Chapter 27

From her corner of the car, Juniper lounged with her legs crossed, headphones on, casually playing a game on her phone while simultaneously managing the negotiation through a chat window.
“Sir, J-Five is quoting fifty million,” Flint reported, his eyes nearly popping out of his head as he stared at the price on the iPad. For that kind of money, she might as well just rob a bank.
Ten million would have been a high price, but J-Five had the audacity to demand five times that. Who gave her the nerve?
“Fifty million. She’s got guts,” Shanley remarked, his brow furrowing as he scanned the proposal. A cold, sharp arc formed on his lips. He couldn’t deny J-Five’s designs were top-tier, but this price was treating him like a complete sucker.
“Tell her that price is unacceptable.”
He slapped the proposal shut and tossed it onto the console, his eyes dark with shadow.
Hearing this, Juniper, who had been happily engrossed in her game, lazily lifted her eyelids. She typed a few words: [Fifty million. Non-negotiable.]
She’d lost thirty-five million on that bracelet. Asking for fifty million now seemed more than fair. After a two-second pause, she added: [You have five minutes to consider.]
Even through the screen, her arrogance was palpable. It was the same five-minute ultimatum he had used to drive the bracelet’s price up to forty million. Seeing the man’s face darken with frustration, a sense of satisfaction washed over Juniper.
“Has the Schwartz Group had any prior conflicts with her?” Shanley asked Flint, his face like a thundercloud and his gaze cold enough to freeze water. He could feel a distinct hostility from this J-Five designer.
“Not that I recall, sir,” Flint replied after a moment’s thought.
This was their first time working with this particular designer. When they had initially reached out to J-Five, the response was simply that she was too busy and not accepting commissions. Then, she had suddenly agreed, but her attitude had been abysmal ever since as if they’d stolen money from her.
“Fine, agree to her terms.” Shanley’s face was grim. To think that after all these years, he’d be backed into a corner by some designer.
Hannah had specifically requested a piece made with blue benitoite, a gemstone that only J-Five had access to. He had promised her long ago that for her seventieth birthday, he would commission J-Five to create a custom jewelry set as her gift.
With the birthday only two weeks away, time was short, and they had no other choice but to go through J-Five. And she had the nerve to jack up the price…
If she knew who she was dealing with, would she still be so bold?
Not wanting to bore the girl beside him, Shanley didn’t waste any more time on the matter. “Agree to it.”
“Yes, sir,” Flint acknowledged. “Your grandmother will be thrilled with this birthday gift.”
At those words, Juniper’s fingers froze over her game. She slowly turned to look at the man.
So he was paying this exorbitant price not for some other woman, but for his grandmother? He was surprisingly filial.
…
With the contract confirmed, the deal was set. Fifty million was swiftly transferred into Juniper’s account.
“Juniper, you’re a genius! Buying up the global supply of blue benitoite yesterday completely cut off Shanley’s escape route,” Luella said, a cigarette dangling from her lips as her foxy eyes narrowed with delight. “He has the money, but we have the materials and the talent. The perfect storm. Fifty million—he had to pay it, whether he wanted to or not! Not only did we get back the thirty-five million he cost you, but we also made a fifteen million profit. That’s enough to cover our base’s expenses in Australis for a week. I bet he’s furious!”
That’s what he got for messing with her boss. He had picked the wrong person to
cross.
“So, how does it feel? Much better now, right?”
Listening to Luella’s cheerful chatter, Juniper licked her lips. Yes. She felt much, much better. Even Shanley didn’t seem quite so annoying anymore.
With the business concluded, Shanley composed himself and turned to the girl beside him.