The poor Billionaire novel (Ethan) novel Chapter 44
Even though the shop attendants in Cartier didn't know him, they recognized Farris. Irrespective of how shabbily Horace was dressed, no one dared to look down on him because he was with a prominent man. One of the shop attendants, who had a polite smile, stepped forward and said to them, "Welcome to Cartier. Sirs, madams, how may I help you today?"
Gussie immediately waved her hand and declined. "No, thanks. We'll have a look around first!"
She then looked at Horace and asked, "Mr. Warren, please what's your relationship with the girl you intend to gift?"
Gussie's polite behavior and zealousness were all part of her ploy to impress Farris. She wanted to be part of his alleged big plan to make a fool of Horace.
"She's a former classmate from high school." This answer didn't sound right to Horace. He shook his head and added, "She's not just my former classmate, but also my very good friend."
"I see, Mr. Warren. Since she's your friend, I recommend that you choose between earrings, brooches, and bracelets. Such gifts won't be taken out of context. However, if you are interested in being romantically involved with her, you can consider buying a necklace. If you are sure that she feels the same way about you, you can buy her a ring."
As Gussie advised Horace, she thought to herself, 'You look so poor. Why did you come to a luxury shop to buy a gift for a girl? Do you think people would give you anything you want here for free because you are no good than a beggar? Bah! Perish that idea. I'm sure you can't afford to buy anything here. Let's see how you would make a fool of yourself!'
When Farris heard Gussie's detailed recommendations, he nodded with satisfaction. He had made the right decision by asking her to come along. Since she was a woman, she was in a better position to know what women liked.
Now that it was time for Horace to decide what kind of jewelry to buy, Farris's full attention was on him. He had no idea what was going on in Gussie's mind.
Meanwhile, Gussie had been paying attention to him the whole time. Thus, she noticed his satisfied nod. 'Did Mr. Rivera just nod in satisfaction because of my performance? This is going to be good! Ha-ha, you impoverished loser. A truckload of humiliation is waiting for you ahead!'
Horace was busy pondering about the kind of jewelry to buy. Although he didn't know about Laila's jewelry preferences, he knew that she had never worn earrings. In his mind's eye, he pictured her side profiles and confirmed that she had no hole in her ears. This meant that earrings were out of the question.
A brooch would make a good gift, but it wasn't for someone like Laila. She would most likely not wear it. Horace didn't think that gifting her a bracelet was a good idea since she didn't have a necklace yet. This left him with the last option, a necklace. He decided to settle for it. He also decided not to worry about Laila reading another meaning to the gift or not. Getting her the gift was what mattered now.
"I would go for a necklace," Horace said to Gussie in a gentle voice after making a decision.
"Okay!" With a slight nod, Gussie asked, "How much money did you budget for the gift, Mr. Warren?"
The moment she finished speaking, Farris chimed in, "Gussie, there's no need to ask that question. Mr. Warren can afford even the most expensive necklace in this shop. Money is not his problem!"
Gussie's question made Horace put on his thinking cap. He knew that it would be hard to explain things to Laila if he got her an expensive birthday gift. She knew that he only had about fifty thousand dollars at hand. If he bought something that cost more, she would query him. After taking the necessary things into consideration, he decided to buy a necklace that was less than fifty thousand dollars.
Thus, he said, "I budgeted twenty to thirty thousand dollars."
The bill for the birthday dinner still had to be settled from the money at hand. Horace knew that Laila's roommates would only care about filling their bellies, but Laila was different. She would definitely calculate what was consumed. If he spent too much money, she would question him about it.
Laila's frugality was why he budgeted a relatively moderate price.
"You budgeted twenty to thirty thousand dollars?" Contempt filled Gussie's heart when she heard his budget.
'He's indeed a poor man. I'm sure Mr. Rivera played a fast one on him by bringing him to the expensive shop. Honestly, for a man of his status, I'm surprised he has such a huge budget. Pooh! Look at this pauper. I can bet on it that he borrowed the thirty thousand dollars,' she thought to herself.
Despite her chastising thoughts, she stated, "Okay, Mr. Warren. I'm quite familiar with the necklaces sold here, so I will recommend them to you. One is the Jusete un Clou, and the other is the Panthere de!"
The shop attendants heard Gussie's suggestion and thought to themselves, 'Why did she recommend those necklaces? Each of them cost about fifty thousand dollars. That's a whole lot more than his budget. Did she do that intentionally or not?'
The shop attendants knew that she had made a mistake. However, they were well-trained and knew it was uncourteous to interrupt shoppers. All they could do was to listen carefully since Gussie had earlier said they didn't need help now.
"Oh really? Show me the two kinds of necklaces, please!" Horace ordered the shop attendants politely.
"Yes, sir. Please wait a moment!" one of the attendants answered. She then went to the storage room to take all the necklaces of Jusete un Clou and the Panthere de.
These two necklaces came in a total of four styles. The Jusete un Clou necklace came in different styles and three separate colors, platinum, gold, and rose gold. The Panthere de necklace had only one style, but it was bicolored.
When the attendant displayed the necklaces for them to see, Gussie pointed at the Jusete un Clou necklace and said, "Mr. Warren, have a look at this. The pendant looks like a nail. It's very unique. Women fancy such things. If you give it to her, she might even fall in love with you. See how simple and fashionable it is. The beauty of any girl that wears this would outshine everyone else's in the street!"
"Oh, it looks a little interesting. What about the other one?" Horace praised the first necklace and then looked at the Panthere de necklace.
"Mr. Warren, this necklace is from the classic Panthere de Collection, which has become a symbol of life's most paramount relationships. Look at its pendant. It radiates nothing but brilliance! The pendant of this necklace is in the shape of a panthere. The panthere is Cartier's iconic animal image. It is made of platinum and diamonds. More so, there are a total of three hundred and forty-seven diamonds embedded in the pendant. This makes it an irresistible temptation for every girl. The Panthere de is not only a necklace, but also a symbol of youthful vigor!"
Gussie said as she took out the necklace and put it on herself. "Mr. Warren, look, isn't it beautiful? Believe me when I say that this necklace is the dream of every girl!"
"Well... It's not bad, but it doesn't fit into my budget. I find it difficult to make up a reasonable excuse for it. Laila would scold me for spending so much money on a gift. I don't want to risk it. Anyway, I noticed that you really like this necklace. I will give it to you as a reward for helping me out today!"
Horace had taken a glance at the price tag on the necklace sample on the jewelry display counter. He had seen that it costs fifty-six thousand dollars. This was chicken feed to him, but he couldn't come up with a reasonable excuse to tell Laila, so he gave it up.
Gussie was taken aback by Horace's generous offer. She thought, 'What the hell? The price doesn't fit into your budget? You find it difficult to make up a reasonable excuse for it? And you want to give it to me as a reward? Are you listening to yourself, poor man? Bloody hell!'
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