Chapter 366: Bamboozling and Bluffing
The pawn shop’s glass case was filled with many exquisite items, ranging from antique jade pieces to some priceless diamond rings and watches.
However, Cecilia Vaughn’s gaze was almost immediately captivated by a pair of deep black pearl earrings.
The pearls in those earrings were made from very expensive materials, and their design was quite unique. Hanging under the round pearls were silver tassels made of platinum, shimmering brilliantly.
Cecilia’s face suddenly changed.
These were clearly her mother Wendy Sutton’s belongings... She couldn’t be mistaken.
.....
These earrings had obviously been lost long ago, so why were they appearing in this bustling pawn shop?
Cecilia looked up again at the name of the pawn shop, remembering the store’s name before her eyes remained fixed on the earrings.
The pawn shop didn’t have many customers to begin with, and an old shop assistant noticed Cecilia pondering without leaving, so he walked over with a smile.
"Ma’am, are you interested in these Black Pearl Earrings?"
"Ah, you have a great eye. Black pearls with such rich color are hard to find, and the design of these earrings is also very unique. They were designed by a master and are a global limited edition. Whether it’s in Stellerton or even the whole of Veridia, I’m afraid you won’t find a second pair."
Cecilia took a deep breath, feeling her heartbeat uncontrollably speed up.
"Excuse me, the person who consigned these pearl earrings, was she a middle-aged woman with a very gentle demeanor, somewhat resembling me in appearance?"
"These earrings... My mother had a pair just like them..."
In that maritime disaster years ago, too many people died, and Cecilia’s reasoning told her that her mother probably couldn’t be alive. But upon seeing these Black Pearl Earrings, her heart was beyond her control.
If... If her mother were still alive?
The body of her mother wasn’t recovered after that accident, which left a faint hope in Cecilia’s heart all these years...
Could it be that in desperation, her mother consigned these earrings here?
As an author who started out making comics, Cecilia’s imagination was running wild. She was wondering if her mother, Wendy Sutton, had hit her head on the rocks during the maritime disaster, survived luckily but lost her memory of her, which explained why she hadn’t come to find her.
.....
Cecilia held onto beautiful hopes in her heart, however, the pawn shop assistant looked at her with a peculiar expression.
"Young lady, surely you aren’t trying to pull a scam here? Although our shop isn’t big, you don’t need to cause trouble for us like this..."
Cecilia suddenly panicked, tears of red appeared in her eyes.
"Uncle, you’re mistaken, really, my mother had a pair of Black Pearl Earrings like these, but..."
Before Cecilia could finish her sentence, the middle-aged assistant shook his head speechlessly.
"Even if you make things up, that’s not how you do it. These Black Pearl Earrings are rare, and they weren’t consigned by some woman, but by a young man who looked to be in his twenties."
A young man?...
Cecilia was instantly stunned.
Being mistaken for a scam artist by the pawn shop assistant was one thing, but losing any news about her mother was what truly upset Cecilia the most.
She took another deep breath, striving to calm herself down a bit.
"Could you give me more details? If possible, could I have the seller’s contact details?"
The pawn shop assistant immediately became even more impatient.
"Do you think this shop is your personal business? Why would we give you the seller’s private information?"
"Young lady, you look quite young and pretty. You should learn to do good things, not think about swindling people. Even if you manage to con people out of money, karma will eventually catch up to you."
The assistant was accustomed to seeing a lot of con artists, so when Cecilia started immediately associating herself with the consigned item, he assumed she was making up stories.
"Go, go, go! You’re not welcome here. Try some other place..."
.....
Seeing herself about to be thrown out, Cecilia’s mind was racing, and she almost immediately asked,
"Then, what if I buy these Black Pearl Earrings? Could you tell me the seller’s information then?"
The assistant was startled.
"Are you sure you have the money to buy these earrings?"
He looked at Cecilia with skepticism, as he had become wary of her and didn’t trust her easily.
"Even so, we can’t simply give you the seller’s information. You should just leave..."
Cecilia gritted her teeth, took out her wallet, and pulled out several bank cards in one go. The pawn shop assistant, with his keen eyes, instantly noticed the card with the black dragon pattern etched in gold.
Could this be the legendary black card?
Seriously?
Do con artists really have such extensive kits now?
However, Cecilia didn’t take out the black card, instead choosing a regular platinum card before closing her wallet.
——The black card had been given to her by Adrian Law; she wasn’t short on money herself, and the limit on her other regular cards was high enough to easily buy these earrings.
"Uncle, how much are the earrings? This card doesn’t require a pin; just go ahead and swipe it. I’m not a scammer, but my mother went missing many years ago, so the seller’s information is really important to me."
Cecilia looked at the assistant firmly, her expression filled with sincere pleading.
"The earrings are three hundred thousand. If you can indeed buy them, then I’ll tell you."
The middle-aged assistant wanted to closely scrutinize whether the black card was real, but Cecilia had already proactively offered to pay, thinking about the substantial commission, he decided to give it a shot and walked toward the POS machine.
.....
In almost an instant, the POS machine screen lit up, and the transaction succeeded.
The middle-aged assistant looked at Cecilia in shock, almost doubting his own eyesight.
My goodness, is it normal for a young girl to casually pull out this much money?
Cecilia ignored the assistant’s shock, her mind occupied with her own matters. Her eyes turned red, and the sincerity in them seemed to overflow.
"Uncle, you must believe me now, right? I genuinely implore you; could you tell me the seller’s specific information, even if it’s just a phone number? My mother means so much to me, and if this is merely a coincidence, I promise not to persist."
The middle-aged assistant thought it over, knowing that there’s a saying about the obligation one has after receiving someone else’s favor. With such a significant deal, his commission itself would be almost 5000, equivalent to a month’s salary.
"Alright, I’ll tell you. The seller’s last name is Zeng, and the phone number is 133...5743. Other specifics we don’t really know."
Cecilia thanked him and saved the number, then carefully stored the earrings before stepping out of the pawn shop.
This stranger with the last name Zeng, she must meet him.
With this thought in her mind, Cecilia found herself somewhat lost, and suddenly, she was embraced by someone who covered her eyes——