Chapter 267
Early the next morning, Izabe got on a coach heading to the county town. Once there, she hailed
a taxi to the biggest shopping center in the county.
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Sinceing here, this was the first time Izabe visited the mall. She tried to hide her trembling
heart due to excitement.
As Izabe looked around, she tried to memorize the route to the jewelry store.
Finally, after asking around, she found a jewelry store that dealt with buying and selling jewels.
Izabe gave a quick nce at the store''s decoration and then shifted her gaze to the jewelry
disyed in the ss cab. The jewelry here was too ordinary, and Izabe couldn''t decide how
to bargain for a moment.
Fortunately, the salesperson in the store noticed her and came up to ask, "Ma''am, what kind of
jewelry are you looking for?"
Izabe asked directly, "Is your boss here?"
Looking for the boss? The salesperson''s smile suddenly became a bit stiff, but she tried to mask it
anyway. She said, "Our boss is not here, but the store manager is."
"Could you please call the store manager over? Thank you.” Asked Izabe.
With her pretty face and gentle manner, the salesperson couldn''t figure Izabe out, so she hurried
to call the store manager, lest she miss any important information.
When the store manager got the call, she rushed to the store. When she saw Izabe, who had an
extraordinary temperament, sitting inside, was frowning and drinking water.
When Izabe lowered her gaze, her facial features looked very soft and gentle, exuding an elegant
and charming vibe. Raising her eyes, those sparkling eyes were like brushstrokes on a painting,
gazing calmly and radiating a silent yet solemn beauty.
Even rarer, these two opposing auras blended perfectly on her.
The store manager had seen many rich people and knew that Izabe was probably one of them.
She didn''t seem to be here to buy jewelry; instead, she looked like she was here to discuss
business, which the boss might need to address.
Although this was only a small county town, the store manager had seen her fair share of high
rollers. Many wealthy businessmen nowadays like to return to simplicity and build vis in the
suburbs .
"Miss, how do I address you?" the store manager asked as she approached.
Izabe put down the cup in her hand and stood up, saying, "Just call me Ms. Salotti."
"Hello, Ms. Salotti. This is my business card." Said the store manager.
Izabe took a look at the card and said, "Hello, ma''am."
"Ms. Salotti, are you here to pick out jewelry today?" Asked the store manager.
Izabe shook her head and slowly said, "No, I''m here to sell jewelry."
"Selling jewelry?" Asked the store manager.
"Yes, I saw your sign outside saying I can sell jewelry." Said Izabe.
The store manager''s smile almost vanished, "Please show me the jewelry."
Obviously sensing the shift in her attitude, Izabe frowned and opened her bag, taking out a
jewelry box from thepartment. She then opened it and said, "Ma''am, could you please take a
look at this ne and tell me how much it''s worth in your store?"
The store manager initially took a casual nce. But when she saw the ne in Izabe''s hand,
she was instantly stunned.
After all, she had been working in a jewelry store for more than a decade and had attended relevant
training. At a nce, she knew this ne was valuable. She could tell that the gems embedded
on the surface were real.
The store manager''s eyes became serious. This ne might be even more upscale than her
best-rmendation piece.
Jewelry had a strong allure for women, and the store manager''s eyes grew brighter and brighter as
she looked at the ne.
"Are you sure you want to sell this ne?" Asked the store manager.
"Yes." Answered Izabe.
"As for the asking price, I can''t decide. I can only ask our boss toe over. I''ll give him a call.
Please wait a moment." Said the store manager.
"When will your boss arrive?" Izabe asked.
"He lives nearby and not far from here. But it depends on whether he has time. I''ll know after I make
the call." The store manager got up, pulled out her phone, and said, "Vivian, please pour Ms. Salotti
another ss of water."
The store manager went to the back room to call the boss, as some things were inconvenient to say
in front of Izabe.
She returned in less than three minutes, "Ms. Salotti, our boss will be here soon. Please wait for a
moment."
"Okay, thank you." Said Izabe.
"You''re wee." Responded the store manager.
While they were waiting, the store manager took the initiative to strike up a conversation and get to
know Izabe, as knowing both sides would facilitate negotiations.
"Ms. Salotti, would you mind disclosing what your asking price is?" Asked the store manager.
"It depends on the price you can offer." Said Izabe.
The store manager could tell from her words that Izabe needed money right now. As long as that
was the case, it would be easy. She then sent a text message discreetly to her boss.
"Ms. Salotti, let me take you inside to sit. It''s not very safe to discuss things outside." Suggested the
store manager.
"Okay." Izabe stood up and followed her to the back, where there was a separate reception area
with aputer.
Izabe sat quietly in the chair, sipping her water and looking around to pass the time.
Soon, she heard footsteps, and when she looked up, she saw the store manager with a man trailing
behind her.
