"These phones are pretty good!" he interrupted her, looking down like he was actually thinking about which one to get.
Just then, a voice called out, "Hey, Rachel!"
Rachel looked up and saw Mackenzie walking over with another woman. It looked like they were just out for a casual evening stroll.
As they got closer, Rachel realized the other woman was Vanessa, her old high school classmate.
"What a coincidence, running into you here! Is this your boyfriend?" Mackenzie asked, eyeing Jeffrey, who was standing next to Rachel.
Before Rachel could even say anything, Vanessa jumped in, "Oh Mackenzie, don't jump to conclusions. I heard Rachel's boyfriend is supposed to be some rich guy. This guy doesn't look the part."
His clothes were cheap!
Vanessa raised an eyebrow. Her face, which was kind of pretty, now twisted with mockery and smugness. "Oh, are you embarrassed? I forgot, your boyfriend already has a new girlfriend and he's about to get engaged. The newspapers have been full of news about the Patel family heir and the Howard family daughter getting engaged. Now that's a match! By the way, does your new boyfriend know you're just a street cleaner now?"
"Come on, Vanessa, there's no need to say that," Mackenzie said.
"I'm not wrong, am I? Didn't you say she's working as a cleaner now?" Vanessa said arrogantly.
Back in high school, Rachel had always overshadowed her. In college, she heard Rachel somehow got lucky and dated Kai Ralph from the Patel family, which made her insanely jealous.
Why did all the good luck go to Rachel?
But now, Ralph was marrying someone else, and Rachel had ended up as a street cleaner! Vanessa felt like justice had been served.
Rachel glanced coldly at the two in front of her. Since they clearly wanted to humiliate her, she didn't see the point in arguing. That would only make them feel more powerful.
She turned to Jeffrey and asked, "Jeffrey, which phone do you like?"
"Just this one," Jeffrey said, pointing to one of the phones.
Rachel nodded and asked the store clerk to get it and ring it up.
"You'll need to get a phone number tomorrow so you can use it," she added.
"Sure, I'll stop by the service center on my way," he replied.
Their conversation flowed naturally, like Mackenzie and Vanessa weren't even there. Mackenzie looked kind of awkward, but Vanessa was furious. She had planned to humiliate Rachel, but now it felt like the opposite.
Watching Rachel pull out her phone to pay, Vanessa sneered, "What, you have to pay for his phone? Rachel, are you spending money on a boy toy? But then again, you're just a street sweeper. No wonder you can only afford such a cheap phone."
Vanessa's eyes shifted to Jeffrey.
Even though his bangs were covering his forehead and part of his eyes, she could still tell he was good-looking. His features were delicate, and from what she could see, his eyes looked really attractive.
"You don't need to stay with her," Vanessa said, her voice filled with fake kindness and superiority. "Why don't you break up with her? If you do, I'll buy you a better phone. You can pick any phone you want from this store."
Her family owned a small company. They weren't like crazy rich, but definitely richer than most people.
Jeffrey's lips pressed together as he stared at Vanessa.
She mistook his silence for hesitation, so she kept going. "How about it? Break up with her and we can be friends. I'll even take you for a ride in my new BMW. I can introduce you to some friends in the entertainment industry. With your looks, you could totally become a star."
"I have no interest in becoming a star. And as for your BMW, you can keep it," Jeffrey said calmly.
Vanessa felt like she had just been slapped in the face. "Do you even know who I am? I can make you—"
"Oh? What are you going to do to me?" Jeffrey asked coldly, his eyes narrowing.
Vanessa suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.
Jeffrey didn't bother with Vanessa anymore. He saw that Rachel had already paid for the new phone, so he and Rachel just walked away, leaving Vanessa standing there awkwardly.
Mackenzie gently tugged at Vanessa's sleeve. "Vanessa, are you okay?"
Vanessa gritted her teeth. "I'm fine!" She couldn't believe she had just been intimidated by that guy. His gaze made her feel like he was someone powerful, like the kind of person who could crush her in a second.
But in reality, he was just some poor dude wearing cheap clothes!
Mackenzie and Vanessa kept shopping for a while and then grabbed something to eat. When they walked out to the parking lot outside the mall, Vanessa's phone suddenly buzzed with a new message.
At the same time, a man in a black suit walked up to them. He spoke super politely, "Miss Vanessa, we've just transferred $67,500 to your account. That's the depreciated value of your car. You should have received the money by now."
Vanessa froze. She quickly checked her phone, and sure enough, there was a deposit notification for $67,500.
The man turned and made a hand gesture.
Right away, several other men in black suits appeared, carrying sledgehammers and iron bars. Without hesitation, they started smashing Vanessa's BMW like it was made of paper.
Vanessa and Mackenzie were completely freaked out.
Vanessa screamed, "What are you doing?! I'm calling the police!"
"Miss Vanessa, you already accepted the money, so the car isn't yours anymore. I can do whatever I want with it," the man said, calm as ever.
"No! I didn't sell my car! You can't do this!" Vanessa shouted, trying to stop them, but the guys ignored her and kept smashing the car like it was nothing.
In just a few minutes, the once shiny BMW looked like a total wreck.
"You... you..." Vanessa was shaking with rage, barely able to hold her phone straight.
"If you want to call the police, go ahead. We've got all the transaction records," the man said. "My boss just didn't like your car. Next time, buy a car he likes, or it might end up like this again."
After that, he turned around and walked off with the guys who destroyed the car. There were still a bunch of people standing around, watching the whole thing.
When Vanessa turned her head, she saw Rachel and that guy, Jeffrey, watching from a distance too.
Vanessa felt a wave of fury rise up in her chest like it was about to explode.
Not long ago, she had been showing off her brand-new car in front of them.
And now? It had been completely smashed, right in front of their eyes.