Chapter 192 How Much Do You Want
George gave him a cold look, and Joshua immediately understood.
"I won't let Mrs. Russell in!"
George nodded slightly, not too dumb after all.
Scarlett argued with Joshua outside the hospital ward for a long time. No matter how she threatened or coaxed, Joshua remained firm—no entry!
"Then you tell George to take care and that I'll throw him a welcome party when he's discharged in five days." Scarlett said angrily.
Whether George married or not was not up to him!
On the other side, Anna hurriedly fled from the hospital and returned home, her heart filled with anxiety and unease.
It wasn't just the intimacy between George and Isabella that tore at her heart.
Levi's appearance brought her even more trouble, especially that USB drive. She knew very well what secrets it contained.
She smashed the USB drive into pieces with a hammer, venting her frustration.
But what good was it to destroy just this one?
Levi could have as many backups as he wanted.
Late at night, Anna finally mustered the courage to call Levi. A deep, raspy voice with a hint of disdain came from the other end, "You finally remembered me?"
"What do you want?" Anna asked directly.
"I want money," Levi made no effort to hide his intentions.
"I don't have much liquid cash right now," Anna's heart tightened, knowing she had to find a way to raise the money. "How much do you want?"
"The agreed $50 million, you haven't forgotten, right?" Levi's voice was as cold as a blade. "If you want to keep your secret, you have the money ready in three days."
"$50 million..." Anna felt a wave of tension; her liquid assets couldn't meet that amount.
Sophia had previously given her two stores, which were valuable due to their good locations, but she couldn't sell them without a legitimate reason.
The only asset she had left to sell was the store at 1 Crystal Street.
Although that store had never opened, it was a birthday gift from George.
How could she sell it so easily?
Moreover, many people knew that the store couldn't operate, and selling it would definitely result in a loss.
She would lose a lot!
Perhaps she had been thinking for too long, as Levi's voice became more aggressive, "I don't like delays. If you don't want things to get worse, you get the money ready."
"I'll find a way," Anna knew she had no choice but to agree.
After hanging up, Anna felt even more burdened. She sat on the couch, her mind racing.
She knew that only by raising the money Levi wanted could she keep her secret and ensure that her life with George remained undisturbed.
After much struggle, Anna finally decided to sell the store at 1 Crystal Street. She contacted the store's agent and informed him of her decision to sell.
With disgust for Anna, the store's agent knew he had to get the job done. He still negotiated the price with Anna. Staring at the infamous yet haughty socialite, he deliberately quoted her a very low price. While he didn't dare confront Anna openly, he still tried to undermine her discreetly.
A few days later, a buyer was found for the store at 1 Crystal Street.
Anna had hoped to sell it at a reasonable price, but the buyer, who was already in cahoots with the store's agent, clearly had no intention of offering much. After some haggling, she had to sell it for a price far below market value.
A property bought for $5 million was now sold for just $1 million.
"My budget is limited; this is already a high offer," the buyer said coldly.
"But..." Anna hesitated.
"The market isn't what it used to be; there's nothing I can do. This is the going rate. If you don't want to sell to me, find someone else. I'm not desperate," the buyer said, about to leave.
"I'll sell!" Anna reluctantly signed the agreement.
"The money will be transferred to your account within three days," the buyer said with a smirk, as if mocking Anna's downfall.
He deliberately set the price at $1 million. He wanted to see how Anna would scrape that amount together.
Anna's first thought was to borrow money, but every time she called her former followers, she faced cold refusals instead. They had all distanced themselves from her.
She couldn't borrow even a single penny, let alone a hundred million dollars.
In the end, Anna decided to sell her jewelry. She walked into a pawn shop, filled with both anxiety and hope. The shop owner cast a disdainful glance at Anna as she entered.
"Are you here to sell these?" The shop owner's voice was tinged with coldness, his eyes wandering over her jewelry, seemingly assessing its value.
"Yes, I need money."
"These jewels are worthless," the shop owner said mercilessly, with a hint of scorn in his tone.
"Bollocks! I bought these at auctions!" Anna gritted her teeth in anger.
The shop owner replied indifferently, "You just have poor taste. People like you don't deserve high prices."
Anna paused but had no other choice. She could only hand over each piece of jewelry to the shop owner, feeling a sharp pain in her heart. These jewels, which once symbolized beauty and hope, had now become the price of her survival.
Every time a jewel was taken away, despair filled Anna's heart. She lost the wealth she once possessed, almost to the point of being driven mad. When she saw the triumphant smile on the shop owner's face, a wave of helplessness washed over her, as if her dignity had been utterly stripped away.
"If you're really desperate for money, perhaps you should consider other means," the shop owner said coldly, a mocking smile playing on his lips. "For instance, selling your body might solve your problem faster."
"After all, you've already been with three men at once... What more can you be afraid of? Oh, you don't have an STD, do you?"
The shop owner's words and his step back as if to avoid contamination struck Anna like a heavy blow. Her face instantly turned pale, a mix of anger and humiliation coursing through her. She couldn't believe she was being treated with such contempt and insult.
"I really need this money..." She kept repeating to herself, trying to convince herself that this was the only way out. But as she watched those jewels being bought at extremely low prices, the pain and anger within her intertwined.
In the end, Anna barely managed to gather the $1 million, receiving far less money than the market value of the jewels. These jewels had once been a symbol of her status.
In the end, these jewels slipped through her fingers, and she felt helpless to stop it.
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