Chapter 286: Ungrateful!

Elsie was skeptical and took the opportunity to raise the price. “Then I want an extra fourteen thousand dollars!”

The other party replied patiently, “Sure.”

Elsie looked at this beggar-like person as if he were crazy, then gave him her account number. The other party tapped a few times on his phone, and within seconds, Elsie received a notification that the money had been transferred.

The pawnshop employee, seeing this, immediately started cursing at the beggar.

The beggar ignored him, motioning for Elsie to follow him aside to talk.

“If you ever have something valuable to sell again, come to me. I’ll guarantee a higher price than the pawnshop, and I buy anything—companies, shares, real estate. You can contact me,” the beggar said, his face filled with excitement.

Elsie asked suspiciously, “You have that much money?”

The beggar snapped his fingers. “Social lesson number one—don’t judge a person by their appearance.”

Elsie frowned. Although she was still suspicious, she didn’t think too much about it. After all, the money was in her hands now.

After exchanging contact information, Elsie returned to the Saunders family with red eyes and told Paul that she had to sell the keepsake he gave her to raise money. Paul, feeling guilty, immediately hugged her, promising to give her something better.

Yunice went to Pavilion Hall to pick up a package. The deliveryman was a man who looked like a beggar.

Upon closer inspection, this man was the same one who had bought the stolen goods from Elsie earlier. The man returned the jewelry to Yunice and whispered, “The bait is set. We just have to wait for the fish to bite.”

Yunice opened the box and saw that it contained a necklace of hers. Every year, her father would give her a birthday gift, and this was one of them. It was originally her property, and now it had returned to her hands, but she had to pay to get it back.

However, the money that had been unfairly taken was only temporarily in Elsie’s hands. Yunice would get it back soon.

When she returned home, Wyatt was still asleep, and Yunice was alone in the study.

She was reviewing some questions when Oscar called. Yunice hesitated for a moment before answering. She didn’t say anything at first, and neither did Oscar.

“In the future, in my heart, you’ll always be my only sister. Your birthday is coming up. How about I throw you a birthday party?” Oscar added.

“Since Dad passed away, I haven’t celebrated my birthday,” Yunice said instinctively, then fell silent.

The pain wasn’t caused by Oscar, but she always unintentionally exposed her wounds to him.

She paused before continuing. The Saunders family must be very lively right now. I heard Owen booked the top floor of the Millennium Hotel for Elsie’s birthday party, planning to make it a grand affair.

Owen was particularly protective of Elsie. Whether it was a matter of image or emotional value, he made sure to cater to her needs.

Yunice had a glamorous wedding and became Carl’s goddaughter, and compared to her, Owen felt Elsie had been wronged, so he wanted to compensate her more.

This had been the case ever since Elsie became a member of the Saunders family. Even if Yunice had battled for that benefit herself, Owen would always pay Elsie back when Yunice gained something.

However, Yunice not only would not receive a comparable reward when Elsie experienced an unexpected joy, but she would also be compared to her, with the family making some critical comments.

Yunice had long recognized the realities of love and indifference.

At that moment, there was a strange sound coming from the phone, as though someone had taken Oscar’s phone.

Owen’s irate voice could be heard next. “What exactly are you complaining about now? What do you mean by “Elsie’s birthday party”? Isn’t it also your birthday? I have included you in everything I have planned. If you don’t like my efforts, that’s great, but don’t criticize me in front of Oscar!”

“Owen!” Oscar’s stern rebuke was heard on the other end.

Owen was furious, saying, “Did I say anything wrong? Do you realize how many people I had to go through to get the top floor of the banquet hall? Do you know how much it cost me? Do you realize how tight the family’s finances are right now?”

After a brief pause, Owen sneered. “Of course, you don’t know. You’re a rich wife now, you can casually take out millions for a diamond ring, so how would you know the struggles of us ordinary people? I bet you don’t care about all the effort I’ve put into this, and you probably won’t even show up.”

The last four words, Owen almost gritted through his teeth. After saying that, he gripped the phone tightly while waiting for Yunice’s response.

He hoped Yunice would return. Since she no longer cared about their identity differences, he…

After a few seconds of silence, Yunice did not answer. Oscar frowned at Owen, took back the phone, and murmured softly to Yunice, “Yunny, don’t listen to him. If you want to return, we will welcome you with a special birthday celebration. I may not be able to give you the top floor of the Millennium Hotel, but I will not leave you feeling wronged. Open arms. If you don’t, that’s okay. I can…”