Chapter 265: Was I Just Scammed?

A little over a week had passed since Luca arrived in Capital City.

During that time, he and the two girls had visited several of the city’s famous attractions.

The weather was hot, but Trish and Rachel remained enthusiastic. Every new destination brought them another excuse to explore, take pictures, and enjoy themselves.

"Arabella, is this the famous Antique Market?"

With a rare free day in her schedule, Arabella had brought them to the Antique Market.

Trish was immediately overwhelmed by the countless handicrafts and curiosities spread across the stalls.

She soon stopped in front of a vendor’s display, her eyes lighting up as she examined the small objects arranged on the ground.

The stall owner’s eyes brightened as well.

’Finally, a customer. And she looks young and easy to fool.’

He naturally had no intention of letting the opportunity slip away.

"Hey darling, everything here is old. Just tell me what you like. Since you’re so pretty, I can give you a discount."

"Haha, you’re so kind sir!"

Pleased by the compliment, Trish crouched beside the stall.

One moment, she was picking up a small porcelain spaniel. The next, she had moved on to a small bronze Roman-style figurine.

Luca and the others approached from behind, chatting casually.

The stall owner glanced at the group and immediately stiffened.

He had assumed Trish was simply a wealthy, naive girl who had wandered away from her family.

He had not expected her to have an entourage.

The stern-looking bodyguards behind Luca made it clear that none of them were people he could afford to offend.

’If I cheat this girl and something happens, I might not even be able to keep my stall open in Capital City.’

For a moment, he hesitated.

Then he remembered that he had not made a single decent sale in two days. If he went home empty-handed again, his wife would surely give him an earful.

Compared with his wife, the young man and his bodyguards suddenly seemed much more approachable.

The stall owner gritted his teeth.

’Whatever. This is a transaction between willing parties.’

He had never claimed that the objects were genuine antiques. He had only said they were old.

Even if something had been made a year or two ago, it could still technically be called old, right?

With that thought, he convinced himself that there was nothing wrong with his business.

Just then, Trish picked up a small carved white alabaster fish.

"Sir, how much is this little fish?"

At the same time, Luca looked down at the object in her hand.

The carving was surprisingly detailed, and the pale material gave it a smooth, delicate appearance.

’This is probably fake. Or maybe it’s made from some low-value material.’

Luca knew very little about antiques, so he could only make a rough guess.

After all, if it were truly valuable, why would the stall owner leave it lying among these ordinary trinkets?

Just as Luca became more convinced that the fish was worthless, Arabella gently tickled his palm.

He raised an eyebrow and glanced at her.

Before he could ask what she wanted, the stall owner began speaking.

"Little beauty, you have excellent taste! This is a genuine natural alabaster stone, a rare and highly sought-after treasure..."

He launched into an elaborate explanation, praising the fish from every possible angle.

His tone, gestures, and expression were so convincing that Luca and Rachel were left speechless.

’Is this man a graduate of the Central Academy of Acting?’

’With this talent, why is he running a stall here? Wouldn’t he do better in Vinewood?’

Arabella, however, seemed completely unfazed.

She had visited the Antique Market several times and was already familiar with its tricks.

The stall owner’s initial asking price of five hundred dollars was actually quite low by the market’s standards.

She suspected that the presence of Luca and his bodyguards had influenced him.

Otherwise, considering Trish’s foreign accent and designer clothing, the man would probably have demanded tens of thousands.

Of course, even if the fish had been priced at over a thousand dollars, Trish would still have gotten a good deal if it were genuine.

Trish was stunned when she heard the price.

The little fish was easily the most attractive object on the stall, but she had assumed it would cost no more than a few dozen dollars.

Even a hundred dollars already seemed expensive to her.

But five hundred?

’Is he joking?’

The handbag she was carrying today had cost only a little over a thousand dollars.

Trish coughed lightly.

"Sir, do you think my favorite color is nine?"

The stall owner blinked.

For a moment, he wondered whether he had misheard her.

"...What?"

"Exactly." Trish lowered her hand and gave him a skeptical look. "So why are you trying to fleece me?"

The vendor’s expression stiffened.

He had expected her to bargain, complain, or ask whether he could lower the price. He had not expected such a strange question, followed by an accusation delivered with complete confidence.

"I’m only stating the value of the item," he said, trying to maintain his composure.

"Of course you are." Trish nodded solemnly. "And I’m only stating that nine isn’t a color."

Luca let out a chuckle.

The stall owner at the neighboring stall quickly covered his mouth, but his shoulders were already shaking.

Even the vendor struggled to keep a straight face.

"Hmph, I’m impressed," he said with a grin. "Name your price. If it’s reasonable, we can make a deal."

After thinking for a long moment, Trish slowly raised three fingers.

"Thirty dollars? Deal!"

The stall owner agreed almost instantly.

He had bought the fish from an elderly woman for two dollars.

Selling it for thirty would earn him a profit of twenty-seven dollars, which was already more

"Huh?"

Trish looked embarrassed and quietly lowered her hand.

The stall owner had asked for five hundred dollars, so she had assumed the fish must be worth something.

She genuinely liked it and had spent quite some time deciding how much to offer.

In the end, she had intended to bid three hundred dollars.

She had not expected the stall owner to mistake her offer for thirty.

What surprised her even more was the way his smile widened when he heard the amount.

His expression made it obvious that he believed he had struck a fantastic deal.

’At first, I confidently said I wasn’t dum. But now... i’m not so sure.’

Even after realizing that she had been taken advantage of, Trish did not regret buying the fish.

She obediently took out her phone and transferred thirty dollars to the stall owner.

"Beatiful, come again soon!" the man called cheerfully.

Trish took the fish and walked back to Luca with a gloomy expression.

"Bro..."

Her eyes were slightly red as she opened her palm.

"This thing cost me thirty dollars!"

At first, she had thought the fish was beautiful.

Now, all she could see were the words ’Biggest Fool’ written across it.

And she had originally intended to offer three hundred dollars.

Fortunately, the stall owner had misunderstood her.

Otherwise, she would not merely have been fooled. She would have been spectacularly fooled.

"Thirty dollars isn’t expensive," Luca said, patting her head.

"Consider it a lesson."

However, judging from the way Arabella had tickled his palm earlier, Luca suspected that this might not have been a lesson at all.