Chapter-84
"Julie! Don't be mad, calm down!"
Florence quickly stopped Julie and smiled. "Isn't it just a few million dollars? I'll lend it to you! We're all family after all. There's no need to fight."
"Mom! Why are you playing along with her?" James frowned.
"Julie is my only niece. Now that she's in a pinch, who would help her if not me?" Florence stated the facts.
"Are you sure this is someone who needs help?" James was displeased.
"Shut it!" Florence glared at her son. "I'm not using your money. Can't I use my own money?"
"You-!" James was shocked.
"Is she still my mother?" James wondered. She treated a niece better than her own son.
"Aunt Florence treats me the best!" Julie chirped with a smile on her face.
This was not her first time acting like this. It was effective every single time.
"Of course, who'd treat you well other than me? Let's go, we'll buy you the Lumianth Root." Florence grabbed Juile's hand and entered Emporium.
"Sis! You're not going to stop mom?" James was worried.
"What's the use of stopping her? This isn't her first time doing such a thing." Dahlia had already given up.
Her mother had been treating her sister's family like this for a long time. The only problem was their despicable attitude, exploiting her mother's kindness.
"Hey, boss!" Julie immediately called out confidently while entering the shop.
"Welcome! What can I get for my distinguished guests?" A middle–aged man with a big belly walked forward to greet his customers.
"A little bird told me that you sell Luminianth Root here. Is that true?" Julie sat down on one of the chairs in the shop.
"Miss, this bird of yours must be very efficient at its job! We do sell them here. In fact, it just arrived yesterday." The shop owner spoke truthfully.
"Really? How do you plan to sell them?" Julie continued asking.
"This Luminianth Root is not that cheap. We're planning to hold an auction for it." The shop owner replied.
"Auctions are too much of a hassle. Why don't you just sell it to me? It saves you the money to hold an auction." Julie tried to convince the shop owner. But The shop owner was troubled.
"What? Do you think I can't afford it? Say it. How much are you planning to sell this for?" Julle asked.
"If Miss truly wants to buy it, I wouldn't try to stop you. I just need this much." The plump shop owner held up five of his fingers.
"Five million? That's expensive?!" Florence immediately froze in place. Although she expected it, she was still shocked when she heard the price.
"Five million already includes a discount for our friendship. If I were to auction this, I probably would earn five to six times this price. This is also an early price, otherwise, it wouldn't be so low." The shop owner shook his head.
"Can't you lower the price a bit? This amount is too high." Florence tried to negotiate with him.
"I can't do that. This precious gem cost me a lot of fortune. To be honest, if I encounter someone who needs this, it wouldn't even be a problem to sell it for a hundred million dollars." The shop owner said with a serious face.
"But" Before Florence could finish her sentence, Julie interrupted her. "Alright, alright! Aunt Florence, we shouldn't be too sensitive! Isn't it just five million dollars? We're buying it!"
"Miss, I love your attitude! I will get someone to bring over the Luminiath Root right away!" The shop owner smiled from ear to ear as he signaled the man behind him.
The man immediately understood and ran upstairs. After a while, he came back and presented a big wooden box.
"Inside is the Luminianth Root. Miss, will you be paying by card or cash?" The shop owner grinned, pleased with the transaction.
"Card."
Julie said without any remorse, "Go ahead, Aunt Florence." The corner of Florence's lips twitched as she painfully reached into her bag for a card. As they were finishing up the transaction, a woman's voice yelled from outside.
"Wait! That Luminianth Root is ours!" Everyone looked towards the voice, and immediately, a man and woman walked into the shop. It was Dustin and Ruth.
"Why are you here?" Dahlia was surprised to see Dustin. When she saw the pretty lady standing beside him, she couldn't help but frown. Her heart clenched in jealousy.
"Was Natasha not enough for him? He still wanted more women?" Dahlia wondered to herself.
"Men are all playboys after all!" She concluded in her mind.
"Dustin, you guys know each other?" Ruth looked between the two of them, feeling a little awkward.
"We do. She's the president of Quine Group, Miss Dahlia." Dustin explained.
"So it's her!" Ruth's gaze immediately turned hostile. This woman in front of her was her sister's greatest love rival. She certainly has to keep an eye on her. She must not let the two of them rekindle their love!
"Humph! How do we keep running into each other? How unlucky of us!" Florence's face was full of contempt."
"Dustin! How impressive! I can't believe you got another girl with you so soon! You really are a gigolo!" James mocked. At the same time, he was envious of him.
"Damn it! I'm much more incredible and yet I still don't have a girlfriend. And yet, this piece of trash changes his girls every time I meet him. First, it was the queen of business, Natasha. Now he has this new pretty girl! The world is so unfair!" James thought to himself.
"Oi! Was it the two of you making a ruckus?!" Julie scanned Dustin and Ruth, looking annoyed.
"It was me." Ruth stepped forward and chirped, "Boss, This Lumianth Root is ours. Name a price."
"Humph! Do you think it's yours if you say so? Who do you think you are?"
Julie said in an unfriendly tone, "Let me tell you, I already paid five million dollars for this Lumianth Root!"
"Pretty lady, we need this Luminianth Root urgently. I hope you can do us a favor." Ruth asked kindly.
"Who are you to be asking me for a favor? Scram!" Julie was stubborn and ruthless.
"Hm? Boss, she offered five million dollars, right? I'll give you eight million dollars!" Ruth frowned and declared boldly.
"Eight million dollars?!" Everyone was shocked at the number. Especially the shop owner. His eyes were sparkling with excitement. The other customers were also watching the scene, amused.
"Hey! What are you doing? You're picking a fight on purpose, aren't you?!" Julie's face darkened.
"This precious treasure deserves such a high price. Do you have a problem with that?" Ruth was only doing what she thought was right.
"Bitch! Do you want to play this game? Fine! I'll pay ten million dollars!" Julie yelled.
Florence's face turned as pale as a ghost as she heard that.
Five million dollars was already her limit. Ten million dollars would cost more than her fortune.
Without hesitation, Ruth replied, "I'll pay 12 million dollars then."
"15 million dollars! End this deal now! Boss! You know the first come first serve policy. This Luminianth Root
is already mine. If you dare to sell it to someone else, I'll destroy this shop of yours!" Julie roared and snatched the wooden box before everyone could say a word.
"Alright, alright. Luminianth Root is yours!" The shop owner agreed reluctantly. But the truth was, he was extremely happy.
"Boss, why are you selling it to her? I can give you 12 million dollars!" Ruth was not pleased with the outcome.
"It's not about the money. Business is about credibility. This lady ordered the Luminianth Root first, so it should be hers." The shop owner played along with Julie.
"Did you hear that? So what if you have money? What's mine is mine, you can't take it from me!"Julie smiled joyfully as if she had won a battle. On the other hand, Florence who was standing behind Julie was devastated.
15 million dollars!
She was going to be broke!