Chapter 42 She Can't Afford It
Francis said that since they were going to an engagement party, she naturally needed to dress up properly and couldn't embarrass him.
Jennifer didn't want to look bad in front of Eugene either, so she promised to dress up carefully. She had wanted to ask Mia to go jewelry shopping with her, but Mia had to travel for a new show, so she had to go alone.
The next morning, Jennifer came to the sixth floor of a mall, where all the luxury jewelry brands were. After checking out the new designs at several stores, she finally entered Bulgari. Bulgari's jewelry style was bold and gorgeous, with rich colors and strong recognition. It would create a nice contrast with her usual style and would definitely impress Francis.
Actually, she could design something for herself, but wearing pieces from an unknown designer at this kind of event would make people look down on her. So she decided to choose a set of luxury brand jewelry that would show good taste without stealing the spotlight from the party hosts.
Sales associate Rhiannon warmly greeted her. After Jennifer explained her purpose, Rhiannon immediately recommended several new pieces. "This Serpenti is inspired by ancient legends - elegant and mysterious. The two rubies are like snake eyes, so lively. And this Divas' Dream uses a new technique."
Jennifer nodded as she looked. As jewelry, being beautiful and catching your eye was most important, but the design concept mattered too. A good story could give jewelry new life. She tried on several pieces and was already leaning toward one.
Just as she asked Rhiannon to bring out the full set for her to try, two women walked in.
It was Layla accompanying a wealthy lady. She had a bright smile on her face and was carrying several shopping bags printed with luxury brand logos. Layla held the lady's arm intimately and said, "Mireille, with your elegant temperament, this Bulgari style suits you perfectly. It's like the designer made it just for you."
A faint smile appeared on Mireille's well-maintained face. She was already in her forties, and no matter how well-maintained, fine lines appeared at the corners of her eyes when she smiled, so she didn't dare laugh as freely as young girls.
She looked at Layla with satisfaction. "Layla, you have great taste. The clothes and bags you pick for me suit me better than what I choose myself. It's strange - some clothes look ordinary on the rack, but when I put them on, I look beautiful."
Layla's voice lifted. "Mireille, you already have great style. You just hadn't found your right look before. Today I'll definitely dress you up beautifully, so your—" Halfway through, she suddenly spotted Jennifer in the store and stopped with a surprised look.
Mireille was pulled to a stop and asked puzzled, "What's wrong?"
Layla's eyes darted around, then she immediately switched to a smiling expression. "Mireille, you're so lucky today! As soon as we walked in, I saw a set of jewelry that's perfect for you."
She pointed, and it happened to be the set Jennifer was trying on. Mireille followed her over with a delighted look. "Is it this one? Get me a set too." She looked at the necklace Jennifer was wearing - the design was indeed luxurious and exquisite, making her skin look delicate.
Nina, the sales associate serving them, said apologetically, "I'm sorry, we only have one set of this Serpenti series left in our store. This lady was here first, so if she wants to buy it..."
The Serpenti series was already limited edition, with only three sets allocated to each store, and the other two had already been sold today.
Layla acted as if she had just recognized Jennifer, saying with surprise, "Isn't this Jennifer who got fired from our company? I remember your family is almost bankrupt - how can you still afford to shop at Bulgari?" She said to Jennifer's sales associate Rhiannon with a worried look, "You should be careful of people who just browse without buying, trying on so much but wasting your time."
Rhiannon, who was holding a mirror for Jennifer, had her smile freeze for a moment, but quickly said gently, "Ms. Brown, what do you think? This jewelry set really suits you, though the price is a bit high - the full set is $280,000." She could tell Jennifer really wanted to buy it, but after what Layla said, she started to worry.
Before Jennifer could speak, Layla quickly jumped in. "How could she possibly afford it? Even before her family went bankrupt, I never saw her wear jewelry worth over $100,000. I bet she's just trying it on for fun. You should quickly take the necklace off her and let Mireille try it on. Mireille can actually afford this necklace."
Mireille tugged at Layla and said quietly, "This lady was here first. It's not right for us to take what someone else wants."
Layla said dismissively, "Mireille, look at how plain she's dressed - how could this jewelry suit her? This set can only show its full beauty on you."
Mireille took another careful look at Jennifer. Originally, she thought Jennifer had good style and was pretty, and the necklace looked even more beautiful on her. But now, hearing Layla's words, she thought there might be some truth to it.
Seeing her nod, Layla continued, "Look, Jennifer has been trying it on for so long and hasn't said she'll buy it. If she can try it, why can't we? Is she looking down on us?" She shook the shopping bags in her hand - today they had already spent nearly $150,000 on clothes and bags. Mireille had even given her a $4,000 small bag.
The other sales associates nearby felt a bit awkward. When customers argued, they just wanted to make sales and didn't want to offend anyone, but there was only one set of this jewelry. Then Nina reminded, "Ms. Brown, so are you taking this jewelry set? If you need more time to think about it, could you let this lady try it on first?" Her thinking was simple - Layla was so confident that Jennifer must not be able to afford it, so better to let her customer have it.
Rhiannon was a bit angry. "Nina, how can you talk to a customer like that? Ms. Brown hasn't finished trying it on, and she hasn't said she won't buy it."
"I'll buy it." Jennifer opened her purse, seeming to look for something inside. Rhiannon glared triumphantly at Nina.
But Layla smirked. "Jennifer, you're not going to make an excuse that you didn't bring your card today so you can't buy it, are you? Does your credit card even have a $280,000 limit? That's hilarious."
Other sales associates and customers in the store quietly looked over - everyone loves drama. Jennifer searched for a moment, then pulled out a gold card and handed it to Rhiannon. "Charge this card. I'll take the entire Serpenti set."
Rhiannon took the card with both hands, and when she saw the number in the lower left corner, she looked at Jennifer with some surprise. This was a gold card issued in limited quantities by Stellar Union Bank. Although it was a supplementary card, only relatives of top-tier wealthy people could have one. Her smile became more genuine, and she happily went to process the transaction.
Layla still didn't believe it and waited to see the card get declined. She waited until Rhiannon respectfully packaged the jewelry and handed the shopping bag to Jennifer before she shouted, "How is this possible? Mireille wanted to buy this set - how could you sell it to her?"
Jennifer glanced at her coolly, put away the card, picked up the shopping bag and walked out. Rhiannon respectfully saw Jennifer off - she could make an $8,000 commission on this sale and was thrilled! When she came back, she kindly reminded Layla. "Sorry, Ms. Brown paid with a debit card, not a credit card. The last Serpenti set has been sold. You can try other styles though."