Chapter 78
Natasha then waltzed in with a man dressed in a patterned button–up shirt. He was fat, and he had a face full of pimples. He was clearly trying to act and dress younger than he actually was.
Chloe was furious. “What are you doing here, Natasha?”
Natasha patted the man’s shoulder as she pitched her voice higher. “I’m here so that my boyfriend can pick a nice present for me. And what about you? You don’t want these anymore, no? Is there a law saying that I can’t take a look at them?”
“Oh, so you’ve got a new boyfriend, huh? Why is he picking out a present for you here? Does he think that you’re only good enough for hand–me–downs?” Chloe mocked.
Natasha’s pretty face instantly darkened as she snorted. “Are you saying I can’t come here. when you can? Is it a crime for me to even browse the store? Is it?”
Seeing the argument heat up, I quickly yanked Chloe back. But Chloe was still angry as she
turned to the appraiser. “Get that woman out. It’s affecting us.”
The appraiser was put in a difficult position. “Well… Ms. Yarde is also a frequent customer ours. Why don’t I finish appraising your items before we discuss the prices?”
of
However, Natasha said to the appraiser. “I want whatever she is selling. Why are you refusing a customer’s business?”
“She’s right. It’s not like we can’t afford them either. Don’t you know that the customer is king? If you won’t do business with us, we’ll just go to another store,” the man next to Natasha hollered.
Irritation bubbled inside me. Natasha had to be doing this on purpose to get back at me, all because of Chloe’s revenge last time.
As I pulled Chloe back, I said to the appraiser, “Then, please do so. Ms. Yarde can have her pick after that.”
It was clearly the appraiser’s first time in such a situation. He couldn’t handle it. However, he finished his appraisal despite the tense atmosphere.
There were a total of ten necklaces from different jewelry houses. Since they were either diamond jewelry or made from gold alloy, they weren’t worth much. Their main value was from the name of the jewelry house attached to them.
I also had five brooches. They were gold alloy too, but the gems on them still maintained their value. These five brooch
were worth a lot. One of them was a limited edition brooch that was worth 12 thousand dollars. While I also had earrings that were originally worth anywhere between 20 thousand to 30 thousand dollars, they weren’t worth much.
Now that the appraisal was done, I turned to Natasha. “Didn’t you say you want to buy
something? Just pick anything you want. I’ll pay for the processing fee if you have your eyes set on anything.”
Natasha made a big show of picking up the most expensive brooch. “This brooch looks.
acceptable, I suppose. It’s just… Urgh, it’s so ugly. Who’s going to buy this? Someone has poor. taste, I see.”
“I knew that you’d have nothing good to say. Just buy it if you want it, Natasha, or show yourself out. We don’t need your business,” Chloe couldn’t stop herself from bursting out.
Natasha smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Did I say I won’t be buying this? I just said that the brooch is ugly.” She then continued to browse the rest of my collection, pointing out non- existent flaws and calling them ugly.
If looks could kill, Chloe would have done so. On the other hand, I remained calm.
At long last, Natasha waved a hand dismissively and turned to her boyfriend. “Honey, I don’t think any of these things are pretty. Let’s just go to a proper jewelry house.”
The fat man seemed reluctant, but before he could answer her, I smiled at him. “Ms. Yarde has a good eye for jewelry. A brooch like this is worth 25 thousand dollars. There are more. beautiful brooches around, but they are far more expensive.”
The fat man jumped. “What? This colorful bauble is that pricey?”
Natasha quickly pinched his arm. The man promptly corrected himself, “It’s no problem at all. I don’t mind spending a bit more as long as it’s something my darling Nat loves.
However, it was clear that the price hurt him.
I continued to smile as I picked up a pearl necklace. “That’s it. Here’s a necklace that I’ve never worn. It’s pretty much brand new. But a necklace like this at the store will cost 50 thousand. dollars proper.”
“50 thousand dollars? That’s highway robbery!” The man’s eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. “Didn’t the appraiser guy say that the pearls are fake anyway?”
I blinked. “Yes, but this necklace is from a luxury brand. It is 50 thousand dollars brand new, but it’s far cheaper in the resale market. Only 15 thousand dollars or so.”
