All eyes are fixed in the centre of the hall. Cassidy approached the cause of the disruption by confronting the female staff, "What seems to be the problem?"
Without hesitation, the female employee pointed to Jared and said, "I was introducing the Villa to my customer when this guy, who claimed he was also interested in a luxury Villa, attempted to touch the model, but luckily I was here because I have a client who wanted a luxury Villa."
Cassidy shifted her gaze towards Jared, asking with knitted brows, "You are interested in the model?" Her tone was confused as she pondered why the owner was showing interest in his own property.
Jared smiled as he said "The resemblance is astounding. Whoever made this miniature model is really amazing. I like it" Cassidy was astonished, but she naturally smiled and looked at the two people in front of them. The man wears branded clothing and flashy accessories, showing that he is wealthy and has money to spend.
"I want this one," the man declared arrogantly. The employee behind him responded to his clarification by saying, "Yes, manager. The customer was interested to purchase the Villa. It is evident that my potential client could easily fork out half-a-billion worth of Villa." She then looked at Jared and continued, "Unlike others."
Cassidy could clearly notice her colleague's unpleasant face towards Jared. Cassidy glanced at Jared, who remained silent.
After hearing the Villa's price, the man furrowed his brow. He turned to face the Villa and then the staff. He could not believe what he had just heard.
Jared saw the man's stupefied and agitated facial expressions as he contemplated the price. His lips curved up at the corner. He could see through the man's expression how he was taken aback by the price. Jared spoke by turning to Cassidy: "I think he is genuinely interested in buying this house. Why not give it to him? I mean, look at his clothes and accessories. Someone like him would have easily dropped half-a-billion to buy a luxurious Villa"
"U-uh...how...how much did you say it was?" the man questioned. The woman employee next him began to worry upon observing her customer's unsure facial expression.
"This is our most luxurious Villa in Crystal Community and it's worth 500million Global Credits" Cassidy explained.
The man paled after he heard the price for the second time. When she saw the man's expression, the female employee became anxious. Cassidy, who was scrutinizing the man's behavior, could immediately tell what he was thinking. She realized the man couldn't afford the Villa.
"Do you know him?" Cassidy asked her fellow employee, pointing at Jared.
"N-no, manager" she replied. Cassidy then pointed her finger towards the man "then do you know him?". The female employee immediately shook her head as an answer.
Cassidy couldn't help but rub her forehead. She couldn't help but feel disappointed in her colleague. She didn't know either of them, but she chose to disrespect the individual wearing ordinary clothing despite not knowing him. She could have simply shown some respect, but the female staff chose to expose her fangs to a customer.
"B-but the customer wanted a luxury Villa, so i have no choice but to introduce him our top-notch Villa" to defend the woman in question. The man next him wanted to flee away from the chaos. He assumed it was about 3-10 million, but he had no idea the woman would introduce a villa worth half a billion. He didn't have much money to spend beyond his annual wage. Even if he worked for years, he would still be unable to afford that much.
"A-ahaha! It is really a luxury. I-i uhh intended to purchase a luxurious property, but this one is not my type. I wanted something more...advanced, like something futuristic. I love it, but I err...I will have to pass," he concealed his nervousness with an arrogant laughter.
"Wow. I guss he really wanted something worth more than half-a-billion. Amazing"
"Futuristic? Must've been cool"
"His brain is on another level. I guess his expectation is too high"
Hearing the crowd's reactions, the man couldn't help but stand up and give them a prideful and confident smile. His worries gradually lessen after hearing that the people are on his side. He turned to face Jared, who was staring at him.
"If you are really interested, why don't you buy it? But I doubt you could afford something like this," he stated, cocking an eyebrow in the corner. Jared could not help but crack a smile as he saw the man's cocky and confident attitude attempting to conceal his flaws.
"I don't think he can afford the Villa"
"How much do you think his clothes worth?"
"50? A hundred? Pft!"
Half of the audience started out laughing after hearing the other people's responses.
"Manager, since he wanted the Villa, why not give it to him?" The female employee's tone has hints of ridicule.
"He didn't have to," Cassidy implied. The man and the employee snicker in contempt, but Cassidy interrupts them with "since this Villa belongs to him".
The hall immediately fell silent. Their eyes widened as they heard the manager. They wanted to oblige, but the manager's serious facial expression indicated that she was not joking.
"H-he owns the villa?" the female employee stammered anxiously.
"Impossible. He doesn't look rich at all. Are you kidding me?" The man furiously responded with annoyance. He couldn't believe the plain-looking guy was the owner of the most luxurious Villa in Crystal Community.
"He paid in full. He didn't even see the house until yesterday" Cassidy explained, hoping the people around them would understand that the simple guy like Jared owned the famed Villa. The guy and the employee nearly lost their balance before shifting their attention to Jared, who was staring at the model. They couldn't believe he bought a villa without checking out it and paid in full.
