Chapter 79
This time, Natasha’s boyfriend ignored her stormy expression. “Darling, let’s get this one. then. She’s never worn this necklace before. From what she said, aren’t we going to get ripped off if we buy this from the jewelry store itself?”
Judging from the situation, it seemed that Natasha actually hadn’t planned to come here to look at any jewelry, let alone buy some. She only brought her boyfriend along so she could take potshots at me. It was just her luck that her boyfriend wasn’t well–versed in jewelry, so she ended up unwittingly playing herself.
Chloe instantly understood what I was getting at, and she added oil to the fire. “Yeah, your boyfriend is right. This pearl necklace here is worth almost nothing once it’s on the resale market. Anyone who buys it straight from the jewelry store is an idiot.
“But anyway, Wyn’s just unfortunate enough to have had a partner who liked parting with his money. She isn’t selling these jewelry pieces off because she doesn’t like them. She just wants to be rid of them so that she can get some proper jewelry for herself.”
Chloe then winked at Natasha. “Why don’t you do the same for yourself, Ms. Yarde? Get a proper necklace for yourself instead of something with poor resale value.”
Natasha was livid. “What do you mean?”
“Bring your boyfriend to an auction, of course. They have gorgeous, valuable pieces worth hundreds of thousands of dollars up for grabs there. It just depends on whether you can afford them, that’s all,” Chloe replied breezily.
Natasha was so furious, steamed nearly escaped her ears. She patted her boyfriend’s arm. “You said that you’d buy me some jewelry, but now, you’re telling me to accept this cheap thing instead. Do you even love me?” she asked through crocodile tears.
Her boyfriend would look like the villain if he ignored her, the damsel. Natasha was no pretty damsel, but she was still relatively good–looking after all her minor cosmetic procedures and make–up. Her boyfriend was probably into this kind of look.
“Uh, alright, alright. I’ll get you a nice necklace or something. But Nat, since we came all the way here, let’s at least pick an item that no one has worn before. I’ll buy it for you.
me I
Natasha glared daggers at me. I knew that she must have realized that something was up, but she couldn’t voice her suspicions.
Slowly, I took back the two necklaces I showed them. “Actually, I rather like these two. I won’t be selling them.”
Natasha promptly grabbed at the necklaces. “What? Didn’t you bring them here for appraisal? Why are you taking them back now?”
Cha
“Well, are you going to buy them? If you aren’t, then I’ll take them back for myself. They are still rather expensive pieces if you get them straight from their jewelry stores, after all.”
“We’re buying them! Why don’t you want the necklaces, Nat?” Natasha’s boyfriend hastily tried to stop me from taking the necklaces back.
“If you can’t afford it, then don’t force yourself to buy them. You’re just wasting our time,” Chloe mocked.
Now, Natasha was well and truly angry. “Who said I can’t afford it? I just don’t want to buy your used goods!” With that, she tugged on her boyfriend’s arm. “Come on, take me to a proper jewelry store.”
After my lecture, Natasha‘ boyfriend knew that he would definitely end up spending a lot more money at the jewelry store. He wasn’t that stupid.
On the other hand, he could buy at least one or two pieces of jewelry here. If he were to buy them brand new from the store, he would have to spend over a hundred thousand dollars. And even then, that might still not be enough.
Natasha’s boyfriend remained there, unmoving. “Honey, it’s still a necklace. Pick one and let’s call it a day. I’ll pay for it once you’ve made up your mind. I still have some other things planned for the day.”
Seeing how stingy he was, Natasha gritted her teeth. After what felt like forever, she finally spoke up.
“I’m getting the necklace! How much is it?” she demanded as she pointed at the pearl necklace in my hand.
“A pearl necklace from Lavinia costs over 50 thousand dollars. I’ll sell it to you for 20 thousand dollars instead.”
Natasha was at a loss for words. “20 thousand dollars? Didn’t you say 15 thousand earlier?”
I put on a fake smile. “Well, I’m selling it for 20 thousand dollars. It’s from a limited run. Allow me to earn a little extra money on this, won’t you?”
Natasha’s face was red from fury. “You’re just making things up.
“So, for this necklace, and that piece, and that other piece, I’ll be selling them with a little extra tacked on. For the rest of them, you may sell them at their appraised value,” I told the appraiser.
The appraiser wanted nothing more than for this circus to end, so he promptly whipped out his calculator and started calculating everything.
Chappe
