The man was dressed impeccably, his back turned to Leo, obscuring his face.
Arlene was the first to notice Leo, initially mistaking him for a customer. “Hello, may I help you…” she began, but stopped mid-sentence upon recognizing Leo.
The man turned around, revealing a young man with eyebrows that ended abruptly at their peaks, making them quite noticeable. His eyes were small and narrow, giving the impression that he was speaking with his eyes closed.
Leo, recalling the man’s earlier words, began to piece things together. Pretending not to know the sisters, he asked, “Do you have any Hetian jade here?”
Leo subtly winked at Arlene as he spoke.
Arlene hesitated for a moment, but Christine quickly took over. “What kind of Hetian jade are you looking for? We have mutton fat jade, green jade, and yellow jade.”
“Do you have any seed material?”
“Yes, we have a yellow jade dragon turtle seed material. Take a look.” Christine retrieved a small pendant from behind the counter and placed it on the surface.
The young man, who had been watching coldly, sneered. “Such a small dragon turtle. Be careful not to drop it; you might not find it again.”
Christine couldn’t hold back her anger. “Ethan! Don’t push your luck! You have no say here!”
Ethan stepped back in fear but quickly remembered his current status in the family. He smirked coldly. “This may be your territory, but I’ve recently been promoted to assistant to the president of the group. I do have a say in higher matters.”
“To be honest, by the end of this year, your antique shop needs to turn in a profit of one million dollars!”
Ethan’s face twisted with malice.
Although Arlene and Christine managed the antique shop, it still belonged to Dan Group, giving Ethan the confidence to make such demands.
Christine and Arlene’s faces darkened. They were like tigers fallen to the plains, bullied by dogs. With the antique business in decline, where would they find a million-dollar profit?
Just as Christine was about to speak, Leo suddenly asked loudly, “This jade is quite nice. How many do you have in stock?”
Christine and Arlene exchanged puzzled glances, unsure of Leo’s intentions.
“The store has plenty of this jade…”
Before Arlene could finish her sentence, Leo interrupted. “As long as there’s enough stock. How much for each piece?”
“Twelve thousand dollars…”
“Alright, I’ll order a hundred pieces. Can you give me a discount? How about eleven thousand each?”
Arlene quickly understood Leo’s plan and nodded without hesitation.
“Deal. Eleven thousand each for a hundred pieces makes one million dollars!”
Leo smiled as if he had struck a great bargain.
By this point, even Ethan realized what was happening.
He had threatened them with a demand for a million-dollar profit by year-end, and now a million-dollar order had conveniently appeared. It was too much of a coincidence.
Looking at Leo, who appeared ordinary and unassuming, Ethan thought he must be a plant hired by Christine and Arlene.
Using professional terminology, he was a “shill.”
Ethan eyed Leo with a mocking smile. “My friend, that’s quite a large order. Do you have enough money?”
Leo ignored Ethan and approached the counter, pulling out his wallet. “Ladies, can I pay by card?”
He produced a black card from his wallet.
Arlene shook her head. “Sorry, our POS machine is down for the next few days.”
The black card in Leo’s hand caught Ethan’s attention immediately.
As a member of the Dan family born with a silver spoon in his mouth, Ethan was well-versed in top-tier credit cards and was an avid collector of them.
He dreamed of owning a card like the one in Leo’s hand.
It was unmistakably a Dubai Royal Elite Diamond MasterCard!
Ethan couldn’t believe that a mere shill could possess such a card.
The reality was clear: this seemingly ordinary young man was genuinely here to buy jade!
“How could these sisters be so lucky?” Ethan thought bitterly.
Ethan couldn’t fathom that Leo knew both Arlene and Christine.
Leo put the credit card back in his wallet. “No problem if I can’t use the card. Prepare the goods and give me an account number; I’ll transfer the money directly.”
“That works,” Arlene nodded and then turned to Ethan. “Ethan, we need to get back to business. If there’s nothing else, please leave.”
Ethan’s face turned red with anger. He had just mocked their lack of business, only for a huge order to fall into their laps moments later.
He left without another word, his eyes filled with jealousy and resentment.
From childhood, these sisters had always gotten the best of everything. Now that the old man was missing-presumed dead-they still dared to act so arrogantly? He vowed to make them pay.
After Ethan left, Arlene turned to Leo gratefully. “Thank you, Leo.”
“Why are you…?” Leo asked, puzzled about why the twin sisters were running an antique shop.
Christine snorted. “That’s none of your business. If there’s nothing else, please leave.”
Leo knew Christine’s temper well from their time at Dragon Well Locks and didn’t take offense. Before leaving, he said, “We know each other by fate. If you need help, feel free to contact me.”
After Leo left, Arlene curiously asked her sister, “Do you know him?”
“You know him too,” Christine replied.
“He cured Grandpa’s illness…” Arlene recounted how Leo had treated Godfery Dan.
Christine then shared her encounter with Leo at Dragon Well Locks in the capital with her sister.
After buying everything he needed from the antique street, Leo planned to head straight to Seven Stars Sword Sect but decided against it after checking the time.
To prepare for the upcoming battle, he needed to be fully ready.
So Leo decided to find a secluded spot on the outskirts of town to draw Talismans and unlock the True Dragon Bone before returning to the clinic to rest. He would drive to Seven Stars Sword Sect early the next morning.