Chapter 442: Who Schemed Against Whom (6)

“Shelby, mind your manners! You’re a young lady of the Fenton family. How could you possibly be on the same level as some riffraff who just crawled out of the woodwork?” Jacinta Hale had spotted Seraphina Sterling too. ‘She’s the one who just snatched my daughter’s jewelry! And made my little girl so unhappy!’

“Mr. Hale, I’ll take all of these paintings and calligraphies! Put it on my card!” Jacinta Hale declared grandly, handing her card directly to the shop owner. She pulled out the card with such a flourish that it made the onlookers gasp. They had all heard the price just moments ago—six million! Not sixty thousand! ‘Now *that’s* a truly wealthy person!’

Jacinta Hale shot a deliberate glance at Seraphina Sterling. “You may think it’s expensive, but plenty of people are willing to buy it! I, for one, think the owner’s price is perfectly reasonable! You two should just run along and browse the street stalls outside. This isn’t the place for you. It’s out of your league!”

Seeing such a discerning and decisive customer, one who would pay immediately without any fuss, Mr. Hale was naturally delighted. It was the perfect opportunity to teach a lesson to those two little girls who had popped up out of nowhere. ‘The audacity! How dare they criticize my prices? How dare they call me a crook? No one in this business would ever dare to speak to me like that!’

“Mrs. Fenton, these works are now yours!” Mr. Hale said, shooting a cool glance at Seraphina Sterling and Genevieve Churchill, the disdain in his eyes unmistakable. ‘People who don’t know their place really need to be taught a lesson.’

“Thank you, proprietor. We’ll be sure to give you more business in the future!”

Finally holding the authentic Shan Franklin piece that had been hyped to an astronomical price, Jacinta Hale suppressed her excitement, clutched the bag, and quickly left Hale’s Antiques with Shelby Fenton. ‘I really have to thank those two girls,’ she thought. ‘If it weren’t for how they acted, it wouldn’t have been so easy to buy this piece! Now I’ve secured the gift. For the sake of a gift like this, Father will surely look after Fenton Bank more in the future!’

He had done nothing, just made a single round through his shop, and with one sale, he had earned the store three million—in pure profit! In his thirty-plus years in the business, this was a first! How could Mr. Hale not be excited? How could he not be smug? ‘When I get together with my peers in the future, they’ll be even more impressed with me!’

Mr. Hale had no idea he’d been played by Jacinta Hale. All he knew was that he’d made a three-million profit; he was oblivious to the fact that the authentic Shan Franklin was worth far, far more.

Seraphina Sterling and Genevieve Churchill had, at some point, already slipped away.

Jacinta Hale returned home, inwardly gloating and quietly waiting for Master Hale’s birthday banquet. Meanwhile, the owner of Hale’s Antiques was basking in his own glory, marveling at the brilliant move he’d made that day.

Who had truly played whom? Who was merely a pawn in another’s game? Who could say for sure?

What happened at Hale’s Antiques was just a minor incident. The onlookers witnessed it and promptly forgot it, having no further thoughts on the matter. Rich people could be as capricious as they liked! At most, people just sighed at the spectacle before moving on.

But the biggest news of the day was Keystone Technologies’ new product launch. The Stoney series of phones hit the market with a force that dealt a heavy blow to the established digital electronics giants. The companies that had long been resting on their laurels as number one in sales, performance, and brand recognition all felt the threat simultaneously. Nadia Chapman and Chester Sykes were immensely satisfied with the launch event. The flood of phone calls from distributors alone was proof enough: this was guaranteed to be a roaring success right out of the gate.

By the time the press conference ended, it was already afternoon. Nadia Chapman took the entire R&D department to Twilight, Aethelgard’s most luxurious entertainment venue. A single visit for an ordinary person would cost a month’s salary! While the R&D staff’s wages weren’t low, and one night there wouldn’t consume their entire paycheck, no normal person would spend a month’s salary on a single night of fun. So, when everyone heard they were going to Twilight, they were absolutely ecstatic!