Chapter 226: The Trap
Raylee chuckled and nodded. “Exactly, I’m curious to see just how much more money she can squeeze out.”
“Whoa, Raylee, are you planning to get me to scam them without even discussing it with me?” Viper exclaimed in astonishment.
“Anyway, that b*tch is paying for it, so don’t worry about swindling them! As for the twenty million you scammed, just keep it,” Shanice patted Viper on the shoulder. “You’re not exactly a saint, but they’re far worse. So, there’s no need for you to feel guilty. The rules of the underworld—benevolence and morality—they don’t apply to them.”
“Fine, leave it to me!” Viper said enthusiastically, clutching the fake jewelry as he left.
Meanwhile, after receiving the fake jewelry and threats from Viper, Mindy, seething with anger, went to confront Waverly. The two had arranged to meet at a café.
“If you didn’t want to help me pay off my debt, you should’ve just told me the truth. Why did you pawn a bunch of fake jewelry? Do you have any idea that they are all titans of the underworld? If they were so easily tricked, why would I need your help in the first place?”
Filled with rage, Mindy tossed a bag of fake jewelry at Waverly. She then brushed her hair aside, revealing the swollen left cheek from the beating she had received.
“Take a good look at me, can’t you see the state I’m in? And it’s not just my face; they’ve kicked my stomach so many times that I almost pooped myself! If you hadn’t tried to deceive them with your fake jewelry, they wouldn’t have punished me. I got beaten up so badly all because of you!”
Listening to Mindy’s tirade, Waverly wore a look of utter confusion. Clueless as to what was going on, she asked, “Fake? Are you kidding me? All those jewelry were gifts from my dad, mom, and brother. There’s no way they could have been fake. Besides, I specifically chose gold jewelry to repay your debt because the value of gold is clear-cut. Once the debt is settled, they won’t bother you again. I had nothing but your best interests at heart. How could I possibly deceive them with counterfeit jewelry?”
“Heh…” Mindy let out a sarcastic laugh. “Are you really being nice to me, or are you just treating me like a fool and playing me? Make sure to take a good look and check whether they are fake or not!”
Waverly felt that she had been unjustly accused. She opened the bag and took out the jewelry to inspect them. There were ten items in total, including necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and so forth, all meticulously crafted. However, upon inspection, she noticed something was amiss. “These aren’t my jewelry. The craftsmanship is different. These counterfeits have poor workmanship. It’s obvious they’re fake,” she commented.
Mindy couldn’t believe it. She questioned through gritted teeth, “How can they not be yours? You pawned the jewelry this morning; it’s now the afternoon. Do you really think they could’ve replaced it with a pile of identical fakes in such a short time? Do you think this is as simple as photocopying a document?”
With a resolute expression, Waverly said, “Don’t you think I would recognize my own jewelry? Do you really believe that my family would give me counterfeit items?”
“My opinion doesn’t matter at all! The issue here is that all this stuff is undeniably fake!” Mindy said, unable to contain her frustration. “You tell me, what should we do now? We have to resolve the issue no matter what!”
“Could you please get a grip of yourself? It’s obvious they’re setting a trap for you. What good will getting agitated do? What’s the point in blaming me?” Waverly’s tone was growing impatient.
“Can you blame me for being anxious? We’re talking about a full twenty million here. I still owe them twenty million. You have to fix this for me!” Mindy demanded.
However, Waverly disagreed, saying, “I’ve told you, these fakes aren’t mine! The jewelry I pawned to them was all real gold and silver. Now, they’re scamming you, so why should I bear the responsibility? I already gave you ten million in cash and the jewelry worth twenty million. You don’t need to pay me back anything. Therefore, you’ll now have to figure out how to handle the remaining problems yourself!”
“Why would I come to see you if I could solve it myself?” Mindy said, clearly annoyed. “If you had been more straightforward, transferring thirty million in cash to them, we wouldn’t be in this mess now! Why must you insist on using jewelry as collateral, isn’t that just giving them a chance to cause us trouble? The fact that I’m in this mess is all because of you!”
“You’re being utterly unreasonable!” Waverly, infuriated, rose to her feet. “Can you please grow a conscience? That ten million in cash and all those jewelry, I scrimped and saved to get them for you. I’ve done everything within my power to help; what more do you want from me? Look at your circle of friends; who among them could easily help you repay such a massive debt?”
With utter disdain, Mindy locked gazes with her. “Do you find it amusing to play the victim? You’re now the heiress of the Goodridge family; can’t you even afford this small amount? Your act isn’t going to fool me. I don’t care whether the jewelry is real or fake, nor do I care if they are tricking me. All I know is, I’m in deep trouble. If I can’t pay back this money, they’re going to kill me. If I’m ever cornered with no way out, I’ll take you down with me!”