I'm done for. "I'm screwed," muttered the woman within her head when she realized that the guy she mocked was the owner.
Who would believe that the man wearing plain clothing easily purchased the house in one go.
The people watching that were criticizing and laughing at Jared quickly tightened their lips, not wanting to get into trouble. Someone like Jared, who can easily purchase the entire Villa in full, is not an ordinary person. He is someone they cannot afford to offend. Some choose to return their attention to the models, while others are laughing and talking to their companions as if they hadn't done anything foolish only moments before.
"I think I'm done here; let's go," Jared said as he turned away from them, but a hand stopped him. He looked back, only to see the female employee clutching his sleeve. Her eyes were glistening with tears that were about to flow out, and pleaded with a desperate voice, "P-please forgive me. I will not do it again. Please, sir. Please don't leave. I will definitely make it up to you. I'm sorry for my outrageous behavior earlier"
Jared was taken aback, but Cassidy quickly shook the female employee's hands away from him. She glared at her coworker, who was on the verge of shedding tears. Cassidy was well aware that the woman had skills at her work, but her behavior was on another level. She failed as a manager and was ashamed by her colleague's behavior towards a customer.
"I will deal with you when i get back"
Jared walked out of the room, Cassidy following after him. Cassidy couldn't stop feeling ashamed as she walked. They were taught to respect everybody who entered their building, but Cassidy was upset, feeling disappointed by her colleague's behavior.
"Mr. Hale, I would like to apologize regarding the trouble; I will personally teach her a lesson," Cassidy stated, while feeling troubled. Jared paused on his path and faced Cassidy. He noticed her agitated face regarding the earlier incident, although it wasn't her fault.
"It's fine. I'm just dissapointed at the woman from earlier, but it was fine now. I know you will discipline her. Just not too extreme, and don't fire her. She's good at her job, just need to fix her attitude for a little bit" Jared suggested before walking away.
Cassidy clutched her chest. She felt something burst out of her chest, as if fireworks had gone off and erupted, giving her a tingling sensation she'd never experienced before. Someone like Jared could easily report the female employee and terminate her, but he opted not to, even suggesting to simply teach her a lesson to change her attitude. Cassidy could not understand what Jared was thinking.
"Take your car. let's go shopping first, then head home"
Her cheeks flushed into a warm tone. Cassidy could not help but hide her genuine smile. She walks towards her car, following Jared all the way to the supermarket.
While driving, the system's voice immediately spoke.
[Ding!
Mission 1: spend all the money in your bank account for groceries only.
Reward/Rewards: 100x rebates.
Mission Failure: none
Mission 2: invite the Goddess for lunch.
Reward/Rewards: foreign cooking master and foreign cuisine cookbook.
Mission Failure: loss of taste for a month]
"Don't tell me the cookbook is worth more than a million, like the pen last time," he jokingly stated when he learnt the reward for the second task.
[Ding!
The cookbook is just a normal book of foreign cusine]
Jared laughs and shakes his head. He was joking about the cookbook, and no one in the world would pay a million for one. That is a ridiculous price.
After arriving at the mall, they headed straight to the supermarket and grabbed everything needed to be stocked in his kitchen. He didn't look at the price and simply put everything he had to have. After loading everything into the trolleys, they proceeded straight to the counter to pay. Jared was unconcerned that it surpassed the $10,000 limit. He needed to spend everything on groceries and ask Cassidy to a meal for the rewards.
After paying at the counter, the system's voice spoke immediately, making him smile.
[Ding!
Congratulations host for completing the mission 1: Buying groceries, the total of 14,054 Global Credits.
100x rebates have been implemented.
You have received, 1,405,400 Global Credits. The money was already deposited in your bank account in Greenleaf Central Bank.]
He took out his phone and accessed his account. What greeted him was a substantial cash that he never expected to see. Suddenly, a heavy feeling began to grow in his chest, making him anxious and terrified.
'Will I be in danger if my bank account suddenly deposits a significant sum of money?' Jared murmured through his mind, anxious, hoping the system would respond.
He didn't want to deal with complications caused by unexpected adjustments in his bank account. Although it wasn't illegal, how could he explain where the money came from?
[Ding!
Every source of funding is reasonable and legal. Banks will never be suspicious or discover anything inappropriate even if they investigate. Please do not worry.]
Since the system stated that the money deposited in his account was lawful and reasonable, he felt a weight lifted off his chest. He took a deep breath and exited the mall. Cassidy's car carries almost all of the groceries because his car has limited capacity.
After leaving the mall, they went straight to Crystal Community, with Jared wearing an enormous beam of joy on his lips while Cassidy feeling nervous and excited to step foot inside the famed Villa.