That sharp voice—just a little too familiar—sent a wave of irritation crawling up Amelia’s spine the second she heard it.
She looked up slowly and met the woman’s gaze with calm indifference.
“Miss Harper.
It’s been a long time.”
The shop owner who had just entered looked surprised.
“You two know each other?”
Chloe adjusted her coat, curved her lips into a smile, and sauntered over to sit across from Amelia.
“Know each other?
That’s putting it lightly.”
The owner didn’t quite catch the layered meaning behind her words and chuckled.
“Well, if you’re old friends, why not talk in private?”
Chloe shot him a casual glance.
“Knowing someone doesn’t mean we’re on friendly terms.”
That one line instantly cleared the air—tense and awkward.
The owner gave a nervous laugh.
Amelia, unfazed, pushed the case toward him.
“Let’s stick to the store’s process.
I brought it in, so let’s get it authenticated.”
Seeing Chloe had no objection, the owner took the bag and began his inspection right there.
The little tea table in the room was barely a meter wide.
Even though the physical distance between Amelia and Chloe was short, the tension between them was thick enough to make the owner shift uncomfortably a few steps back.
“So shameless, Amelia,” Chloe suddenly snapped.
“Selling something from the Reeves household like this?
Have you no pride?”
“I’m just decluttering.
Nothing wrong with that,” Amelia replied calmly, her tone almost amused.
“And by your logic, people scrambling to buy secondhand stuff should be drowning in shame.
But last I checked, you’re still doing just fine.”
Chloe’s expression darkened.
With the owner in the room, she held her tongue and forced the rage back down.
Roughly twenty minutes later, the bag passed the authenticity check.
The owner turned back to Amelia.
“So, what’s your asking price?”
“Five hundred thousand.”
Before the shop owner could even react, Chloe nearly leapt from her seat.
“Five hundred thousand?
Are you out of your mind?
That bag’s worth two hundred thousand tops!
You want me to pay more than double?
What, you think I’m stupid?”
Amelia didn’t even blink.
“If you can get it for two hundred thousand, why not go buy a new one?
But you know this particular model is for top-tier members only, right?
You need annual spending over two mil to even qualify.
This one’s almost untouched—I figured the membership cost shouldn’t be on me.”
“Membership?
Like you even paid for it!
You blew Eric’s money like it was Monopoly cash, and now you wanna flip the bag and make more off of it?
No wonder Eric says you’re greedy and stingy!”
“Miss Harper, just a reminder—Eric is my legal husband.
That money?
It’s mine to use, totally legit.
You don’t get to tell me what I can or can’t do with it.
Now, if you want the bag, it’s five hundred thousand.
No haggling.
Can’t handle it?
Don’t waste my time—I’ve got better things to do.”
Chloe bit down hard, seething.
“Who said I can’t pay?
I’m just pointing out how unreasonable your price is.
This bag’s only valued at around three hundred thousand.
Asking five is…
basically market manipulation!”
Amelia chuckled quietly.
“Miss Harper, I don’t think you quite get it.
This is a private sale—not retail.
I’m allowed to set whatever price I want.
If we make a deal, I’ll pay the VAT, and that’s that.
Not illegal, not shady.
And valuation?
That’s just a reference.
The bag’s mine.
The price is my call.
You don’t like it?
Feel free to walk away.”
“You—” Chloe’s face turned a shade of green, boiling with anger at Amelia’s calm-as-always look.
But then she suddenly let out a cold chuckle, “Amelia, you hiked up the price on purpose when you saw it was me, didn’t you?”
Amelia didn’t reply, just gave her a bland look, like she couldn’t be bothered.
That only made Chloe more convinced.
She smirked.
“It’s not even really yours.
Why cling to it like it is?”
She thought that comment would push Amelia’s buttons.
From the few times they’d crossed paths, Amelia never struck her as the composed type—just a glance at her and Eric being a little too familiar, Amelia would instantly show her jealousy.
This time should’ve been no different.
Except Amelia just gave her a quick glance and said without much care, “If that’s how you wanna see it, sure.
So, are you still buying or not?”
Now it was Chloe’s face that twisted.
Buying it felt like a loss.
Not buying?
As if reading her mind, Amelia started putting the bag back into the box.
Just as she was about to close it, Chloe blurted, “I’ll take it!”
Amelia paused, lifted her eyes, cool as ever, “Full payment.
Upfront.”
Gritting her teeth, Chloe snapped, “Don’t worry, you’ll get every penny!”
Five hundred thousand wasn’t pocket change.
Chloe stepped out to make a call.
Amelia stayed in the private room, waiting for over half an hour before she came back, clearly not in the best mood.
With the shop owner watching, they signed the deal.
Chloe transferred the full amount to Amelia’s account right then and there.
While signing, Chloe’s sleeve slipped, revealing a diamond bracelet that instantly caught Amelia’s eye—it looked eerily similar to the one she’d once returned to Eric.
Once Chloe finished signing, she noticed Amelia staring.
She lifted her wrist just a bit, lips curling.
“Eric gave me this when I debuted.
Tell me, Amelia, the jewelry he gives you…
it’s all diamonds too, right?
Wanna know why?”
Amelia froze slightly, her fingers slowly curling inward.
Her reaction said it all—Chloe was right on target.
But she didn’t want to hear the why.
She already felt that knot in her stomach.
Chloe didn’t let up; her tone was laced with mockery.
“Because everything he knows about jewelry comes from me.
I’ve always loved diamonds.”
Her nails dug into her palm.
Every word from Chloe felt like a slap at her joy from receiving those same gifts.
All that “romance” she thought she had with him?
Probably just echoes of what he once had with someone else.
“Amelia, Eric never loved you.
You really think you’d have ended up with him if his grandma hadn’t stood in our way?
Please.
But things are different now.
She’s old, can’t control him anymore.
The Reeves family is going to be his, and you?
Let’s just say, your days are numbered.”
Chloe raised her brow and added, “If I were you, I’d get out while I still have some dignity.
Getting kicked out?
That’s just embarrassing.”
“You debuted the year I married Eric, didn’t you?”
“Huh?” Chloe was thrown off by Amelia’s sudden, out-of-the-blue question.
“Which means…
all that money he spent on you came out of our shared assets.
Legally speaking, I’ve got every right to go after that.”