Chapter 39

Madelyn was taken aback by Selina's sudden surrender. Selina clapped her hands and grinned. "What's the matter, Madelyn? Aren't you thrilled about getting the necklace you wanted? Or are you short on cash?"

Madelyn winked at Lauren. Her credit card limit was $1.5 million; she needed Lauren's help. To avoid Selina's mockery, she had to pay in full. Reluctantly, Lauren produced her card with a forced smile. Shannon, meanwhile, was less than thrilled about processing a $6.5 million transaction.

Madelyn strutted, flaunting the necklace box haughtily. "I know you're scared Trevon will find out you're only after his money. Remember your words? Well, the same goes for you now. Don't show up if the cash isn't enough!"

Lauren attempted to mediate, playing the peacemaker. Having already spent considerable funds, she saw this as an opportunity to put Selina in her place.

"Haven't you heard? That necklace was a design Angel discarded three years ago. Cartier bought it exclusively for a significant sum, pledging to donate the profits to charity—the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Clusia's rural teachers' associations."

Hearing "Angel ditched three years ago," Madelyn assumed the necklace was worthless. She glanced at a surprised Shannon. "Well… even though Angel discarded the design three years ago, it was still her creation!"

Confused, Shannon wondered how Selina knew. Only top Cartier executives had access to that information. Shannon, the manager of the Cartier store at Galaxy Mall, had only learned about it a year ago.

"Spending $6.5 million on a design Angel discarded three years ago? I never thought you were a big fan. Madelyn would be pleased to have your backing. Hopefully, you bought it out of love, not hatred towards me. After all, it cost you quite a bit, didn't it, Lauren?" Selina mocked.

"Whatever you say, I won. This necklace was designed by Angel and Cartier. I got what you wanted!" Madelyn's arrogance vanished. Spending $6.5 million on a necklace worth $1.5 million was ridiculous. She couldn't believe it was an abandoned Angel design.

"Congratulations, Madelyn. Honestly, I don't want it that much. There are plenty of other options. Let's go, Lydia."

"Sure." Lydia and Selina left the store hand-in-hand.

Lauren's victory felt hollow. She regretted spending $6.5 million. "Let's go, Madelyn." Broke and disheartened, she wasn't in the mood for shopping.

Curious, Lydia asked, "How did you know about the necklace, Selina? I didn't see it in the description." She'd chosen the necklace for Selina because she loved the design. Even though it was three years old, it looked chic.

"Because I'm Angel," Selina said, winking.

Stunned, Lydia exclaimed, "Holy crap! When did you start designing jewelry?"

"It's a passion. Every time you visited, you told me to try new things. I searched online for gigs and dabbled in everything. 'Angel' is my alias. Unexpectedly, I became popular, and my designs became must-haves." Selina almost forgot about her design career. If she hadn't seen the discarded design, she would have forgotten. The hardships at the Harvey residence had affected her.

"You always surprise me, Selina." Lydia ruffled Selina's hair. "If you could design a rock-style necklace for me, that would be amazing!"

"No problem." They smiled.

After saying goodbye to Lydia, Selina texted Jack, Cartier's head in Clusia. Ten seconds later, he replied: “[Angel] At your service! What do you need?” He always had been cocky, but he respected Selina.

Angel, a rookie, had achieved global acclaim. Her dedication led to sensation after sensation in high fashion and jewelry. Celebrities and the wealthy coveted her limited-edition pieces. Obtaining them required more than money; insider connections were essential. Nobody had ever seen Angel; she only communicated online. Her designs commanded tens of millions of dollars. Even Cartier had only collaborated with her once, using one discarded design. Jewelers everywhere craved a collaboration. Selina replied: "[Ms. Wells, the manager of the Cartier store on Galaxy Mall in Sokovis, offended my friend.]"

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