Chapter 25
Jason's expression grew more serious: "Alright, I'll keep a closer eye on things. I won't let this happen again. I'll get you a new phone."
Charlotte nodded slightly.
Just then, the desk phone rang.
The receptionist's voice came through: "Ms. Johnson, there's someone here who wants to see you. Her name is Chloe. Should I let her in?"
Hearing that Chloe was here again, Jason's face darkened first.
"What's she doing here? Starting trouble again?"
Charlotte raised her hand, signaling him to stay calm, and got up to walk over.
Through the floor-to-ceiling window, she saw that the receptionist had already let the person through. As soon as Chloe entered, she smiled: "Charlotte."
Charlotte's expression remained indifferent, her eyes cold, looking at her with obvious displeasure: "What do you want?"
Chloe's smile grew even warmer: "Actually, it's nothing major. Recently, the Langley family's daughter has returned, and the Langley family is hosting a homecoming banquet. So daddy wants to take me along to network and see the world. I'm sure you already know about this?"
She wore a designer dress and carried a platinum bag worth hundreds of thousands, her smile bright, radiating an indescribable air of wealth.
Chloe walked step by step toward Charlotte.
Charlotte glanced at her, her eyes full of mockery.
"You came here today just to show off about this?"
"Of course not. I'm not that bored."
Chloe spoke with that same weak and innocent manner, smiling even more happily.
"I came today to ask for your help."
She pulled out a design sketch from her bag—it was clearly a jewelry design.
"I'm attending the banquet, and I can't embarrass the family, right? So I was thinking of designing a set of exquisite, top-tier jewelry. I'd like your studio to help with the design. You won't refuse me, will you?"
Hearing this, Charlotte looked at her deeply: "You want me to design for you?"
"That's right."
Chloe spoke matter-of-factly, "This banquet is very high-level. All the top people in the circle will be there, so I want to wear a unique jewelry necklace. Besides your place, there doesn't seem to be any other studio that can meet my requirements."
"You won't refuse me, will you?"
There was a clear hint of provocation in Chloe's eyes.
Charlotte found it even more laughable.
"The Langley family's homecoming banquet..."
"Yes."
Chloe smiled even more smugly, "That top-tier elite family that's even more mysterious than the Harris family. Their long-lost daughter has been found, and all the important figures in Imperial City will be there."
She looked at Charlotte with a hint of pity. "You'll never reach that kind of occasion in your lifetime. Don't worry, after the banquet, I can tell you all about it and broaden your horizons."
Jason, standing nearby and listening, couldn't take it anymore.
His face instantly turned cold, and he shot back expressionlessly.
"If you're here to show off, you can leave. We're not interested in hearing your nonsense."
Chloe's smile froze for a moment, looking somewhat hurt: "I genuinely want you to help design a necklace."
She looked at Charlotte, her eyes reddening, "I still think of you as my sister. Even though I did copy your work before, it was only because I loved it so much. Are you still holding a grudge over what happened before and unwilling to help me design this necklace?"
Chloe paused, then suddenly seemed to think of something and smiled, "Or is it that you don't have the confidence, thinking your designs can't appear at an occasion like the Langley family's?"
"You..."
Jason was instantly disgusted and was about to snap back.
Charlotte raised her hand to stop him, a faint smile appearing: "You really want my studio to design a necklace for you?"
"Of course."
Chloe nodded eagerly, "I'm serious. Please don't refuse me."
Charlotte smiled, looking at her meaningfully.
"Fine. But Queen Studio's fees have never been low, as you know, right?"
"I know, I know."
Chloe was confident, "Your design fee is over five hundred thousand, so..."
Charlotte cut her off directly: "Our design fee starts at one million."
"What did you say? The starting price is what?" Chloe's expression changed.
Jason crossed his arms and looked at her coldly: "Starting price, one million. That's Queen's rule. The design fee is clearly marked. If you think it's unreasonable, you can find someone else. There's no need to waste time here."
He seized the opportunity to throw her words back at her, "Of course, if your budget isn't enough, you can say so. While we can't offer discounts, we can recommend studios that are cheaper than ours."
Charlotte's eyes held obvious mockery.
"Also, if you want a unique, limited edition piece, the cost will be higher—around three million. At the Langley family banquet, everyone there will definitely be top figures from the elite circle. If you don't wear a limited edition piece, that probably won't look good, will it?"
Chloe opened her mouth but couldn't speak.
"You came all this way. Before coming, you must have known Queen's pricing. I'm sure your family values you so much and cares about you attending the Langley family banquet that they'll definitely give you this money, right?"
Charlotte's words carried a hint of amused mockery.
Chloe's face instantly looked even worse.
Last time she spent five hundred thousand on a fake necklace. This time, her family definitely wouldn't give her that much money again.
But having come all this way, especially in front of Charlotte, she didn't want to lose face at all.
After only a moment's hesitation, Chloe said without hesitation: "Of course, it's only three million. I can afford it."
She took out the money she'd been saving for a long time from her bag, gritted her teeth, and placed it directly in front of Charlotte.
Chloe felt the pain, but had no choice.
"You must design it well for me. This banquet is very important."
Charlotte's eyes held a hint of mockery.
"As long as the money's right, there's nothing our studio can't do."
"Good."
Chloe still felt the pinch, but had no other option.
But thinking it over, she felt satisfied again.
So what if she's a top designer? She's still just a working person, and now she has to rely on her for commission fees!
She would wear the top-tier jewelry designed by Charlotte's team to a place like the Langley family's—somewhere Charlotte could never enter in her lifetime!
A trace of smugness flashed in Chloe's eyes, "Oh, there's one more thing I want to tell you."