Novel - Drama Chapter 3
Chapter 3
Chapter 3
Both the secondhand luxury items and antique industries were specialized fields that required a keen eye as well as skills to make a living. As such, it was also natural that one made more money working in this field.
However, it was also a high-risk occupation.
If an appraiser suffers huge losses, which results in both the appraiser and their employer losing a lot of money, their net worth was undoubtedly going to plummet.
Therefore, everyone was afraid of making mistakes. If they were confident of the value of an item, they would go for it. They were willing to forego earning money on a transaction if they were unsure.
Oliver was so excited that day that he went to work early. Yvonne, the shop assistant at True Treasure second-hand store, had just arrived and opened the door.
Samuel, the store manager, usually did not come early. He only reached after nine o’clock in the morning.
However, Hailey, the owner of the store, showed up today. It was a surprise for the workers.
Hailey was a proper rich kid. She was only 24 years old and looked very beautiful.
Hailey’s circle of friends consisted of wealthy and respectable people, with heavy use of luxury items in frequent circulation. As such, she saw an opportunity to make money in this and opened a luxury item second-hand store
When Hailey went to the store to check the transaction information on the computer, Yvonne, the female shop assistant who opened the store, wiped the already spotless glass display cases and luxury
items on the counter with a white towel.
After arriving at the store, Oliver did not help Yvonne clean up. Instead, he observed the secondhand luxury goods in the display cases instead.
As long as Oliver’s eyes stared at the object for three seconds, the results of the identified information would appear in his mind.
The luxury items in the showcase included several watches and branded clothing, but most were women’s luxury bags.
Among them, Hermes was the highest in quantity, and Louis Vuitton had fewer.
Hailey glanced at Oliver, who was staring at the showcase in a daze and could not help but frown. She thought, “He usually is very diligent and agile. Why does he look clueless today?”
At that time, a tall and sturdy young man came in from outside with a slight flicker in his eyes.
Yvonne immediately stepped up and asked the man respectfully, “Good morning, Sir. How can I help you?” novelbin
With a shy expression, the man licked his lips and took out a box from the laptop bag he was carrying. He replied in a low voice, “I… I want to sell a watch.”
Yvonne looked at Hailey and turned back to the man. Very politely, she explained, “You came too early. The store manager who handles appraisals hasn’t arrived yet, and he’ll arrive around 9:00 a.m. Why don’t…”
“I can examine it.”
Oliver suddenly came over, took the man’s box, and opened it to take out the watch.
That was a Patek Philippe wristwatch designed for men.
Oliver stared at the watch for three seconds, and an identification message appeared in his mind: [Patek Philippe Automatic Men’s Watch. Almost new. Model: NLBD14. Place of origin: Capston of Quesdia. Date of manufacture: September 17, 2015. Craftsmanship: excellent. Value assessment: 48,000 dollars equivalent.]
Oliver realized the watch was authentic.
The young man was obviously a little shy and afraid of being embarrassed, so he came early since there were only a few people in the morning.
On top of that, there had to be a more important reason. This young man was low on money.
Oliver still pretended to scrutinize the watch for a while before saying to the young man, “Sir, this watch is genuine. It’s quite new and well-preserved. There are no depreciation marks on the strap but for a second-hand watch, I think you know. We can only offer you two-thirds of the second-hand price.”
The young man nodded and handed over the proof of purchase to Oliver. “Then… how much can you pay?”
Oliver pondered for a moment before answering, “30,000 dollars.”
The young man was a little disappointed. “I… only bought it for half a year, and I rarely wore it. When I bought it, the original price was 76,000 dollars. This is the declaration and Certificate of Authenticity from Quesdia.”
When Yvonne saw Oliver’s bold bid, she was so shocked that she could not even close her mouth and turned to look at Hailey.
Hailey also frowned but held back her anger because there was a customer present. She said to Oliver mildly, “Oliver, the customer is not satisfied with the price. We’d better wait until Samuel arrives to have a proper discussion.”
When Hailey mentioned having a “proper discussion,” it was obvious that only Samuel’s words would be valid and that what Oliver said did not matter.
Besides, Hailey was allowing Oliver a measure of dignity since a customer was there.
The young man was hesitant, concerned about the hassle and the potential loss of his reputation. He gritted his teeth and said, “Okay, 30,000 dollars it is! I’m selling it!”
Hailey frowned again. Oliver was afraid she would say something unpleasant, so he hurriedly replied to the young man, “Please wait a moment.”
Then, Oliver went over and told Hailey, “Ms. Fox, let’s talk inside.”
Hailey turned around unhappily and went into the staff dressing room.
Oliver followed Hailey in, closed the door, and explained, “Ms. Fox, this watch is authentic. Its market price now is about 48,000 dollars, so it’s worth purchasing it at 30,000 dollars.”
Hailey stared at Oliver coldly and retorted, “Oliver, how can you be sure that it is authentic based on your apprentice-level skills? Do you dare to guarantee it’s authentic? If it’s a counterfeit, will you compensate me for my losses?”
“I’ll pay for it!” Oliver answered without hesitation. However, what he said next was something Hailey never expected to hear. “Ms. Fox, the Hermes bag you carry is a high-grade imitation. Did you know that?
Hailey could not help but get angry and retorted, “You should consider who you’re speaking to before blabbering such nonsense! This is a limited edition bag customized in Erihal by my best friend. She never used it once. Since I liked it, she gave it to me. It’s valued at 136 thousand dollars. Samuel examined it personally and determined it was genuine. How dare you say it’s fake? Who do you think you are?”
After saying that, Hailey’s tone already sounded quite rude.
Oliver’s words were like a slap in Hailey’s face. She loved the bag very much and carried it around quite many times.
Hailey pondered, “If this bag is fake, isn’t it embarrassing for me if my friends found out about it?”
Of course, Hailey was absolutely certain that the bag was genuine.
Oliver did not panic and said to Hailey calmly, “Ms. Fox, your bag is 90 percent similar to the authentic one in terms of leather texture, stitching, and the Hermes bronzing logo. It’s a high-grade imitation, but ultimately, fake. One of the simplest ways to prove it is by calling the after-sales service hotline for Hermes Clusia Headquarters because this limited. edition bag is the only one of its kind in the world. They’ll tell you who the real buyer of this bag is!”
Hailey was extremely annoyed, but Oliver’s words made sense. However, if one had to be frank, calling Hermes Clusia Headquarters was in fact the simplest and most effective way to prove the authenticity of the bag.
Hailey had never thought of doing that before because she trusted her best friend.
However, Oliver had clearly been successful in planting a seed of suspicion in Hailey’s heart.
After hesitating for a while, Hailey took out her phone and made a call.
After one minute and thirty-five seconds, the after-sales service department of Hermes Clusia Headquarters responded to the inquiry.
Hailey’s face suddenly darkened, and her lips quivered! Based on the look on her face, Hailey clearly did not need Oliver to prove anything anymore.