Chapter 21 The White Dress
"Alright." Noah stroked Lisa's hair and did not refuse.
***
Cairini Mall, sixth floor.
A man and a woman stood side by side.
The woman had a delicate and beautiful face, dressed in a white dress that suited her figure perfectly. The neckline of the dress was wide open to display the Cartier pendant around her neck as it sparkled under the lights, exuding an aura of luxury.
The woman was Evelyn, the CEO of Pinnacle Wealth Management.
The man beside her was in his mid-twenties. Dressed in an Armani suit, the man had his hair neatly slicked back. When glanced down to check the time, his Rolex watch suggested that he was as rich as Evelyn.
The man's name was Joshua Berger, and he was the only child of Charles Berger, a real estate tycoon from Oceanbridge City. Joshua also was one of Evelyn's many admirers.
"What's taking them so long?" Evelyn glanced at the elevator entrance anxiously.
"Maybe there's traffic on the way. After all, your friend doesn't have a car, so she can only come by cab," Joshua smirked.
Evelyn nodded. She didn't have any special feelings for Joshua, but Pinnacle Wealth Management was in trouble, and she needed his help, hence why she had specifically asked him out - to get close to him and ask for his help.
"Have you heard of the Rolls-Royce driver who's been all the news these last few days?" Evelyn struck up a conversation.
"The one in the short video? Of course. That license plate on the Rolls is quite impressive. A99999." Joshua sounded envious.
With his family's assets, buying a Rolls-Royce wasn't a problem, but getting such an exclusive number plate was quite troublesome.
Nine, a number that represents extreme prestige - not just anyone could get this kind of plate!
"Yeah, I watched that video too. The clip only shows the driver's silhouette, but he seems quite young. It would be great to befriend someone like him! Someone as powerful as him can probably make my problem go away with just a few words," Evelyn remarked.
"Evelyn, don't worry. I will definitely help you get through this crisis. 1.1 million dollars isn't a big deal." Joshua laughed heartily, puffing out his chest assuredly.
Evelyn nodded, then looked towards the entrance of the floor, just as a couple walked hand in hand towards them.
Noah and Lisa were here.
"Lisa, why did you bring your husband along?" Evelyn looked at Noah, her brow furrowing in a show of disdain.
Joshua, on the other hand, couldn't take his gaze off Lisa, his gaze filled with amazement and a tinge of lust.
"What's wrong with it? You two are shopping. I don't wanna leave Noah at home and be the third wheel here?" Lisa clung to Noah's arm affectionately.
Lisa shook her head unwillingly and introduced the two men. "Noah, this is Joshua, Oceanbridge City's real estate tycoon Charles' only son and currently an executive at an investment firm. Joshua, this is Noah."
"Nice to meet you, Noah. May I know where you work?" Joshua extended his hand towards Noah with a smile.
"I'm a salesman of medical devices," Noah responded indifferently, giving Joshua a brief handshake.
"A salesman?"
Joshua was surprised and glanced at Lisa. A sales job required neither a degree nor special skills. It was hard and tiring. He wondered how could Noah land a such beautiful wife.
"Noah, about the incident at the company a few days ago, I would like to apologize," Evelyn spoke.
"Afterward, Lisa explained it to me. You won a lottery and gained 80 thousand dollars and you used it to buy Tiffany jewelry. I think it's a bit irrational for you to spend the money this way. You should have saved it. But that's your business.
"I apologize for my attitude towards you that day."
Noah glanced at Evelyn in surprise. He knew Evelyn's temper and didn't think she would apologize.
"He spent 80 thousand dollars on jewelry?" Joshua asked, a gleam in his eyes.
"Noah, does your family have a car?"
"No." Noah shook his head.
"What about a house? I mean an elevator apartment or a villa, not some old building complex." Joshua pressed on.
"My home is indeed in an old building complex," Noah answered.
"Then you surely wasted the 80 thousand dollars."
Joshua sighed, "You don't have a house or car, yet the first thing you do after winning a lottery is to buy jewelry. With that much money, if you continue to work hard for a few more years, you could have enough money for a down payment for a decent house in Oceanbridge City. It's such a waste to spend it on jewelry.
"Even though this amount of money is a small figure for me, for you... it really was a waste."
"I agree with Joshua." Evelyn sounded condescending.
"You live in Elegant Haven. That's an old neighborhood from more than a decade ago, with a poor environment and inconvenient transportation. Noah, your first action after winning a lottery should have been to put it in the bank for a down payment on a house, not to buy jewelry."
"I love Lisa. It makes me happy when I buy jewelry for her. The money isn't yours anyway," Noah retorted aloofly.
Noah's attitude was unexpected.
Both Evelyn and Joshua were left speechless.
"Forget it. Why talk to him about rapid housing price increases and investments? He won't understand. It's above a salesman's pay grade. Getting angry at him is meaningless." Joshua shook his head slightly, his eyes full of disdain.
Evelyn also looked scornful. "Fine, I'll drop it. It's none of my business. Let's go shopping!"
Women's shopping trips were usually just about clothes, shoes, and cosmetics.
Evelyn and Lisa entered a ladies' fashion store. Noah followed.
"Noah, this dress is so pretty!"
Lisa stopped in front of a white dress, her big eyes twinkling with excitement as she caressed the fabric of the dress lovingly, as if she couldn't bear to let it go.
"If you like it, buy it," Noah spoke evenly.
"No, it's too expensive. See? Three thousand dollars!" Lisa glanced at the price tag, her mouth twitching. The dress was worth nearly a month of her salary.
"It's fine. That's not too much." Noah reached for his No Preset Spending Limit Card, ready to pay.
"Don't touch our clothes if you're not buying it. Can you afford it if you dirty it?!"
An icy voice sounded.
A sales associate came over, her eyes looking down on Noah and Lisa with contempt. "This dress has been designed by a top French designer, and it's made of high-end material. Don't touch it if you're not buying, understand? Feel lucky that we allow you to come near to admire it!"
"Watch your tone. Your rule is absurd. This is a fashion store, and I can't touch the clothes here?" Noah's gaze turned cold.
"That's right. No touching for you. Look at the clothes you're wearing. All of them combined won't be worth more than two hundred! If you want to buy clothes, get out of this mall and turn left. There's a roadside stall. You're free to touch whatever you like there!"
The sales associate spoke arrogantly, "In any case, you can only look at the clothes here! No touching. It's already very kind for us to let you look at them!"
Lisa was fuming as she had never encountered such a rude salesperson before.
"What's going on?"
Evelyn and Joshua came over after hearing the ruckus.
"They're my friends. What's happening? Are you forbidding them to shop here?"
Joshua straightened his collar with both hands, incidentally showing off the Rolex watch on his wrist, his cold gaze fixing on the sales associate.
Noticing the luxuries on Joshua, the sales associate immediately realized that he was rich and plastered on a flattering smile.
"Since they're your friends, they're more than welcome to shop here!"
