be admired, not hoarded! Besides, I don't need that many pieces of jewelry! One is enough, I'll just pick one!"
Capone said nothing, only watching her fondly as she eagerly browsed through the box.
"It's the first time you've brought a girl to choose something. You can't be too stingy! If you like a few, I might be willing to part with them," Marvin said coolly, directing his comment to Sophia.
The first time... Was this really the first time Capone had brought a woman to this shop to buy something?
Sophia glanced back at Capone, who awkwardly turned his eyes away. "It's no big deal. This place is old and worn out; not everyone would like it. Normally, it's Tiffany or Cartier. If you can't find anything here, we can always go there," he said.
"Really?" Sophia blinked in surprise.
"What they have, I have too. But what I have here, they might not. Little girl, if none of these catch your eye, no worries. I still have the most precious piece, my store's treasure!" Marvin said mysteriously.
"What is it?" Sophia asked, her curiosity piqued.
"The Love Knot!"
Capone's face changed slightly at the mention of those three words.
Sophia didn't notice and continued to ask with great interest, "What is that?" The jewelry in the box, even those set with diamonds, were mostly understated in design.
Marvin carefully pulled out a velvet pouch from his chest, red and soft, wrapped tightly and delicately, as if he were holding a heart in his hands.
Capone seemed to stop breathing, sitting there frozen, his eyes fixed on the velvet pouch.
Marvin unwrapped it layer by layer, as if peeling back the layers of an old memory, until finally, lying in the palm of his hand was a diamond bracelet.
Sophia was speechless with awe. Such high-quality, beautifully cut diamonds were rare treasures in today's world!
"This is…"
"This is Laura's... his mother's keepsake. It was passed down from his grandmother, meant to be part of a daughter's dowry. But since she had a—"
"That's enough!" Capone interrupted Marvin, snatching the bracelet and quickly wrapping it back up. He shoved it to the bottom of the zitan wood box, then turned to Sophia. "This isn't something you need. Just pick something else."
Sophia, who had been caught up in the story like a little girl entranced by a fairytale, suddenly found herself cut off. She felt both angry and hurt. "Why didn't you let Marvin finish? That's so rude! It's your mother's thing, after all…"
"As long as you know it's my mother's, that's enough. Don't even look at something that doesn't belong to you."
Capone's tone was sharp, and the previously warm atmosphere between them turned tense in an instant.
Sophia, taken aback by his sudden shift in mood, found it hard to accept. Her big eyes welled up with tears, and when she turned back to look at the beautiful jewelry in the box, they became blurry and hard to see.
She sat there, lips slightly pouting, her eyes red, unsure of what to say.
Marvin, however, remained calm as usual. Noticing that Sophia was absentmindedly playing with a pendant, he said, "If you like this design, I have a pair of rings that match it. Take a look."
The rings were made of elegant purple-gold, intricately carved with delicate patterns. The two rings fit together like butterflies ready to take flight. When viewed separately, they seemed entirely different, slightly wider than typical rings but still appearing light and graceful.
"This... seems a little small," Sophia said, trying the ring on her middle finger, only to find it didn't fit.
Thinking about the special meaning of rings, and Capone's sudden change in attitude, she felt less inclined to want it.
"It's a pinky ring," Marvin explained. "They're a pair, meant to be worn on the little finger by a man and a woman."
Capone took the ring and gently slipped it onto her little finger. It fit perfectly, as if it had been custom-made just for her.
"This one! I'll write a check!"
He slid the other ring onto his pinky finger and, without waiting for Sophia to say anything else, pulled out his checkbook and started writing.
Though every piece was an artwork in its own right, the number on the check startled Sophia.
The price was twice that of Cartier!
With no extravagant packaging, the rings were directly placed on their fingers, as if nothing had been bought, nothing extra at all. Marvin accepted the check without raising an eyebrow, collecting his things before returning to his work.
However, just before they left, he asked again, "Little girl, are you really not going to take that most beautiful Love Knot? Believe me, he can't gift that. Other women wouldn't look twice at it. In the end, it's meant for you; if you want it, I can make sure it's yours!"
Sophia declined, saying to Marvin, "That bracelet is too beautiful and too precious; I can't accept it! Just… please keep it safe for now!"
In truth, even the ring on her finger no longer excited her. What had started as high hopes had suddenly plummeted, and she felt none of the joy of receiving a gift.
Once outside the shop, Capone was behind her, and Sophia clasped her hands together in front of her, running her fingers over the new ring as she silently walked through the narrow alley, unsure of her direction.
Capone quickened his pace to take her hand, but she shook him off. When he tried again, she pushed him away. Frustrated, Capone grabbed her and pulled her into another narrow alley nearby.
The alleys here were all connected, narrow and quiet, with few people passing through. Capone pressed Sophia against the wall. "What's with the attitude?"
Sophia looked at him with a cold smile. "Who am I to have an attitude? When did you, Capone, start considering other people's feelings?"
"What do you mean? You think I don't care about your feelings? If I didn't care, would I have remembered your silly, childish wish to bring you here to buy gifts? Would I have asked Marvin to bring out his best collection for you to choose from?"
Sophia was so angry she felt like she was going to burst into flames. "Yes, my wish is ridiculous and childish! So you don't need to remember or care! I'm just your hostage, the daughter of your enemy, unworthy of anything you give me! I can't take the Love Knot, and I can't take this ring! I'll give it all back to you, everything!"
Sophia, in her agitation, tried to pull the ring off and throw it back at him. But perhaps she was too hasty; the ring was a bit tight and she couldn't get it off at the moment!
Desperate, she felt like crying as she struggled with it. The metal pinched her skin, turning her finger pale before swelling up red. She wished she could just chop off the stubborn finger!
"Enough!" Capone grabbed her hands to stop her from hurting herself. "Are you done throwing a tantrum? Isn't it that bracelet you care about? Do you know it's my mother's keepsake, the only thing she left for me? Do you understand its significance? Do you know who it's ultimately meant for?"
Sophia's tears finally spilled over. How could she not know? Though Marvin hadn't finished his explanation, she could infer from what he had said earlier that it was a priceless heirloom meant to be passed down—a dowry for a daughter if one was born, or a gift for a daughter-in-law if not, preserving the family line and ensuring the continuation of their legacy.
But Capone had outright dismissed it, clearly telling her that it was not something she could possess!
She admitted to herself that she had been indulging in fantasies. Over the past few days, she often found herself lost in thought about their situation—after all they had been through, what did it mean for them to be together now?
Were they a couple, lovers, or something else entirely?