This man had arge belly and walked unsteadily. He had a greasy face, and wore small gold-
framed sses on his nose. When he looked at people, he liked to squint and give a contemptuous
nce.
The store manager introduced him first, "Ms. Salotti, this is our boss, Mr. Dewitt."
"Hello, Ms. Salotti." Mr. Dewitt walked up to Izabe with a beaming smile, his cunning eyes peeking
out from behind his sses, revealing his scheming side.
Izabe seemed to be familiar with situations like this. Her body reacted faster than her brain,
extending her hand graciously to shake hands with Mr. Dewitt.
Mr. Dewitt cut to the chase, "Ms. Salotti, where''s the jewelry you brought?"
Izabe opened the jewelry box and kept her eyes fixed on Mr. Dewitt''s expression as he feigned
nonchnce. She couldn''t tell the value of the ne in his eyes.
However, he was astonished by the ne. Although he had heard from the store manager on
the phone that it was stunning and valuable, he didn''t expect it to be even more breathtaking than
he imagined.
This ne definitely didn''te from this small ce.
Mr. Dewitt''s eyes shed sharply, "3,000 dors, take it or leave it."
Izabe marveled at his audacity, thinking he could fob her off with just 3,000. Clearly, he thought
she was just an easy mark who didn''t know any better.
3,000 wouldn''t even cover baby form and diapers for her child.
"Mr. Dewitt, you''ve been in the jewelry business for years. Surely, you can recognize the value of a
piece of jewelry, right?" She stared at him, even without any facial expression. Her sharp gaze still
gave an oppressive feeling that made it hard to breathe, making her aura quite imposing.
Pointing at the gem on the ne casually, she said, "Besides this pigeon blood red gem worth
seven figures, each diamond on this ne is worth five-figures. Even if I sold them one by one,
each would be worth more than 3,000."
From the beginning, Mr. Dewitt disyed his greedy nature, staring at the ne in her hand, his
mouth watering.
Now, with Izabe''s words, he broke out into a cold sweat. He awkwardlyughed, "I apologize; I
didn''t look closely enough. Let me examine it further."
Upon hearing this, Izabe pushed the jewelry box over, "Take a good look."
Her tone carried no emotion, but her voice was cold, giving off an oppressive feeling that emanated
from within.
Mr. Dewitt knew this woman was no ordinary person, feeling a bit tense. He took out the magnifier
from the toolbox and carefully examined the ne from across the table.
The more he looked, the more surprised he became. This ne was rare; if he wasn''t mistaken,
it must be a limited-edition custom piece, with only one in the entire country.
The price was simr to what the woman had just mentioned, perhaps even higher.
All in all, the ne was estimated to be worth over 3 million dors, maybe even more, and had
a high collector''s value.
Having such a ne as the centerpiece of their store would utterly outshine theirpetitors,
right?
Mr. Dewitt nced at Izabe, wondering who this woman was and why she would appear with
such valuable jewelry in a small town like this.
The store manager said that Ms. Salotti''s reserve price was conservative and still depended on their
offer. It seemed she was in need of cash now.
Could this woman be a bankrupt tycoon on the run from debt? But with her strong presence, she
didn''t look like a desperate debtor at all.
Mr. Dewitt tentatively asked, "How much do you have in mind?"
"1 million dors." Said Izabe.
"This is..." Mr. Dewitt hesitated, not that he couldn''t afford it. The ne was worth at least 4
million. With a starting price of 1 million, it was obvious that he''d make a profit. But people always
like to bargain, thinking they could get a better deal.
Plus, businessmen tend to be a bit cunning.
"To be honest, this price is too high for our small town. We can''t afford it, and no one here would
spend so much on a ne," implying he hoped she could lower the price.
"How much do you suggest?" Asked Izabe.
Seeing her attitude softened, Mr. Dewitt said, "Fifty grand."
He had t-out shed the price by half.
Izabe almostughed at his offer, "It seems that Mr. Dewitt isn''t really interested in making a deal
with me."
"Ms. Salotti, how can you say that? Where am I insincere?" Asked Mr. Dewitt.
"I''ve clearly told you the value of this ne, and you should know that with a 1 million item,
asking for a mere 150,000 is already the lowest I can go." Said Izabe.
"I do, but we really can''t afford that much here." Said Mr. Dewitt.
"Really?" Izabe carefully observed the details of Mr. Dewitt''s every expression, noticing his eyes
inadvertently flicking to the bottom left, indicating he was lying.
"1 million dors. I don’t believe a big shop like this can''t afford it. I intended to take it to the city
auction initially, but it''s too far and moreplicated. This ne is a gift from my ex-husband; I
want to cash it in as soon as I can and not waste more time." Izabe didn''t hide the disdain on her
face.