Chapter 27

“Excuse me, but this piece was custom-made for Mr. Lynn. It’s not for sale,” the clerk said with a polite smile.

The clerk hadn’t anticipated that they would choose something that wasn’t even on the market. It was a special order, and it wasn’t meant to be sold to anyone else.

“Whatever he paid, I’ll double it. I want this set. Tell him to place another order,” Timothy said, his brow furrowing. His usually composed face showed a flicker of impatience.

He hadn’t been sleeping well lately, and the dark circles under his eyes were a testament to that. His calming tea was gone, and all he wanted was to get home, ask Lucy for more, and finally get a good night’s sleep.

“Sorry, sir, but this requires Mr. Lynn’s personal approval,” the clerk replied, still smiling politely.

However, the clerk thought to herself, “Another one of those over-the-top CEOs here, trying to throw money around and buy something someone else loves, all for the woman he adores.

‘It’s like something straight out of a romance novel. Luxury jewelry stores really are the perfect stage for these kinds of scenes.

‘But these guys just don’t get it. This set is custom-made, and the decision to sell it is up to the person who ordered it. No amount of money can change that.

‘We pride ourselves on our integrity and wouldn’t risk offending one VIP client just to please another. Our reputation is too important to gamble with!”

Timothy felt a pang of rejection. He didn’t want to stick around any longer, and his head was starting to throb. Besides, the color was too vibrant. Maelis always preferred more subdued shades of blue or green.

So he suggested, “Betty, how about checking out something else? There are loads of other pieces here. This light blue set is pretty nice too.

“If you don’t find anything you like here, we can always hit another store. Plus, I think this set is a bit too pink. Mom isn’t really into that color.”

“Timothy, let me handle this,” Betty said with a bright smile.

“Excuse me, could we get the customizer’s contact details? We really love this set of jewelry, and I’d like to speak to them directly. Maybe they’d be willing to let it go?” Betty said.

She was genuinely surprised when the clerk declined. Her expression stayed gentle, but inside, she was a bit thrown off.

Betty really liked this set. It was clearly designed for a younger crowd–Maelis would never go for something so flashy. So she was sure she’d be told to keep it for herself. Her friends would be so jealous.

Betty wasn’t ready to give up and wanted to give it one more shot. The jewelry had a lovely name: “Princess’s Treasure.” It felt like it was made for her.

“I’m afraid we can’t give out our customer’s information,” the clerk said with a polite smile.

But she thought, “Wow, this girl has no clue about boundaries either. She just walks in and demands someone’s contact info. It’s like she’s straight out of one of those romance novels where the main characters just bulldoze over everyone to get what they want.

“We’re the ones who get stuck in the middle. Normal people would just ask us to contact the buyer on their behalf, but not her. She wants us to leak the buyer’s information directly. If something goes wrong, it’s us who’ll be in trouble.

“Ugh, those romance novels are great for a quick read, but you can’t live by them. They’ll drive you crazy!”

“You…” Betty’s smile wavered for a moment. Lately, everything seemed to be going wrong, and being turned down again and again was wearing her thin. But then she caught a glimpse of Timothy, and she forced herself to hold that smile in place.

She said, “We really love this jewelry set. Is there any way you could help us out? We’re from the Shaw family. I’m a frequent shopper here and a Gold Member of your store.”

Betty was determined to get that jewelry set and made a point of playing the Shaw family card. They were well-respected in Jinston, and people usually gave them the benefit of the doubt.

Betty had always had things her way. For over a decade, she’d lived a life of privilege, getting almost everything she wanted.

She’d even managed to push Zinnia out of the picture, despite Zinnia being a blood relative. The whole family had always preferred her over Zinnia, no matter what.

But things started going downhill after Zinnia left the Shaw family. Sofia didn’t like Betty, Maelis seemed distracted, and Howard was keeping secrets from her. Betty had wanted Zinnia gone, but instead of feeling relieved, she felt like everything was slipping out of her control.

She thought, “But Zinnia coming back is out of the question. My family belongs to me, and only me. If they took the wrong child back then, they should have just kept it that way. Why does Zinnia have to come back?”

Betty seethed with anger at the person who’d emailed the Shaw family and exposed the truth about the switched children.

The Shaw family actually had no idea about the switch until two months ago when they got that email. It said their real daughter was living in some tiny village and even included a DNA report.

They were totally confused and tried to figure out who sent it, but they couldn’t. Still, they went to find Zinnia and ran the test. Turned out, they really had the wrong kid all these years.

When Maelis saw Zinnia come back, she cried her eyes out. Watching from the side, Betty was so tense she almost broke her nails.

Over the next two months, Betty worked hard to make the Shaw family tired of Zinnia. It wasn’t easy, but eventually, they pushed her out. And there was no way Betty was going to let Zinnia come back.

“As for Mom, if I stay close to her, she’ll forget about Zinnia. This family can only have one daughter, and that’s me,” Betty kept telling herself.

“Uh, sorry about this, miss…” The clerk was about to turn Betty down when she saw Zinnia and Jackson walk in. Her face lit up with relief, and she practically beamed. “Oh, Mr. Lynn, you’re here.”

“Thank goodness. With Mr. Lynn here, I don’t have to deal with this awkward situation myself,” she thought.

Betty’s smile was automatic as soon as she heard Jackson’s name. “Hey, Mr. Lynn, this jewelry set, Princess’s Treasure—did you have it custom-made? Would you mind letting it go? We’re willing to pay double…”

Her voice cut off abruptly as she caught sight of who walked in. For once, her usually polished smile showed a flicker of unease.

“Jackson, Zinnia…” She bit her lip, swallowed the jealousy that bubbled up inside her, and forced herself to speak softly.

“Don’t call me with that tone. We’re not family, not even close,” Jackson said, his voice cold and his brow furrowed.