Chapter 3

Felix burst out laughing. "Looks like the lesson I taught you wasn't enough."

Suppressing my anger, I held out the shipping box containing the bangle, giving him one last chance. "I'm asking you one last time—are you sure that even if the mistake is on your end and you sent the wrong item, you still won't accept a return?"

Felix didn't even glance at the box. Instead, he pulled up the product details page on his phone and pointed at a line of tiny text at the very bottom.

"You fool, can't you read?" he mocked. "No returns or exchanges once the package is opened."

He looked utterly smug, completely convinced he was in the right. "You didn't bother reading the policy, and that's on you. I'm the seller, so I get the final word. If you don't like it, go ahead and sue me."

Only then did I notice the minuscule print hidden in the bottom corner of the page.

"Items that have been delivered and opened are deemed satisfactory and are not eligible for our seven-day unconditional return policy."

Most people would miss it entirely unless they were looking for it. The shop had been setting traps for customers from the very beginning. Who knew how many people they had already cheated with this rule?

The sheer arrogance on Felix's face made my blood boil. My hand shook as I clutched the phone.

He, however, looked me up and down, the contempt in his eyes completely undisguised. The more he spoke, the more riled up he became.

"Look at you, a broke loser covered head to toe in cheap Temu clothes. Can you even afford a lawyer? I've met plenty of people like you, always looking to scam a quick buck. You saw my shop sells gold and figured you'd try to shake me down for a big payout!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, unrestrained snickering erupted from the onlookers.

An older woman couldn't help but step forward and reprimand me. "You seem like a nice young lady, but here you are trying to rip people off. You think money just falls from the sky for business owners? Aren't you afraid of karma catching up with you?"

The rest of the crowd chimed in, one after another condemning me.

The anger I had been forcing down instantly exploded.

"Very well then." I slowly withdrew my hand and saved the recording I had just made on my phone. "I will respect your store policy."

Felix saw what I was doing and let out a scoff. Then, he pulled out his own phone and started recording me.

"Hey, everyone, come take a look! This is the broke loser who tried to scam free stuff from my shop. And guess what? I busted her on the spot!"

He shoved the camera lens right into my face. When I tried to push it away, he suddenly reached out, grabbed my collar, and aggressively yanked it, ripping a large tear in my clothes.

"Your whole outfit doesn't even add up to 100 dollars, and you think you can shake me down? If you keep stirring up trouble here, don't blame me for calling the cops and having you reported for harassment."

He shot a meaningful glance at the two tall, burly male assistants.

The pair didn't need to be told twice. They came at me from both sides and seized my arms, lifting me off the ground like I was nothing but a chicken ready for the pot.

"Get out now! Don't dirty our floor!"

I struggled desperately but couldn't break free at all. Disheveled and humiliated, I was violently shoved out the door and fell awkwardly onto the concrete. My elbow hit the concrete hard, sending a searing pain shooting up my arm immediately.

Every passerby stopped to stare at me like I was a public spectacle.

Felix and his assistants stood at the entrance, looking down at me condescendingly.

"Take your fake goods and get lost. If you dare come back looking for trouble again, becoming famous online will be the least of your worries."

He spat at me before turning around and slamming the door shut.

I clutched the heavy shipping box tightly against my chest, a mixture of intense humiliation and burning rage churning inside me.

Fine. He was the one who refused to take it back!

Silently, I pushed myself up and walked straight into the jewelry store next door.

As soon as I entered, a shop assistant greeted me politely.

"Hello, I'd like to have this bangle tested and weighed, please."

The shop assistant put on a pair of white gloves before carefully accepting the bangle. Then, she placed it on a professional electronic scale.

"Ma'am, your bangle weighs exactly two ounces." She then ran it through a testing instrument. "It's solid gold. At today's market rate, you're looking at a cash-in value of about eight thousand dollars."

I looked down at my phone—at that line of tiny text at the very bottom of Felix's product details page.

"No returns or exchanges once the package is opened."

My gaze gradually turned ice-cold.

Since Felix was so adamant about his store policy, I was more than happy to show him what "no returns or exchanges" really meant.